Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook.pdf - Mr. Walnuts

516 •DOG OWNER’S HOME VETERINARY HANDBOOK
months of age. The tips should be healthy and well furred. Crusty tips with
bare spots suggest a skin disease such as sarcoptic mange. The ear canals
should be clean and sweet-smelling. A buildup of wax with a rancid odor may
be caused by ear mites. Head shaking and tenderness about the ears indicate
an ear canal infection.
Feel the chest with the palm of your hand to see if the heart seems especially
vibrant. This could be a clue to a congenital heart defect. The puppy should
breathe in and out without effort. A flat chest, especially when accompanied
by trouble inhaling, indicates an airway obstruction. It is seen most commonly
in brachycephalic breeds such as Pugs, Boston Terriers, and Pekingese.
The skin of the abdomen should be clean and healthy looking. A bulge at
the navel is caused by an umbilical hernia. This can correct itself spontaneously,
but may require surgical repair.
The skin and hair around the anus should be clean and healthy looking.
Skin irritation, redness, hair loss, or adherent stool suggest the possibility of
worms, chronic diarrhea, or malabsorption.
A healthy coat is bright and shiny and has the correct color and markings
for the breed. In long-coated breeds, the puppy coat may be fluffy and soft
without a lot of shine. Excess scratching and areas of inflamed skin suggest
fleas, mites, or other skin parasites. “Moth-eaten” areas of hair loss are typical
of mange and ringworm.
In male puppies, push the foreskin of the penis back to confirm that it
slides easily. Adhesions and strictures of the foreskin require veterinary attention.
Both testicles should be present in the scrotum. If one or both are
absent, they may come down before 6 months of age. However, if the puppy is
intended for showing and breeding, don’t take a chance, since a dog with one
or two undescended testicles cannot be shown and should not be bred.
In female puppies, examine the vulva. Look for pasted-down hair around
the vulva or vaginal discharge—signs of juvenile vaginitis. This is a common
problem. It usually resolves spontaneously after the first heat cycle.
Next, examine the puppy for soundness and correct structure. The legs
should be straight and well formed. Structural faults include legs that bow in
or out, weak pasterns (the area between the wrist and the foot), flat feet with
spread toes, and feet that toe in at the rear. Two inherited bone and joint diseases
that may be present in puppies younger than 4 months of age (but are
usually not discernable on puppy selection exams) are canine hip dysplasia
and patella luxation. Certification of the puppy’s sire and dam by the OFA,
PennHIP, or GDC is highly desirable in breeds with a high incidence of these
diseases (see Inherited Orthopedic Diseases, page 392).
The puppy’s gait should be free and smooth. A limp or faltering gait may
simply be the result of a sprain or a hurt pad, but hip dysplasia and patella luxation
should be considered and ruled out. Patellas can be examined at this
age, but this should only be done by an experienced breeder or veterinarian.