Treat Your Pet to a Head-to-Tail Wellness Check
In my pet first aid and CPR classes, I love teaching people how to be their pets’ best health allies by showing them how to do weekly head-to-tail wellness checks. We perform them on Pet Safety Dog Kona and Pet Safety Cat Casey.
Here are the three key benefits of head-to-tail wellness checks:
These one-on-one sessions give you the opportunity to bond with your pet without any outside distractions or disruptions.
You may discover healthy issues in the early stages that can be treated quickly and possibly extend your pet’s life.
Weekly at-home exam sessions also condition your pet to be more receptive to being handled during a veterinary exam or during a grooming session.
Yep, this all adds up to win-win-win!
How to perform a head-to-tail wellness check:
Usher your dog or cat into a quiet room in your house where you can focus without disruptions for about 10 minutes.
Start at the head. Hold a treat in front of your pet’s eyes and move it back and forth slowly to make sure his eyes can track the treat and that he doesn’t display any limited mobility in his neck. Then look at his eyes to make sure that the pupils are the same size and that the eyes are clear and free of discharge.
Inspect the nose, mouth and ears. Gently touch the nose. A healthy nose can be dry or slightly moist, but it should not be full of mucus or extremely dry. Open the mouth and look for any cracked teeth, bleeding gums or smell for foul breath. Report these to your veterinarian. Look inside each ear to make sure they are free of any excess hair or wax and dark specks that could be ear mites. Also sniff the ears to make sure they do not emit any odors.
Pause to check the paws. Look at each paw for any signs of cuts, tenderness or redness. Check the nails to make sure they are not overgrown.
Check the tail area. Glide your hand down the tail to feel for any cuts or bumps or signs of fleas or ticks. Look under the tail for any redness on the anus or dangling dried poop. If your pet scoots across the floor on his rear end, he might have worms.
Perform a body check. With an open palm, gently look and palpate from the neck down to the underbelly. Then take your fingertips and slowly and gently massage the body, being on the lookout for any cuts, hot spots, signs of parasites, hard masses or wincing that could signal a sore muscle.
Finish by giving your pet a favorite treat and a love-filled hug. Definitely let your veterinarian know of anything you find out of the ordinary so it can be treated before the condition worsens.
Final Tip:
Show your cat and dog how much you care for them by enrolling in one of our Pet First Aid 4U classes. We offer three options for you to earn veterinarian-approved two-year certificates in our pet first aid/CPR programs:
In-person classes primarily aimed at pet professionals and first responders.
Interactive via ZOOM classes offered monthly and on demand
Self-paced online classes for those wishing to learn anytime, anywhere.
Pick the best option for you and sign up today!
About the Author:
Arden Moore, founder of Pet First Aid 4 U, is a Master Pet First Aid/CPR Instructor who teaches veterinarian-approved, hands-on safety courses alongside her teaching team of Kona (dog) and Casey (cat). Known as “The Pet First Aid & Safety Coach,” Arden is also a nationally recognized behavior consultant, bestselling author of over 25 pet books, and the award-winning host of the “Oh Behave!” podcast. A Fear Free Certified Professional, she brings decades of pet expertise to all her endeavors — with a mission to help pets live safer, longer and healthier lives.
