Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
General physical examination of the canine patient.
- Journal:
- The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice
- Year:
- 1981
- Authors:
- Hardy, R M
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
The physical examination of dogs can be quite complex, as there are many details to consider and various health issues that can be found. It's important for veterinarians to have a systematic way of examining pets so they can identify any problems effectively. By understanding what is normal for a dog's body and studying healthy animals, vets can more easily spot any significant health concerns. As veterinarians gain experience with each patient, their skills and ability to diagnose issues will improve over time.
Abstract
It should be obvious from the above discussion that the physical examination of animals is not a simple task. The details that must be performed are numerous. Even more numerous are the abnormalities that can be discovered by the careful observer. My attempt was not to list all the abnormalities that can be detected during a physical exam, but rather to develop an organized approach to looking at your patients so that the most may be gained from the effort expended. If you know normal anatomy and physiology and study healthy animals thoroughly, significant abnormalities will become obvious. Your physical examination skills will continue to grow with each patient examined. Your data base of disease findings will be constantly expanding, and your diagnostic accuracy will improve every year of your practice life.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6977913/