Weight

 

Your vet may weigh your pet during the consultation. Don’t worry if your dog is not very good at getting on the scales, this is a common problem and usually they will get there with some encouragement! There are several reasons for weighing your pet:

 

• Some conditions are associated with weight loss or gain, therefore weighing them may help with diagnosis.

• Some conditions may be affected by your pet being overweight such as joint conditions, or it may make them more likely to suffer conditions such as diabetes mellitus (high sugar levels in the blood).

• Having an accurate weight will allow accurate dosing if any medication is prescribed.

 

Taking a history

 

This is the section of the consultation where the vet will ask you questions about your pet’s condition. Some of the questions may seem irrelevant but bear with them as these questions may help to identify an underlying condition. Some questions to expect are:

 

• What signs you have noticed, how often, how long for, and whether they were sudden or gradual in onset.

• Changes in appetite or thirst.

• Whether they are going to the toilet normally.

• If they are vomiting.

• Any pain.

• Changes in behaviour or demeanour.

• If there have been any changes in diet, routine or exercise.

 

Examination

 

Sometimes people and their pets can find this section of a consultation quite stressful but your vet will do their best to keep it as stress-free as possible. Not all pets enjoy being examined, especially if it includes things that they are not used to. Don’t worry if this is the case, your pet will certainly not be the only one! If you think your pet would be better with a nurse holding them you can always ask. Your vet will perform a full examination of your pet, and then may focus on a specific area depending on the symptoms described. This may include checking:

 

• Ears, eyes, mouth and teeth.

• Colour – whether their gums look pale or a normal pink colour.

• Lymph nodes (their 'glands') – they may be bigger in certain conditions. These are found in many locations in the body. The ones most easily felt are in the neck and behind the knees.

• Chest – they will listen to your pet's heart and lungs.

• Abdomen – they will feel for anything abnormal and see if anything is painful.

• Temperature.

• Behaviour in the consult room – are they are interested and alert or a bit quiet?

• Skin and coat.

• Body condition – are they the right weight?

• Limbs, back and neck if necessary.

• Any lumps and bumps noticed.

Following this your vet may be able to suggest a diagnosis and course of treatment, or they may need to carry out further tests such as those detailed in the ‘Diagnostic Tests’ section. They will understand that it can be very worrying when your animal is unwell; don’t worry about asking them to explain things further if you are unsure about what anything means.