Healthy And Unhealthy Signs In Animals

Front 1

Physical Exam

Back 1

Distant methods
- Visual (respiration, posture, gait, surroundings, food & water bowls, floor, faeces, urine)
- Aural
- Olfactory (faeces, urine, diarrhoea, pyometron, v+)
Close up methods
- Visual
RR MM CRT
- Aural
HR RR
- Touch
Cardinal signs HR PR RR T CRT

Front 2

‘Cardinal’ Signs

Back 2

- Temperature
- Heart Rate
- Pulse Rate
- Respiratory Rate
- Mucous Membrane color & moistness
- Capillary refill time
- Body weight

Front 3

Physiological Variations

Back 3

Stress
Heat
Bitches on heat
Unable to urinate/defaecate-locked in cage
Exercise
Sleep
Excitement

Front 4

Distant Exam

Back 4

- Demeanour
- Disposition towards others (Placid, nervous, aggressive)
- Body condition (weight)
- Coat condition
- Conformation (shape or structure)
- Mobility (gait, posture)
- Elimination/Voiding/Venting (Effort, pain, pattern)
- Discharges from orifices (Colour, consistency)
- Obvious injury (Wounds, haemorrhage, deformities)

Front 5

Close Exam

Back 5

Look = Observation

Touch = Palpation
Feeling for lumps, pain, pulse
Listen = Auscultation
Listening for lung and heart sounds and cracking/grating (crepitus) in bones and joints

Front 6

Close Exam

Back 6

- Head exam & palpation
MM, nose, eyes, ears, mouth, throat
- Lymph nodes
Exam & palpation
- Neck & spine & tail
Deformity, stiffness, pain
- Thorax
Conformity, symmetry, pain
- Abdomen
Symmetry, masses, gases, fluid, rigidity/guarding
- Genitalia
Palpation, inspection
Limbs & Paws
Palpation, inspection
Skin
Turgor, reflex, elasticity

Front 7

MM Colour

Back 7

Normal
Dog: salmon pink
Cat: pale pink
Abnormal
White
Blue-mauve (cyanotic)
Brick red
Red spots (petechiated)
Muddy brown
Yellow (jaundiced, icteric)

Front 8

MM Capillary Refill Time (CRT)

Back 8

Usually <2 sec

Front 9

Head Position

Back 9

Head tilt
Vestibular disease (e.g. geriatric), or
Problem in middle or external ear

Front 10

Nose

Back 10

Front 11

Eye Exam

Back 11

Front 12

Ear Exam

Back 12

Front 13

Skin Turgor

Back 13

Some vets actually count the seconds for skin to return to normal position
Is a rough guide to dehydration
e.g. 5 seconds might suggest 5% dehydration
Fat animals may have rapid skin turgor (even though dehydrated)
Thin animals may have slow skin turgor
Needs to be measured in same place for consistency (eg head or thoracic area)

Front 14

Temperature

Back 14

Lubricated thermometer
Into anus
Adjacent rectal wall – not into a faecal mass if possible
Electronic – wait until beeps
Glass bulbs – wait 1 min
environmental hazard if mercury leaks ou

Front 15

Temperature interpretations

Back 15

High temp
Overheated (hyperthermic)
Trying to cool down- panting
Pyrexic / Feverish
Trying to warm up- huddled, ruffled, shivering
Low temp
Hypothermic
Trying to warm up- shivering

Front 16

Normal Temp

Back 16

Normal dog & cat 37.8 - 39.2 C

Variations from normal
Stress
Late pregnancy
Fear
Illness

Front 17

Heart Rate

Back 17

Count what?

Pulse (femoral)
Heart beats
Count how long?
1 min (most accurate)
30 sec (then x 2)
15 sec (then x 4)
Femoral pulse easiest
Should be same as HR
If not you have a ‘pulse deficit’
Indicates ineffective contractions – usually premature beats (arrhythmias)

Front 18

Breathing / Respiration

Back 18

Front 19

Respiration Rate

Back 19

Polypnoea
- Many breaths
Tachypnoea
- Rapid breaths
Apnoea
- No breaths

Dyspnoea
- Difficult breaths

Front 20

Appetite

Back 20

Hyporexia
- Eating less
Anorexia
- Eating nothing
Polyphagia
- Excessive
Coprophagia
- Eating faeces
Pica
- Eating unusual things

Front 21

Urination

Back 21

Dysuria
- Increased effort (straining)
Pollakiuria
- Increased frequency
Polyuria
- Scant

Front 22

Defecation

Back 22

Dyschezia
Straining to defaecate, or
Painful defaecation

Front 23

Abnormal movement

Back 23

Ataxia
Inco-ordinated, ‘drunken’, stumbling gait
Intoxication!
Brain disease
Spinal disease

Front 24

Signs of pain

Back 24

Absence of normal behaviour
Localised sensation of discomfort, distress
Abnormal sounds, abnormal stance
Changed heart rate and respiration
Abnormal appetite, loss of body weight
Failure to thrive
Decreased resistance to disease

Front 25

Legs / Feet

Back 25

Front 26

Anal / Genital

Back 26

Front 27

Good signs

Back 27

Animal is bright alert and responsive
Skin is elastic
Animal is balanced, coordinated
Temperature is normal
Animal is interested in surroundings, oriented

Front 28

Overall Warning signs

Back 28

Animal is thin or obese
Animal has wounds or abscesses
Animal has swelling, lumps or bumps
Animal appears to have an umbilical hernia
Mammary glands are swollen or oozing discharge
Skin does not spring back
Animal appears uncoordinated
Animal tilts head
Animal circles repeatedly
Abdomen is bloated
Temperature is abnormal
Animal appears lethargic
Animal appears hyperactive
Animal appears disoriented