Snout to Tail Assessment
Alright guys, so today we are working on a snout to tail assessment on our dogs. So this is Leela, she’s going to help me demonstrate. The first thing you want to check is, of course, her snout.
Nose:
You want to check their nose. Make sure it’s nice and wet, make sure it’s not cracked and dry, also looking to make sure there’s no runny discharge.
Snout:
The next thing we want to check is the snout area. Gently massaging checking for bumps, lumps, something that shouldn't be there.
Mouth:
We’re also going to check her teeth and her gums, so we’re gonna open up her mouth here. Make sure her gums are a nice pink color, check the other side, press them, make sure that pigment comes back real quickly. Making sure her teeth aren’t cracked, they’re not chipped, do they need to be cleaned? The next thing we’re going to check is her breath so I’m gonna open up her mouth. If your dog doesn’t like their mouths to be open you can stick your thumb in there, open it right up. Now, most dogs have bad breath but you’re gonna know, does my dog’s breath smell infectious? Does it smell worse than normal? Because they could have an abscessed tooth or something that needs to be checked out by their vet.
Eyes:
Now I’m gonna go and check her face. I’m gonna check her eyes. I’m gonna check for movement, make sure the white areas are nice and white, make sure they’re not red or yellow, track movement in both her eyes.
Crown:
I’m gonna move up to the crown, again now, I’m checking for bumps, lumps, tenderness, is this bothering her? Is she wincing or crying?
Ears:
Because then I’m gonna rotate over to her ears. I’m gonna rub the base of her ears. I’m gonna open them up, make sure they're clean, and then, here’s the key part, I’m gonna smell her ears. What you’re looking for is a yeast smell, something out of the ordinary, because you do not want a yeast smell coming out of their ears. Even allergies can cause something as simple as a yeast infection in their ears, and that’s something
We had a great year and met a lot of new dogs and their families. We also celebrated our 10 year anniversary. Looking forward to a new year and the adventures it will bring.
