Health checks – why are they necessary?
There are 8
stages to
weekly
physical
checks:
Make a list of the 8 stages of health checks…
Feedback to the class in 5 minutes.
• Eyes (must be done first)
• Ears
• Nose
• Teeth
• Coat/fur/scales/feathers and
skin
• Limbs
• Paws/claws/hooves
• Anogenital area
In pairs, look at each image
You are health checking the animal in the
image and find this issue..
Breakout
Rooms……
What signs/symptoms can you see?
What could have caused these signs and
symptoms?
What are you going to do about it?
You have 20 minutes
Healthy Eyes
Unhealthy Eyes
Clear, bright and round
Visible discharge
No discharge
Visible third eyelid
Cloudy appearance
Bloodshot
Unhealthy in bearded dragons:
Shed scales stuck on eyelids,
swelling or droopy eyes
Healthy Ears
Unhealthy Ears
• Unresponsive to sound
• Dirty or waxy inside
• Signs of ear mites (black
or red spots)
• Head tilting to one side
(sign of possible ear
infection)
• This is also a common
Unhealthy in bearded dragons & chickens: place for ticks to hide
• Moveable or
responsive to sound
• Clean
• No visible signs of ear
mites
• Warm to touch
Blockages or damage to membrane
Healthy
Nose/nostrils
• In dogs, cats & goats – moist to
touch.
• In rabbits – dry & twitching
• In chickens and bearded
dragons – clean and discharge
free.
• All – no visible signs of injury
or discharge
Unhealthy
Nose/nostrils
• In dogs, cats & goats – dry and
cracked. Hyperkeratosis
• In chickens and bearded
dragons – thin, stringy mucus
coming from nose.
• All – discharge (clear/thick and
coloured) or crusty build up
around nostrils.
Healthy Mouth
and Teeth
• All teeth are present
• Gums are pink and healthy in
colour (some breed variation,
especially in dogs i.e. Chow
chow have black gums.
• Gums have a capillary refill
time of between 1 and 2
seconds.
Unhealthy Mouth
and Teeth
• Fouling smelling breath
• Excessive drooling
• Slowed capillary refill time
• Tar-tar build up on teeth
• Chickens: overgrowth of one
half of beak
• Bearded dragon: presence of
puss or yellowing of gums or
teeth.
Healthy coat/ fur/ scales/
feathers/ skin
• Fur/feathers: full and glossy
• Skin: has elasticity, no visible
lumps or bumps
• Scales: Lying flat against body,
shiny in appearance
Unhealthy coat/ fur/
scales/ feathers/ skin
• Fur/feathers: Dull, greasy,
patchy. Knotted or tangled.
• Skin: Flaky, red, swollen, cuts
or abrasions, little elasticity.
• Scales: Sticking outwards or
facing different directions.
• All: Mites or ticks present.
Healthy Limbs
• Free moving
• Comfortable gait
• No signs of pain
Unhealthy Limbs
• Cuts or abrasions
• Movement of limb result in
animal demonstrating pain
Healthy paws/feet/hooves
and claws
• Claws: Not overgrown, full and
clean.
• Hooves: Even in length with
even spread of weight over the
surface.
• All: Free movement with no
signs of pain
Unhealthy paws/feet/hooves
and claws
• Claws: cracked, flaky or split.
Overgrown.
• Hooves: overgrown front tips,
evidence of redness/swelling.
• All: Signs of damage
(cuts/abrasions). Dirt or debris
between pads. Holding
paw/hoof/foot off the ground.
Healthy anogenital area
• Clean and surrounded by fur/
feathers/ scales
• No redness or swelling
Unhealthy anogenital
area
• Redness and swelling
• Discharge
• Faecal matter stuck in
fur/feathers or scales
• Worm segments visible
• Swollen anal glands
To finish… complete these facts..
1. A rabbits nose should be…
2. A dogs nose should be…
3. Discharge in any animals eyes is likely to be a sign of…
4. Mucus from an animals nose is a healthy/unhealthy sign.
5. Checking an animals limbs, you should look for…
6. An unhealthy bearded dragon eye may…
7. Bad breath, in an animal is likely a sign of…
8. We always start physical health checks with ______, because…
9. It is good practice to finish a health check with _______, because…
10. Anogenital stands for…
11. Scales on an animal should be…