Snout to Tail Assessment…Or, the vital tracking of your pet’s health and wellness Ingrid Braulini

In other articles I have referred to the Snout to Tail Assessment as the most vital health practice you can do for your pet along with an annual vet checkup. Although I will be concentrating on dogs and cats in this article, I urge you to research the fundamental baseline for your particular pet’s health whether it be a ferret, a pot-bellied pig, parrot, or a bearded dragon. These fundamentals are heart rate, breathing rate, temperature, capillary refill time (not possible in nonmammals), mucous membrane color, and weight. Although not always easy to determine they are an important part of establishing general health.

As soon as you acquire a pet, establish its individual baseline, and track it at least monthly (I do my dogs and cats when they get their flea and tick meds) and compare it to the month before. Please keep track of this so you can refer to it and share it with your vet as needed.

Ingrid Braulini - Grantham, NH

When you begin an assessment be reminded that most mammals find this a wonderful bonding experience. After starting with full-body caresses and gentle, reassuring words, you start at the head beginning with the snout.

It is not accurate that the snout needs to be cold and wet. What it needs to be is pliable and soft. There should be no discharge, nor should there be a cracked, dry nose. Run your fingers along the muzzle checking for bumps and cuts. Be gentle in lifting her muzzle to investigate the mouth. The gums (mucous membranes) are a sign of the immediate health of your pet and should be bubble-gum pink (unless you have an animal with black gums). If they seem white or very pale this can be a sign of anemia or shock. If they are yellow, or yellow-tinged, it can be jaundice or a liver issue. If they are grey or blue, it can signify a lack of oxygen (hypoxia) or shock. Her teeth should be white and there should be no unusual bad breath.

Now is the ideal time to check the CRT (capillary refill time) by pressing down on the gums gently but firmly and releasing. It should only take 1.5-2 seconds to have the color fill back in. Any longer time may mean “circulatory shock” as in cases of poisoning, heat exhaustion, and others. Now check her eyes. They should be clear with no discharge, should track movement, not be pinpointed, dilated, or unequal.

As you move to her ears check the skull. It should be free of lumps, bumps, with no pain response, heat, or fluid. The ears should have no odor, no discharge, debris, or be painful to the touch.

Anchoring the spine at the neck with one hand, slide the other down her neck and spine checking for bumps, tenderness, sores, or abrasions. As you begin checking the chest you may prefer to have your pet on her side for better access.

SNOUT Pliable & Soft

Check CRI

Pink

White

No Bumps or Lumps

No Pain or Discharge BACK AND TORSO No lumps, bumps or tenderness

No Pain Count Breaths

No Discharge

Flexible No Pain

Quality Texture Color Dandruff

GENITALS Clean No Discharge Take Temperature

LEGS No Pain or Abrasions Good Range of Motion

And check WEIGHT!

No Tenderness

Not Cracked

Check Heart Beat

NAILS & PADS No Sores or Cuts

This will also be the time to check her breathing and heart rate.

Examine her ribs under her coat and feel her rhythmic easy breathing by placing your hand on her chest. Count for 30 seconds. Each time her chest rises and falls count that as one, then multiply that by two. That equals total breaths for a minute. The normal breath rate for dogs is 10-30 breaths per minute. For cats, it is 20-30 breaths per minute. The gold standard is to check your pet at rest, play, and in-between (should be fun trying to figure that for birds and lizards because they are SO compliant). Be sure to check her chest for lumps, tenderness, and sores.

You can either check her heart rate now while she is lying down or later when she is standing again. In either situation, you will want to access her femoral artery on the inside of her upper thigh. Slide your middle two-fingers inside the upper thigh feeling for the pulse. Use a watch or timer and count the beats for 15 seconds and multiply by 4 giving you the beats per minute. Here are the average ranges:

Large dogs = 60-100 bpm Medium dogs = 80-120 bpm Small/toy = 90-140 bpm Cats = 140-200 bpm (maybe too fast to count with some cats and you may not live long enough for the full 15 seconds. Maybe for a cat, I would do 6 seconds and add a 0).

While sliding from her chest to her abdomen, check the mammary glands for discharge and then palpitate the abdomen which should not be tender, painful, or rigid. Now, give her a good belly rub. The genitals should be clean and not exhibit any signs of discharge or odor. The anus should be free of hair, debris, or feces. While there, you may want to take her temperature. (cats just love this one!). Insert a lubricated digital (ONLY) thermometer Summer 2021 gently into the rectum, twisting as you insert. Pet’s temps vary and you need to find out what is normal for “your” pet since this is one of the first things to indicate a sick or injured pet. These numbers are approximate and may not indicate what is typical for your pet when she is ill or hurt. Newborn puppies 96-97 F, dogs 100,4102-5 F, or for cats at 99.5 F=102.5.

While checking her legs you are examining for cuts, bumps, and range of motion. Dew claws and toenails should not be cracked or split. Check between toes for cuts, foreign objects, or excessive hair and her pads for tears and severe dryness. Finally, we are at the tail which should be checked for deformity, pain, and range of motion.

While doing the assessment, you are also checking her coat and skin for color, texture, quality, and dandruff.

It may be difficult to establish your pet’s weight if she is big, but generally, you can weigh yourself, then pick up your animal and weigh again. Subtract the difference and that is her weight (not yours!). You are done and your pet is grateful for all the love and attention you have given her. Please record all this information and keep it handy along with previous assessments so that you will be aware of and can show any changes, to your vet.

If you want more information on doing a snout-to-tail assessment or want to see one done, please let me know and I’ll be glad to fill in the blanks or show you how it’s done.

Ingrid Braulini is the owner of Pet First Aid & Wellness. She is a certified Pet Tech and Wellness Instructor, a NAPPS Board Member, and NAPPS Certified. For more information visit www.PetAidClasses.com