Happy New Year! Wishing you and your family joy, love, and health in this coming year.

A new year is a good start to really take control of your dog's health. One way to make sure that your dog is healthy is to conduct regular, simple health checkups at home. Of course, these checkups cannot replace the annual (or bi-annual if your dog is old) checkups by your vet, but the home checkups are great ways for early detection and treatment of any  abnormalities that your dog may have.

By performing a quick but methodical monthly physical on your dog, you can monitor ongoing problems (or things that may become problems) and be alerted to any new issues. This examination takes only 10 minutes, but may help save his life in the long run.

Preparing for the Physical
It’s best to follow a consistent routine, so your dog becomes comfortable and relaxed with the procedure.

Get a small notebook to write down the results of your examinations. Dated notes about any abnormalities can help your vet diagnose or monitor ongoing problems.

Sit in a well-lighted area and make sure both you and your dog are comfortable and relaxed. Gather all the materials you need so you don’t have to get up several times. Have some treats close by for rewarding cooperation. 

Start your examination at the front of the dog and work your way back.

1. Mouth
Roll back your dog's upper lip. Check to see if your dog has clean, white, whole teeth and nice pink gums. Smell her breath. Is it at least "tolerable"? 

If you see a dark or brown tooth, rub it with your finger to determine whether it is simply discolored or whether it is caked with calculus. A buildup of tartar will result in gingivitis (inflammation of the gums), which will make the gum-line appear a darker red color along the teeth.

If you see a buildup of tartar and especially if your dog already has bad breath,  you should make an appointment with your veterinarian for a teeth-cleaning.

In addition to tartar buildup and gingivitis, you should also look for any broken or cracked teeth, which can cause a great deal of pain to the dog. If you find any broken or cracked teeth, you should have your dog seen by the vet as soon as possible for treatment.

Any unusual growth in the mouth should also be seen by the vet. Oral cancer is fairly common in dogs, but can be controlled and treated successfully if caught in its early stages. Oral tumors may appear as a prominent mass, or as an ulcerated sore that just won’t heal.

2. Nose
In the course of a normal day, a dog’s nose will vary quite a bit, from warm and dry, to wet and cold, and other possible combination. Seasonal temperature and humidity changes may affect your dog’s nose and you just want to check your dog’s nose for abnormal discharge.

If your dog’s nose is always dry and cracked, scabbed, crusty, or raw, he should be seen by your vet. There are numerous health conditions that can cause the nose to appear this way (e.g. lupus), and most of them will worsen without treatment.

A thick or greenish discharge could indicate your dog has a respiratory infection or a foreign body in his nose or sinus.

3. Eyes
Bright, clear eyes are a sign of good health.

If your dog is older and you notice clouding in her eyes, ask your vet what condition is causing your dog’s eyes to cloud at your dog’s next annual exam. There are several conditions that can cause dogs to develop cloudy eyes as they age, such as cataracts and nuclear sclerosis.

Check for growths on your dog’s eyelids. Briefly lift the dog’s upper eyelid to look at the white part of the eye. While some blood vessels may be visible, the sclera should be nice and white.

Scleral injection, or colored sclera, could indicate metabolic changes. Yellow sclera may indicate jaundice, an indicator of liver dysfunction. These signs, or blood vessels that suddenly appear larger than normal, are things you should ask your vet about at your dog’s annual exam.

Some dogs with bulgy eyes have more or less constant “tearing”. This is not a cause for concern, but any sudden change in the amount or quality of the tears should be investigated.

If your dog suddenly begins to rub at her eyes, if the lids become red and inflamed, or if the discharge becomes thick or green, your vet will need to examine her. These signs may indicate a range of causes, from the seasonal allergies or blocked tear ducts, to something more serious such as glaucoma or "dry eye" (keratoconjunctivitis sicca).

4. Ears
Dogs are prone to ear infections, especially those with floppy ears.

Lift your dog's ears and see if they are pink, clean, non-smelly.

If you see discharge, lots of waxy dirt, and strong smells, suspect foreign bodies or infection, and a visit to the vet is warranted.

If your dog frequently has goopy ears, you should clean the outer parts of the ear with some soft cotton balls and an ear cleaner to prevent a buildup that can cause infection.

5. Body
Feel your dog's body slowly and deliberately. Feel every inch of the dog’s neck, shoulders, back, ribs, abdomen, and back legs. Pay special attention to places that are difficult to see, such as the armpits, under the tail, and under the dog’s collar. As you progress, look and feel for swellings, lumps and bumps.

Lumps and bumps can be any number of things, including benign, slow-growing fatty tumors or fast-growing malignant tumors. By making a note of the location, size, and growth rate of the lump, you will be able to give your vet good information so he can decide whether or not urgent removal of the lump might be necessary.

If you feel and see little weeny bumps, look closely to see if they are ticks.

Remove any attached ticks using a pair of tweezers or a special tick-removing tool, by grasping it firmly as close as possible to the dog’s skin. Look carefully at the tick after you have removed it. If it appears to be missing its head, keep an eye on the site of attachment on the dog for a week or two, using dilute Betadine solution to ward off infection.

6. Feet
Examine each one of your dog’s paws individually. Hold each paw in both of your hands, spreading the toes to look and feel in between them. Turn her foot to see the pads, feeling for unusual roughness and look for cracks.

If your dog has long hair on her feet, be sure to pull it back and take a good look at her nails. Many long-haired dogs develop excessively long nails, because no one looks closely enough to realize they need to be clipped. 

7. Under the Tail
Finally, run your hands over and around the rump area, and down the tail. This is a private area, and some dogs are not too pleased to have their anal area examined.

Lift the tail and look for redness, irritation, swelling, or other signs that your dog is paying unusual attention or licking a reddened area on or near the genitals or anus. Also, does the area give off a foul fishy smell? (If so, it probably means that your dog has impacted anal glands, which need to be expressed manually.)

By checking your dog on a regular basis, abnormalities should be more noticeable to you. This can help you and your vet narrow down potential sources of problems.