Read the text and answer the following questions:
What is a normal temperature for a dog or a cat?
What is the most overlooked aspect of pet health care?
The Physical Exam: What to Expect at the Veterinarian's Office
Active vocabulary
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vaccination [ˌvæksɪ'neɪʃ(ə)n]
medical chart
physical exam [ɪg'zæm]
rectal ['rektəl]
brittle
coarse
flaky ['fleɪkɪ]
greasy ['griːsɪ]
stethoscope ['steθəskəup]
pneumonia [njuː'məunɪə]
heart valve [vælv]
deviation[ˌdiːvɪ'eɪʃən]
workup
evaluation [ɪˌvælju'eɪʃ n]
tumor ['tjuːmə]
gums [gʌm]
cornea ['kɔːnɪə]
irritation [ˌɪrɪ'teɪʃn]
hygiene ['haɪʤiːn]
pad [pæd]
EKG= ECG
(electrocardiogram) [i͟ː siː ʤi͟ː]
abdomen ['æbdəmen]
eyelid ['aɪlɪd]
surface ['sɜːfɪs]
haziness ['heɪzɪnəs]
abnormality [ˌæbnɔː'mælɪtɪ]
inflammation [ˌɪnflə'meɪʃ(ə)n]
assess [ə'ses]
paw [pɔː]
pollen ['pɔlən]
overlooked
It is always nice to know what to expect when you visit the veterinarian. Why? Because nobody likes
surprises. So what is going through the doctor's mind when your dog (or cat) is presented.
Let's just say you came in for your pet's routine yearly vaccination. Usually this is a good time for the
doctor to take a really close look at your pet -- a good time to do an annual physical exam.
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Written notes on the patient's medical chart are absolutely necessary in order to maintain a good
medical history. So when the doctor isn't probing and pulling, there will be some written data being
recorded
A good physical exam includes taking the patient's temperature. Normal temperature for a dog or cat
varies between 101 and 102.5 degrees; that's a bit higher than our normal temperature. So if you see
the veterinarian lift the pet's tail up and come at it with the thermometer, don't be shocked! The
temperature is taken rectally and causes no discomfort.
Skin and coat are really excellent indicators of the pet's health status.
Look at this dog's coat and you can see right away that there is
something wrong. The coat should be shiny, not brittle and coarse, and
the skin should be clean and not greasy and flaky.
The vast majority of skin and coat problems are associated with grainbased diets of poor quality and during the physical exam your
veterinarian should ask about the pet's diet. Two weeks on a meatbased diet and this dog will often look, feel and act much better.
Your veterinarian should examine both ears, too. Obvious infections
and allergies are problems the owner can see. But often, deep in the
ear canal is where infections can start and if noticed early, can be
eliminated.
Many dogs (and cats) suffer from allergies. Skin and ear infections are commonly the result of repeated
allergic episodes. The doctor will show you how to clean the ears and prescribe the right medication if
signs of an infection are present.
Every good exam includes getting that stethoscope against the chest and listening to the lungs and
paying close attention to the heart sounds. Dogs seldom get pneumonia. Much more common are heart
rhythm and heart valve problems. The first way to gain information about a dog's (or cat's) heart is to
listen. If any deviation from normal is detected, further workup is a good idea. A cardiac workup includes
an EKG to assess the electrical activity of the heart and X-rays to evaluate the heart's size and shape.
A careful evaluation of the abdomen must be a part of the physical exam. Every veterinarian has made
surprising discoveries while examining "normal" dogs (and cats). Many owners were shocked to find
out that their pet had only one normal kidney, or was harboring an undiscovered tumor or was
pregnant! Bladder stones, for instance, can be discovered during a routine physical exam.
Every good physical exam must include a look into the pet's mouth -- that is if the pet is willing! Oral
hygiene is one of the most overlooked aspects of pet health care. The mouth can harbor infected
gums, loose teeth, objects stuck between teeth, tumors and all sorts of other surprises. And often the
pet shows no signs of discomfort from even serious oral abnormalities.
Although the eyes may not need a thorough exam where the veterinarian inspects the interior of the
eye with special instruments, at least a close inspection of the visible eye structures and lids is a part
of a complete physical exam. Early cataract formation may be detected, any haziness on the surface
of the cornea can be detected and inflammation of the surrounding eye structures can be assessed.
The most common difficulties are simple irritations that result from pollen, dust and contact with
grasses.
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Finally, the paws and toenails should be examined, and any really long nails should be clipped shorter.
Pad injuries are usually quick to heal and it is a wonder that dogs (and cats) don't cut and puncture
their pads more often than they do.
Now that your pet has had a head-to-toe examination, you and the veterinarian will feel more confident
that the pet is healthy. Now the challenge is to keep the pet well!
Find sentences that contain the following word-combinations or phrases
A take temperature B suffer from …. C tumor
D prescribe medication
Questions
1 What tools/ equipment do veterinarians usually use during a physical exam of a dog (cat)?
2 What is the first stage of the physical exam described in the text?
3 What coat and skin does a healthy animal (cat/dog) have?
4 Why does the veterinarian get the stethoscope against the chest during a physical exam?
6 What a look into the pet's mouth may show?
8 Why a careful evaluation of the abdomen must be a part of the physical exam?
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