How to do a monthly head-to-tail check on my dog and what to look for?

An exam or office visit usually consist of looking at the dog. This includes checking the teeth and mouth and assessing the lymph nodes. It will include checking the ears for any mites or signs of an infection. They do listen to the heart and lungs and feel the abdomen and skin for any bumps or growths. Most vets are good at incorporating this process into vaccinations

Hello, and thanks for your question. Each exam will be slightly tailored to the purpose of that day's visit, and sometimes I will slightly modify an exam based on what has or has not been recently checked. Furthermore, your vet is probably doing much of the exam while you're talking. I'm sure when I do my appointments, it may often look like I'm simply petting the dog - when I am feeling lymph nodes, palpating abdomen, looking at eyes/ears/teeth, etc. So, of course I wasn't there and cannot speak for your vets, but I would suspect that there was more of an exam happening than was perhaps made clear! In a perfect world, every visit would involve checking every body system in every way possible. But, with time limitations and specific concerns that may need to be discussed, some visits will likely involve going more into depth with one body system or another. Hope this helps!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I would recommend bringing a fecal sample in to your vet to check for intestinal parasites. Even though she has been dewormed, the dewormer used may not have treated all intestinal parasites. This may also be a behavioral problem and an obsessive behavior. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

That is a good question. Usually once yearly during Jenny's physical exam a fecal is done. They will look under the microscope to see if there are worm eggs or other parasites. Also I recommend checking for parasites should she have diarrhea and blood and or mucus in the stool. If they find parasite eggs they will prescribe the correct medication. I generally do not deworm without knowing if they have intestinal parasites and which ones as there are several different deworm medications that are used for different types of parasites. Giving monthly heartworm medication will help control intestinal parasites also. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Jenny.

I recommend to have Leia examined by the veterinarian. Skin masses can be many things but red raised masses are especially concerning for a skin cancer called a Mast Cell tumor. Your veterinarian will need to collect a sample of cell to examine under the microscope to determine what this is and if further treatment is needed. Have this checked out soon.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach, and thank you for the pictures! The lower back/base of the tail is a classic area for a flea infestation. Fleas make dogs incredibly itchy, causing them to bite or scratch at the area, and cause hair loss. This area can get very sensitive and painful to dogs. I recommend bringing Nala to your veterinarian at their next available appointment to have her examined. Your vet can do a test to check for fleas, and can perform a skin scrape to see if there are any other external parasites such as mites or lice, or a secondary bacterial infection, that may be contributing to her itching. Nala should be on a consistent flea and tick preventative that can be purchased from your veterinarian. We do NOT recommend using flea and tick products that can be purchased from a food or pet store, as these are not safe or effective for use in dogs. There are no effective "natural" or holistic flea and tick preventatives, either. I hope this is helpful - best of luck with Nala!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!