Parents should note that in order to protect the rights and interests of you and your dog, when taking your dog to the pet hospital for a health check-up, you should first understand the reasons and significance of each health check-up item! Dog check-ups can be divided into the following four categories:

1. Basic science test

You should know that the first item for every dog ​​to be examined at the hospital is a basic physical examination, which is to allow veterinarians to intuitively judge the dog’s health status based on the dog’s appearance and physical symptoms, which mainly includes auscultation and palpation. and consultation and other items!

2. Blood test

After completing the basic physical examination, the next step is the blood test. After the dog's blood is drawn, the blood is then made into a smear, centrifuged, and blood cell count test. It allows doctors to better judge the dog’s organ function, blood quality and whether there are parasites in the body!

3. Image inspection

This process allows the doctor to intuitively see the location and size of the injury in the dog's body, such as the location of fractures, the location of tumors, and the condition of the fetus in the body. It can help them make a final judgment to see whether they need to take medication or undergo surgery. However, this test includes 4 major categories:

1. X-ray: You can see the condition of the bones, the distribution of fluid and whether there are foreign bodies in the body. It is most commonly used during abdominal examination after a dog has suffered an accidental injury (such as a broken bone) or swallowed a foreign object. Dog breeds that are prone to hip dysplasia should also go to the animal hospital for joint X-ray irradiation at about 5 months of age.

2. Tomography: Dogs can also undergo tomography. Tomography combines flat X-ray images into a three-dimensional picture. This test will only be done when further tests are needed. Because the dog itself cannot lie on the table obediently for the test, it requires deep general anesthesia to perform the test.

3. Ultrasound: Ultrasound can reveal abnormalities in the soft tissue structure of the body. For example, the location and size of tumors can be understood through differences in acoustic echoes in the liver. Pregnant female dogs can also use ultrasound to detect the puppy's heartbeat, normal body size and correct fetal position. However, ultrasound itself cannot penetrate air and bones, so the condition of the lungs and bones cannot be tested. In addition, fat will also interfere with the speed of sound wave penetration, thereby affecting the image quality. Therefore, when an obese dog undergoes an ultrasound examination, the image quality will be poor.

4. Electrocardiogram: It measures the electrical conduction of the heart. When the veterinary surgeon finds abnormal heart sounds or frequencies after auscultation, further electrocardiogram testing is required. Moreover, some heart diseases can only be diagnosed by electrocardiogram, so it is an indispensable item in health examination.

IV. Stool and urine tests

Since ancient times, there has been a saying that the health of people or animals can be judged by the color and smell of feces, and this statement is still used today. But now, with the addition of technological factors, gastrointestinal, blood or kidney problems can be detected more accurately.