Clients that seek medical advice from the Internet drive me crazy. The adage “you get what you pay for,” though not originally written about this ubiquitous mode of avoiding a trip to the veterinary clinic, is so apropos. I understand that no one wants to spend money needlessly, but common sense seems to march out the doggie door with the advent of online medical advice sites.

I had a client recently come into my practice with a huge, necrotic lump on his dog’s side. He had been attempting to remove the offending mass at home by tying string tightly around the base of it. He had read about the technique on the net.

A lump that could have been easily and painlessly snipped off with a local anesthetic and some tissue glue now required general anesthesia and a much larger incision due to complications. So much for saving a few dollars.

I do, however, love it when an observant groomer or kennel assistant has made a pet owner aware of a potential health issue. I am not saying that I want untrained people to “play doctor,” but knowing what is normal for a pet and being cognizant of what is outside of the norm can keep your client’s pets healthier and increase your perceived worth in their eyes.

My technicians and kennel staff have all been trained in using this Health Report Card (see sample on page 13). We have the advantage of calling a pet owner if a health concern is found, since we are a veterinary hospital. You can give this report to the client when they retrieve their pet or, if you feel that it requires immediate attention, call them right away. Sending home a “report card” after each visit is a free service that can garner you good will, which is priceless.

I always perform a physical exam with the same pattern so as not to forget an essential element. You can do the same thing. Start by weighing the pet and recording it in your records. Owners see their furry kids every day and lose perspective regarding weight gain or loss. Assess the body condition score. I use a 1 to 9 scale. A “1” is the “bag of bones” that we never want to see. A “9” is all too common: the bloated balloon with paws sticking out. A “5” is perfect. When the pet is standing and you are looking down at it, you should be able to see a waistline immediately after its ribs. With your hands placed on the side of the pet’s chest, with “gentle” pressure, you should be able to feel the ribs. That is a “5.” Sadly, most pets have a BCS greater than “6.”

Check the coat for general condition. Is it matted, dry, or dirty? Do you see fleas or ticks? Do you see evidence that the pet has been scratching or biting a particular body part? Are there lumps and bumps? Make note of where they are and their size. I usually use food as my standard (e.g. the size of a pea, an egg, or a gum ball). Most of us have phones with built-in cameras. Take a picture and print it off. Send it home with the report.

Now look into the ears and give them a sniff. The canals should be open with little to no debris. The ear flap should not be red, inflamed, or abnormally thickened. If the ear odor is similar to a pair of tennis shoes someone should have thrown away a week ago, there is a problem. Don’t be tempted into thinking that all black debris is a sign of ear mites. That is a diagnosis that should be left up to a veterinarian.

How do the eyes look? The whites of the eyes should be just that – white. A small amount of “sleep” in the corners of the eyes is not alarming, but excessive tearing, extremely reddened eyes, a pet that is constantly rubbing at them or squinting excessively should have professional attention. The lens sits in the middle of the pupil, the area of the eye that expands or contracts with changes in light levels. Pet owners often confuse a common aging change, lenticular sclerosis, with cataracts. They are not the same. Lenticular sclerosis does not lead to cataracts or blindness. You don’t have to hazard a guess as to which condition may be affecting a pet; all you need to do is note that it just isn’t right. Have it looked into.

Now lift the lip and check out the teeth and gums. Dental disease is one of the most common health problems for cats and dogs. Too often a pet owner will only check the teeth in front. It is imperative that all the teeth are at least glimpsed at. Not all pets are appreciative of this portion of the “once over,” so do exercise caution and don’t get bitten.

Watch how the pet walks or moves around its kennel/cage. If you find that it favors a particular leg or is slow to rise or sit, this may indicate arthritis or another malady. Overly long nails or ingrown nails are common in older cats. Offering to trim a pet’s nails is often a welcome service that owners are more than willing to compensate you for.

Observe how a pet breathes. Respiration should not be labored or excessively noisy, unless it is a Pug, a Persian, or similar pet with breed-specific respiratory issues. An occasional cough or sneeze is typical for all of us, but repeated harsh coughing/sneezing is not. With the prevalence of contagious upper respiratory diseases, it is wise to isolate a pet that is demonstrating abnormal signs and contact the owner for quick removal from your facility.

Elimination problems can range from excessive water intake, marked increase in urination or lack thereof, constipation, or to the other extreme, diarrhea. The stress of boarding or a trip to “the beauty salon” can commonly result in transient changes in bowel patterns.

One of the less than savory aspects of pet grooming is expressing their anal glands. This is, however, a very important service. Anal glands can become infected, rupture, or become cancerous. If a problem is found, informing an owner can save a pet from great discomfort or worse.

By routinely and consistently performing this brief physical examination on each pet that frequents your establishment and reporting your findings to the owner, you can help to ensure the pet and your relationship with the pet parent remains healthy and lasts a long, long time.

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