Consultations / Examinations

To fully understand how we manage our appointment schedule, it is important to consider, in broad strokes, the needs of our clients. When you call, our receptionist will ask you questions to attempt to understand your concerns; this will help them determine the urgency, timing and duration of the appointment to book.

There are generally 6 types of appointments:

The Emergency

We consider a pet to require emergent care when they are in immediate trouble or are at risk of declining quickly. Those clients are invited to come in right away. While emergency appoints can be very disruptive to our schedule and this often affects other clients, they are prioritized. We would all want someone to be there for us during our most difficult moments; these clients are never turned away.

The Consultation/Examination

This is the time when we address a particular concern you have with your pet. The questions we ask you will be directly related to the problem you presented us with. Our physical examination will also have a purpose and a focus. While we may have a cursory look at all of your pet, we will be focused on the ear infection, the limp, the itchy skin, the bloody urine, the sore eyes or the vomiting and diarrhea.

The tests we run or the treatment we prescribe will be based on solving a problem.

Because we care about your pet’s wellbeing, we will reach out to you by phone or email a few days after your appointment. We want to make sure your pet is recovering as expected from their illness and that you are able to give any medication we may have dispensed.

This is a different appointment than the Annual Physical Examination and Consultation.

The Progress Exam

This appointment is booked as a follow-up to the Consultation/Examination. Because not all problems resolve within a few days or with one treatment, multiple visits may be required to manage your pet’s medical condition. The Progress Exam is extremely important in the treatment of chronic illnesses.

During this appointment we are re-examining your pet based on the previous presenting complaint. We will evaluate your pet’s progress, and review the original diagnosis and treatment plan. If necessary, we may recommend additional testing, we may change the treatment or, ideally, we give your pet two thumbs-up for a complete response to the treatment.

The Geriatric Consultation

The unfortunate reality is that our pets age faster than we do; for every one of our years, they age 5 to 7. Just think about what has changed in your body over the last 5 to 7 years. During these appointments we pay special attention to the illness our pets may experience as they age. Our older pets may need us to move more slowly, be more patient and provide more support for their visual, auditory and ambulatory needs.

To learn more about our Geriatric Consultations, click here.

The Annual Physical Examination and Consultation

The Annual Physical Examination is an incredibly important yet underrated service for our pets.

We recommend annual physical examinations for all of our pets, even pets that spend all of their time indoors. While indoor pets are less likely to be exposed to contagious viruses and parasites, they are still vulnerable to dental disease, heart disease, obesity, arthritis, liver and kidney disease and cancer.

Having your pet examined annually is crucial to maintaining your pet’s good health. Check-ups are important because they provide the opportunity to prevent disease or detect them early should they be developing. Unfortunately, some pet owners underestimate the value of these visits because their pets appear to be healthy to them. While it is very important to monitor your pets closely at home, it often takes the training of a veterinarian to pick up on those early warning signs of disease. Remember your pets cannot tell you when they are feeling poorly and often do not complain until the disease is quite advanced. Detection of disease or behavioural problems early in their course of progression provides the best opportunity for successful therapy, often with less expense.

During these appointments we will review your pet’s lifestyle, diet, behaviour and activities. We are assessing your pet based on his or her life stage, changes from the previous year and discussing what to be aware of going forward. We are evaluating everything with the premise of how to make your pet’s, and consequently your life, better.

We also perform a complete physical examination. This nose-to-tail assessment is crucial in animals; after all, they cannot tell us how they are feeling and they age faster than we do. Subtle changes can easily go missed, by even the most dedicated pet owner. Countless times, veterinarians find serious problems during an annual physical examination that the pet owner was completely unaware of. Fortunately, early intervention is the pathway, to sometimes, miraculous outcomes.

This is also the time for you to ask questions, point out areas of concern and use our medical knowledge to help you plan ahead for your pet’s next year of life.

Based on your pet’s vaccine history and risk of exposure to serious contagious bacterial and viral diseases, we will discuss what, if any, vaccinations your pet may need.

The Fecal Test
We will ask you to bring a Fecal (stool) sample to be tested for intestinal parasites. Roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, tapeworms, coccidia and giardia can all be living in, robing from and feeding off your cat or dog, and you may have no idea. Some of these intestinal parasites can be transmitted to humans, making identification and control a family affair. When we test your pet’s poop, we use special chemicals to float the parasitic eggs to the surface of a solution, we trap the eggs on a glass slide and look for them under a microscope. Each parasitic egg looks different, allowing us to identify which one is living in your pet. If we find a parasite, we will select the appropriate treatment to rid your pet of this freeloading bug.

During certain seasons, and again based on your pet’s lifestyle, we may recommend parasitacides. Parasitacides are medications that are designed to prevent and/or treat skin, intestinal and blood parasitic infections. Ticks, fleas, heartworm and intestinal worms are not just “gross”, they can create serious health risks to our pets and our families.

To learn more about Heartworm Disease, follow this link to the American Heartworm Society
To learn more about Ticks, follow this link to Tick Talk
To learn more about intestinal parasites, follow this link to the American Veterinary Medical Association or Companion Animal Parasite Council

The Quality of Life / End of Life Appointment

Whether you feel your pet’s quality of life might be declining and you want a consultation to evaluate your options, or you know the time has come to say goodbye to your furry loved one, this type of appointment is so difficult. When we can, we try to book these appointments at the end of the day when the hospital is quieter; we understand the emotional stress families are experiencing and we will do what we can to support you.

For more information on how to prepare for this appointment, please click to Preparing for Pet Loss

The Behaviour Consultation

During these appointments we are discussing problems you are having with your pet’s behavior rather than a physical concern. Because physical health problems can strongly influence mental health and behaviour, a thorough physical examination and blood work are often part of this consultation. To learn more, see our section on Behaviour Counselling on this website.

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The Physical Examination – What does a physical examination include?

A good physical examination takes years of training, a good knowledge of anatomy and a thorough understanding of physiology and disease.

The physical examination starts as soon as we walk into the room; even before we touch your pet. We are watching to see how your pet behaves, moves, walks, and postures.

Fear Anxiety Stress (FAS)

Nobody likes going to the doctor or dentist, even us adults. Now imagine you didn’t understand why this stranger is touching you. We assess every patient’s level of FAS. Click for more information on FAS and Fear Free Practices.

Body Condition Score

Every pet is weight at each visit. Their weight is compared to last years and to their body condition.

Nose

We are looking for the shape of the nostrils, for moisture, discharge, sores and growths. We are listening for wheezes and whistles, and noting if the air moves equally through both nostrils.

Ears

We are looking for redness, swelling, odour, discharge, tumors and foreign bodies. We use an otoscope to look into the deeper canal and the tympanum (ear drum).

Eyes

We are looking at the tissues around the eyes and in the eyes for redness, swellings, tumors and discharge. We are looking at the iris for color, degeneration, discoloration and tumors. We look at the cornea for clarity and defects. We are looking for pupil symmetry, response to light and movement. We are watching for abnormal movement of the eyes or can they follow the movement of those in the room. We may use instruments like an ophthalmoscope to look into the eye at the lens and the retina.

Mouth

We are looking at the colour of the gums, if they are moist or dry. We are looking at the number of teeth, for plaque and tartar build up and for periodontal disease. We are looking at the tongues shape and movement. We are looking for foreign bodies and tumors.

Lymph nodes

We feel the lymph nodes of the neck, shoulders, chest, groin and legs. We are feeling for the size and texture of the nodes.

Skin/Coat/Nails

We are looking for thickness, texture and fullness. We are looking for parasites, scabs and crusts, bald patches, redness, itchiness, tumors, wounds.

Paws/Legs/Joints

We are looking at the fluidity of the pet’s movement, the position of their stance and sit. We feel for swellings, stiffness, redness, heat, and for crepitus. We are watching for signs of pain.

Heart and Lungs

We are listening to the strength, rate and rhythm of the heartbeat. We feel the pulses in the veins to see if they match the heartbeat. We are watching the effort and rate of the breathing. We listen to the flow of air through the lungs. We are listening for the quality of what we should hear, as much as for what we shouldn’t hear.

Abdomen

We should not be able to feel the stomach and the liver; they are tucked up under the ribs. We are feeling for size, shape, location of the kidneys, spleen, intestines, bladder, stool. Abdominal lymph nodes are generally not palpable. We are feeling for what we should feel, as much as for what we shouldn’t feel.

Genitals

We look at the vulva and the penis for redness, swelling, and discharge.

Anus

We look at the anus for redness, swelling, discharge, parasites, soiling and tumors.

Smell

We use our sense of smell to detect infection in the mouth, on the skin and in the ears. Sometimes you can smell the uremia of kidney disease, the sweetness of diabetes, the foul smell of bladder infections, diarrhea and anal gland infections.

Tail

We look for appropriate movement, sores, swellings, tumors. We hope the movement in a dog’s tail is indicating happiness to see us and we are watching for the slow rhythmic swish of a cat’s tail indicating they are ready to strike.

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