8 DIY Pet Health Checks to Do Every Month

The Pet Parent Hotline
Host: Amy Castro

Transcript

This transcript has been lightly edited for readability while preserving the original conversation. Timestamps are approximate and may vary slightly from the final edited audio.

Veterinary Disclaimer: The information shared in this episode is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Every pet is different. Talk with your veterinarian about what is appropriate for your individual animal. If you believe your pet may be experiencing an urgent or emergency medical problem, contact your veterinarian or an emergency veterinary hospital.

[00:00] Teaser

Amy Castro:
One day I happened to look inside my dog's mouth and discovered that a huge chunk of one of his teeth had sheared off. He wasn't walking around acting like anything was terribly wrong, and if I hadn't actually looked, I have no idea how long it would have taken me to find it.

Luckily, I caught it before it became infected or abscessed, and that raises a bigger question: What are we missing on our pets simply because we're not actually looking?

Today I'm walking you through eight areas I think every pet parent should deliberately check about once a month, from head to toe.

[00:43] Show Intro

You've reached The Pet Parent Hotline, your lifeline to practical solutions for your toughest pet parenting challenges. I'm your host, Amy Castro, and I'm here to help you cut through the noise and turn expert advice into step-by-step strategies so you can stop chasing your tail and start enjoying life with pets again.

[01:05] Why a Monthly At-Home Pet Check Matters

Your veterinarian probably sees your pet once a year, maybe twice a year if you have a senior animal or someone with an ongoing medical issue. But even if you're completely on top of your vet care, there are still a whole lot of days between those appointments when nobody with medical training is putting their hands on your pet.

And that got me thinking about something I think most of us could probably do a better job of, myself included, which is actually checking our animals at home when nothing appears to be wrong.

Because there's a difference between touching your pet or petting your pet every day and really looking at them.

I can pet my dogs 50 times a day and never run my hand all the way down their back or down both legs. I can scratch my cat behind the ear every time I walk past and never actually look inside those ears.

And I can watch the same animal walk around my house every day without necessarily immediately realizing that maybe they've gotten a little stiffer because change happens so gradually that I adjust to it right along with them.

And that's really the reason I think this is worth making more intentional.

So what I want you to consider is doing a head-to-toe check of each of your pets about once a month. Nothing elaborate. Maybe 10 or 15 minutes where you actually slow down, put your hands on them where it's appropriate and safe, of course, and actually pay attention to what you're seeing and feeling.

I'm purposely calling this a check rather than an exam because I don't want anyone thinking that I'm suggesting we should be trying to replace veterinarians or that we should be able to diagnose our own animals.

That's definitely not what we're doing.

This is just about noticing things between your vet visits.

And I would suggest actually getting your veterinarian involved. I know I'm going to. The next time I'm there, I'm going to ask them, "What should I be checking for on a monthly basis, head to toe? What are the main things you'd like me to watch for with this particular pet?"

And you never know, your vet may already have a checklist they can give you. And if they don't, they can tell you what deserves extra attention based on your pet's age, species, breed, medical history, or maybe anything else that's going on with them.

Because obviously checking my bulldog Guinevere, otherwise known as Gunny, is not going to look exactly like checking your parrot. And neither of those is going to look like checking my next-door neighbor's rabbit.

But there are some broad areas that I think apply to all animals. And so I've broken this down into eight of them so it's easy to follow.

And before we get to number one, one quick common-sense disclaimer: Don't turn this into a wrestling match with your pet.

I don't want to be getting emails or phone calls because you got bitten by your pet because they got scared.

If you've got an animal that is frightened by handling, if you can't handle them for whatever reason, if they're painful or they're likely to bite, or maybe you've got a species of pet that shouldn't be restrained without knowing what you're doing, like certain birds or aquatic pets, please talk to your veterinarian first about the safest way to monitor them at home.

Okay, so let's get started.

[05:12] #1: Body Condition, Weight, and Muscle

Number one is body condition.

Before you start looking for anything specific, kind of take in your whole pet. Really look at the body.

One of the easiest things to miss when you see an animal every single day is gradual weight gain or weight loss. You're there every single day for little tiny changes, so nothing necessarily jumps out at you on a daily basis.

And weight isn't the only thing to think about. Body condition can change because an animal is losing muscle too, especially as they've gotten older.

I've noticed that with my cat Pickles. Her back end and her thigh muscles, for lack of a better term, have really gotten hollowed out, and that's made her legs weaker and impacted her jumping ability.

And I know that when you've got a furry pet, this can make things a little bit harder. If you've got a really fluffy dog or cat, that can hide a surprising amount of change that's happening underneath the hair.

So this is one area where I think it's especially helpful to have your veterinarian show you what you're supposed to be feeling when you're touching your pet from head to toe.

If they tell you that your dog or cat is overweight, don't just leave with a number like, "Your pet needs to lose five pounds."

Ask, "Can you show me exactly what a healthy body condition should feel like or look like?"

They probably have a chart, and you can get those online as well. But have them show you how easily you should be able to feel your pet's ribs, what their waist should look like on your pet, what they would expect good muscle tone to look and feel like, and what changes they'd want you to notice.

This really gives you something useful to work with at home.

And depending on what type of pet you have, your veterinarian may also want you to actually weigh them periodically. With some smaller animals and birds, weight can be a really important piece of information.

So that's something worth asking about too.

You don't need to become obsessed with the scale. What you're looking for is whether there's a trend that you didn't realize was happening.

[07:49] #2: Lumps, Bumps, Swelling, and Sensitive Areas

Number two is lumps, bumps, swelling, and anything else that feels different.

Once you're already putting your hands over your pet's body, slow down a little bit. Feel along the chest and the back and the sides and legs, again, where it's safe to do so with your pet.

And pay attention to anything that seems new.

Obviously, lumps are the things most people immediately think about, especially with older dogs and cats. But there are other things you might notice too.

Maybe there's swelling. Maybe one area or one leg or one foot feels thicker than it used to. Maybe one side of the body feels different from the other.

And you might find a spot that suddenly seems sensitive when you touch it.

Again, you don't have to figure out what these things mean. That's what your veterinarian is there for.

But what I would do if I found something is make it easy to keep track of. Take a picture of it if it's something visible that you can see, or put a note in your phone about where it is and when you found it.

Because I have enough older, lumpy animals to know exactly how this goes.

You find a little lump and you think, "Okay, I'll remember this next time I go in."

And then a few weeks later you're feeling around going, "Wait a minute. Is this the same one? Was it further back? Was it on the other side? Is this a new one? Or did I see this last time and it's always been here?"

And suddenly you have no idea what you're looking at.

So document it and then let your veterinarian tell you whether they want to see it, whether they want you to monitor it, or whether there's something else they recommend.

[09:58] #3: Skin, Fur, Hair, and Feathers

Number three is checking out skin, fur, hair, or feathers, whatever the case may be.

This is where I want you to look a little beyond what you normally see when your animal walks across the room.

If you have a thick-coated dog or cat, actually part the fur in a few places and look at the skin underneath.

Check areas that can be easy to miss in your normal interaction with your pet, like under their legs, around their neck, along their belly, at the base of the tail, or anywhere else a collar or harness might tend to rub.

You might find redness, flaking, maybe a little sore or a scab, some thinning hair, or a place where your pet's been licking or scratching more than you realized.

I discovered this recently with my dog Gunny.

She doesn't normally wear a collar on a daily basis, but since we've been on the road, she's had a collar on every day. Despite the fact that it is super loose, she definitely had an irritated spot on her neck from it.

So I'm aware of it, and I can take off the collar when it's safe to do so to give that area a break.

Pay attention to matting too, especially if matting is unusual for your particular animal.

Sometimes it might just be a grooming issue, but sometimes an animal who normally maintains their coat really well starts neglecting a particular area, maybe because reaching it has become uncomfortable or difficult for them.

With birds, obviously you're going to be looking at feathers rather than fur.

What you're looking for is going to be a little bit different, like damaged feathers, unusual feather loss, maybe a change in feather quality, or something different about the way your bird is preening itself.

Whatever animal you have, the general idea is the same. Take a closer look at what is happening on the outside instead of assuming you'd automatically notice a problem just because you touch them all the time.

[12:29] #4: Eyes, Ears, Nose, Teeth, and Mouth

Number four is focusing on the head and face. And this includes eyes, ears, nose, and especially the mouth.

I would start with the eyes.

You're not looking for anything obscure. I'm not trying to turn you into a veterinary ophthalmologist.

But you're looking for obvious changes like redness, swelling, cloudiness, discharge, or squinting.

Or if one eye suddenly looks noticeably different from the other, that's something to pay attention to as well.

I noticed this recently with my dog Tinky. I could have sworn that one of her eyes looked like it was bulging a little bit more than the other.

We had it checked out. It was nothing, but it's worth taking a look at.

Then take a look at the ears if you have an animal with ears that you can reasonably inspect.

You don't need to go digging around in there, and please don't start poking cotton swabs down into their ears because you heard me say check ears.

I'm just talking about looking at what you can see safely.

If you suddenly notice a lot of debris, redness, swelling, or an odor that wasn't there before, that may be something your veterinarian needs to know about.

And then we get to the mouth, which I think is one of the easiest areas to overlook.

If your animal will let you safely do it, lift the lips and really look at the teeth and gums.

Look for tartar buildup. Look for gums that are redder or more inflamed than they used to be. And definitely look for bleeding.

Check for teeth that are chipped or cracked, loose or missing.

And I learned this one firsthand with one of my dogs.

I happened to look at his mouth one day and realized that one of his teeth had a huge chunk sheared off from it, probably from a bone or something he got ahold of in the yard.

And it was not just a tiny little chip in the corner. It was a significant piece of tooth that was missing.

Luckily, I caught it before it became infected or abscessed, which obviously could have turned into a much bigger and much more painful problem for him.

But what really sticks out to me now, looking back at it, is how easy it would have been to miss.

He didn't walk up to me and point to his tooth and say, "Cracked tooth."

And pets can continue eating even if something hurts in their mouth.

So if I hadn't actually opened his mouth and looked, I have no idea how long it might have gone unnoticed.

And that experience has really made me much more aware of checking mouths.

I know this can be much more difficult with certain pets, so we're talking about doing what you can safely and without causing pain or discomfort to your pet.

And while we're talking about mouths, pay attention to odor here as well.

I'm not suggesting that dog breath or cat breath is ever going to smell fabulous, but it really shouldn't smell terrible.

Especially if there's suddenly a dramatic change or a really foul odor that wasn't there before, don't shrug that off.

For birds, of course, you're going to be looking at their beak rather than their teeth.

And that's a perfect example of where your veterinarian can tell you exactly what is normal and what kind of changes they want you to be watching for in that species.

And the same goes for reptiles and other pets.

[16:36] #5: Feet, Nails, Claws, and Paw Pads

Number five is feet, nails, and claws.

I think feet are really easy for people to ignore until an animal starts limping.

Take a look at the nails or claws and see whether any are cracked, broken, unusually long, or growing weirdly.

I've noticed as my pets get older that some of their nails get thicker and some start to curve in different directions.

So take a good look at that.

And if your animal has paws with pads, look at those too.

If it's safe and your pet tolerates it, check between their toes as well.

This is one of those places where you can find all kinds of things you would never see just from looking at your pet from above.

It might be a small cut, irritated skin, something stuck in the fur, or a foreign object.

And sometimes you can discover nail problems that are just getting started.

As I mentioned, this is something that I've noticed changes in as my pets have aged.

So I would say pay a little more attention as your animal gets older because normal nail maintenance can definitely change right along with their activity level.

Maybe you had a dog that used to take long walks and naturally wore down their nails a lot faster, but now those walks are shorter and the nails are growing quicker.

Maybe you've got a cat who used to be really active but spends more time sleeping now.

If you keep using your past grooming schedule like you always have, it may no longer match what your animal currently needs.

[18:34] #6: Movement and Mobility

Number six is movement and mobility.

For this one, you're going to stop handling them and just watch.

And I don't mean watch your dog when you've picked up the leash and they're bouncing around like they're five years younger than they really are.

Look at their ordinary movement.

Pay attention to how they get up, especially after they've been sleeping for a while.

Watch them turn around. Watch how they use the stairs.

If they normally jump on the sofa, I feel like I say this all the time, or the bed, notice whether they're still able to do it in the same way.

A lot of times mobility changes start as little adaptations rather than dramatic problems.

The dog might still be going upstairs but pause at the first step or hesitate as they go up.

Your cat might still get on the bed, but now she jumps into the chair first and uses that to launch onto the bed.

Or maybe she takes a couple of little hesitant, hoppy steps like she's trying to judge how easily she can get up there.

An older animal might get up from a nap and take a few seconds before they really get moving.

Those changes are really easy to kind of absorb and ignore as you go about your regular routine.

And it could just be a regular old part of getting older because we know our bodies and their bodies change.

But that doesn't mean you should automatically decide that nothing can or should be done about it.

Sometimes pain management, making some adaptations in your home, managing your pet's weight better, rehabilitation, or other interventions can make a huge difference in an animal's comfort level.

So if movement starts changing, definitely mention it to your vet.

For birds and other animals, again, I'm not an expert, but for birds it might show up as a change in balance, grip, perching, how they climb, or whether and how they fly.

Other species are going to show mobility changes in their own way, of course, and your vet should be able to tell you what to look out for.

And this is really where simply watching your animal in their normal environment can give you lots of information a vet may never see during a 15-minute office visit.

[21:19] #7: Eating and Drinking

Number seven is about eating and drinking.

This one obviously isn't part of physically working your way from head to tail, but it absolutely belongs in a monthly check.

Think about what's been happening with food and water lately.

You don't have to overreact because your cat turned up her nose at one breakfast or your dog only ate part of their dinner.

Pets sometimes have off days or do weird things.

But what I'm talking about here is a pattern.

Maybe you have to fill the water bowl a lot more often than you used to.

Maybe there's consistently food being left behind.

Maybe your animal is dropping food out of their mouth as they're eating and they never did that before.

I think those are the types of things that are worth noticing and sharing with your vet.

And if you have several pets like I do that are sharing food and water bowls, I know this can be trickier because it's not always obvious who is responsible for the change.

So in this case, you might have to pay a little bit more attention and maybe take some notes about who is spending more time at the bowl or less time at the bowl, whether that's for food or water.

And different species have different levels of urgency when appetite changes.

With cats especially, not eating can become a serious problem pretty quickly, so that's another good thing to ask your vet about: How long is too long before they want you to call?

[23:16] #8: Bathroom Habits and Overall Behavior

And number eight is about bathroom habits and overall behavior.

Yes, every pet care conversation eventually gets around to poop and pee.

There's just no way to avoid it.

And I don't want you to feel like you have to become a full-time poop investigator every time your dog goes outside or your cat uses the litter box.

But I think that we as responsible pet parents should have a general sense of what is typical or normal for our pets.

So if your dog starts asking to go out more frequently, that's important information.

Or if you're suddenly scooping more clumps of urine or less poop in your cat's litter box, that definitely matters too.

And if you're actually catching them in the act, things like straining, diarrhea, constipation, maybe an increase in accidents or sudden accidents when your pet didn't have those before, those are things to notice.

Or, as I noticed with my cat, getting into the litter box and peeing and peeing and peeing and peeing and thinking, "What the heck? That is the longest pee I've ever heard."

Those are things worth noticing and letting your vet know about now rather than waiting until your next appointment, which could be months or even a year away.

And while you're thinking about all of that, take a minute to think about your animal overall.

How has their energy level been lately? Has it been pretty normal?

Are they interested in the same things they usually enjoy?

Have you noticed anything changing when it comes to their sleep, interaction, or grooming?

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on that because we just talked about that in our Pet Parent Power Up, things to basically consider when an animal starts acting differently.

And I don't want to repeat that conversation here.

But for this monthly check, it is the last piece of the picture.

[25:26] Making the Monthly Pet Check a Habit

So that's it. Eight areas.

And I know it sounds like a lot when we spend an entire podcast episode talking about them.

But once you get used to doing this, it really isn't going to take you that long.

Maybe you tie it into the first weekend of every month or when you give your heartworm or flea preventative.

Maybe you put a recurring reminder in your phone that literally says, "Check the pets."

Whatever makes it happen.

And if you have multiple pets, I would personally spread them out.

You're not going to have good luck trying to do all your pets in the same day. You're going to get frustrated.

And if you have pets like mine, especially the cats, once they see somebody getting handled, they start to worry about whether they're next, and then they take off and disappear.

So you don't have to line everybody up in the house and announce that it's inspection day.

We know how that's going to go.

But I do think there is real value in getting into the habit of deliberately checking them often enough that you have a reference point between your vet visits and that you catch issues or concerns early.

Because think about it.

How many times has your vet said, "How long has this been going on?"

And your answer has been, like mine has, "I have no idea."

You're going to feel guilty when they ask you how long that's been going on and you don't have the answer.

And you're not going to catch everything by doing this monthly check.

You're not a vet, and nobody, even a vet, catches every single thing every time.

But you have a much better chance of being able to say, A, that's definitely new, or B, I first noticed this a few weeks ago.

And that can be really useful information when your vet's trying to figure out what's going on and the severity of an issue.

[28:07] Ask Your Veterinarian to Personalize the Check

So at your next appointment, ask your vet to help you personalize this.

Find out what they wish you were checking at home, and have them show you anything you're not sure how to assess, especially body condition, teeth, feet, or anything that's particularly important to your animal.

Then make the routine simple enough that you'll actually stick with it.

Because your pet's annual vet exam is super important, but it's still just one snapshot of your pet on a particular day.

You're the one who sees everything happening in between.

So spending 10 or 15 minutes once a month paying a little bit closer attention may help you spot something while it's still small, before it turns into a much bigger problem.

And after finding that broken tooth on my own dog before it had the chance to become an abscess or an infection, that was enough reason for me to keep looking.

I hope it is for you too.

[29:17] Closing

Thanks for listening to The Pet Parent Hotline.

If you enjoyed the show, don't keep it to yourself. Text a friend right now with a link and tell them, "I've got a show that you need to hear," and ask them to let you know what they think.

And remember, your pet's best life starts with you living yours.

So be sure to take good care of yourself this week and your pets.