OWNING A DOG 
Whether you have a new puppy or have an aging senior member of the family, having a dog in your home offers much enjoyment and love. To give back to our pets, there are basic things we can do to ensure our pets’ have longevity, happiness, and the best quality of life. Best pet care starts with meeting the five animal freedoms, that is the freedom from hunger and thirst, the freedom from discomfort, the freedom from pain, injury or disease, the freedom to express normal behaviour and the freedom from fear and distress.
The best way to meet these freedoms is to provide your pet/s with good nutrition and water, regular exercise, a safe, warm, and loving environment, preventative treatments, and frequent health checks. A comprehensive health check with your veterinarian is done in sections, first starting with a distant exam, looking at symmetry of the body and head, your pet’s gait, and their demeanour. The close examination then begins, first looking at the face, examining the ears, eyes, nose and teeth; and then the body, assessing the cardiovascular system (listening to the heart, palpating pulses, looking at capillary refill and mucosa), the respiratory system (listening to the lungs on inhale and exhale), the abdomen (palpating for any abnormalities of the organs, and any pains/discomfort), the musculoskeletal system (assessing muscles, bones and joints), the integument (assessing skin and coat for any abnormalities including inflammation, infection, and growths), the urogenital system (assessing the genitalia);, the lymphatic system (palpating any abnormalities in the peripheral lymph nodes), and a neurological exam (assessing for any changes in neurological function, sensation, demeanour and reflexes). It is recommended that your pet/s have yearly checkups with a veterinarian, however there are basic things you can check at home to help monitor your pet’s health and enable early detection of any problems.
WHAT YOU CAN DO AT HOME
To perform a basic health check at home you can apply a similar approach as your veterinarian and check your pets in sections, looking at their face, their body, their overall behaviour, and their toileting and drinking.
Your pets face:
1. Check your dog’s mouth, teeth, and gums:
Like humans, dogs a predisposed to dental disease with time. An easy way to check you dogs oral hygiene is to look at the colour of your dog’s teeth and gingiva (where the gums attach to the teeth). Teeth should be white/cream in colour, and gums a pale pink. Staining and build up on teeth can occur with time and enable tartar and calculus to form. By cleaning your dog’s teeth regularly with a gentle tooth brush and dog tooth paste, and/or providing your dog with dental care biscuits/ treats can assist in prevention of dental disease. If you notice any yellow hard build up on your dog’s teeth, reddened gums, wobbly or sore teeth your dog may need a dental and a vet check is recommended.
2. Check your dog’s eyes:
Your dog’s eyes should be clear and free from any discharge, and each eye should be open equally. Some old ages changes can occur in the eye making them appear opaquer in the center, this is an old age change referred to as nuclear sclerosis. This does not affect their sight but needs to be distinguished from other disease processed causing opacity in the eye. Your veterinarian can do this at their next check.
3. Check your dog’s mouth, teeth, and gums:
Like humans, dogs a predisposed to dental disease with time. An easy way to check you dogs oral hygiene is to look at the colour of your dog’s teeth and gingiva (where the gums attach to the teeth). Teeth should be white/cream in colour, and gums a pale pink. Staining and build up on teeth can occur with time and enable tartar and calculus to form. By cleaning your dog’s teeth regularly with a gentle tooth brush and dog tooth paste, and/or providing your dog with dental care biscuits/ treats can assist in prevention of dental disease. If you notice any yellow hard build up on your dog’s teeth, reddened gums, wobbly or sore teeth your dog may need a dental and a vet check is recommended.
4. Check your dog’s eyes:
Your dog’s eyes should be clear and free from any discharge, and each eye should be open equally. Some old ages changes can occur in the eye making them appear opaquer in the center, this is an old age change referred to as nuclear sclerosis. This does not affect their sight but needs to be distinguished from other disease processed causing opacity in the eye. Your veterinarian can do this at their next check.
5. Check your dog’s ears:
Your dog’s ears should sit comfortable and have no to minimal discomfort when touching. Looking on the underside of your dog’s ears the skin should generally be pale pink in colour and there should be no smell, itching or pain. If your dog has brown to yellow discharge, is itchy and/or painful, has a sweet smell in the ear, they may have an ear infection and veterinary medication may be required. To assist in keeping your dog’s ears clean you can purchase ear cleaner over the counter. It is recommended to clean problematic dogs’ ears regularly to reduce the risk of infection.
6. Check your dog’s nose:
Your dog’s nose should be moist with no discharge.
Heart rate: 60-140 beats per minute. An elevated heart rate is possible in the young or excited pet and is not a concern if your pet is healthy
Respiratory rate: 10-30 breaths per minute. A lower respiratory rate is possible and is not a concern so long as your pet is healthy. A higher respiratory rate/panting is a normal dog behaviour when excited/ exercising and is used to cool themselves down.
Temperature: normal body temperature is between 38.5-39.5. Some dogs baseline falls a little above or below the average, however if your dog’s temperature rises above 40°C or below 37.5° and your dog is unwell you should seek veterinary care.
Your pet’s body:
1. Check your dog’s body:
By running your hands over your dog’s body regularly you can detect changes in their symmetry, hair and coat, and any sores or lumps that may need checking. There are a large proportion of our dogs that are overweight and this can predispose them to many other health issues. Keeping your pets within a healthy weight range is vital to enabling longevity and comfort. As a rough guide to check your dog’s weight you should be able to feel your dogs’ ribs with light pressure, and your dog should have a ’tuck’ at their waist/hips, where their abdomen comes inwards and upwards.
Your pet’s overall behaviour:
1. Monitoring your pet’s behaviour, demeanour, and movement:
By monitoring your dog’s behaviour, demeanour, and movement, you can gain information about their wellbeing. These aspects can change when they are unwell, but also with stress and anxiety, pain, cognitive disorders, and other systemic disease. A veterinary check is recommended if you are concerned.
Dogs’ movements and activity levels can also give you information about their musculoskeletal system. Dogs can get joint and bone related disease at all ages and this can be seen in reduced exercise/energy. If you are worried about your dogs decreased activity a veterinary check is recommended.
Your pet’s toileting:
Your pet’s toileting can provide information into their overall health.
1. Faeces:
Your pet’s faeces (poo) should be formed, but soft, and easily excreted from the body. There should be no strenuous pushing or struggling to defecate. Defecating should be pain free. Diet can directly influence a dog’s stool, however, so can systemic disease and other gastrointestinal issues. If you are worried about your dog’s faeces a veterinary check is recommended.
2. Urination and drinking:
Your pet’s urination should be a strong continuous stream with no pain. Pets can urinate small amounts and frequently to mark their scent, however frequent urination especially in the presence of pain or increased thirst should be investigated by your veterinarian.
