Doggie annual MOT's

[Magic Star]

Does anyone get their dog MOT'D annualy?  I know when you take your dog for their yearly booster, they do generally have a quick look over them.  Does anyone get a more detailed check on their dogs on a regular basis, i.e checking for PRA and arthritus, heart murmours etc.

Do you think its a good idea, to get this done?                    

[Jane S]

I think most vets do include a check on the heart when you take a dog for a booster - all the vets we have used do anyway. PRA is slightly different as the average vet in general practice does not have the specialist equipment needed - you would need to take your Cocker to a veterinary opthalmologist for this. This is something some breeders are used to doing but I don't think many pet-owners would do it unless they wanted to breed or unless their own vet suspected a problem.                    

[lynseyloo]

yup I agree with Jane, my vet has alwasy carried out quite a good check on my dogs whenever they have visited him, for whatever reason, he always checks heart teeth ears etc..

was very reassuring for him to tell me Jessies heart went boom boom very strongly... cos I was a tad woried until then.                    

[Hel]

What an interesting question!

My vets do check heart and feel the hips, etc. when they go for their jabs.

However, given my experience with Benjy (a 9 yo rescue who died as a result of very serious cancer after 3 months of living with me, but no sign of it until a week before he died), I have considered getting blood and hemo tests on a yearly basis.  It wouldn't have helped Benjy, as he was too far gone when I got him, but I do wonder if it would help in general if various problems were caught in time.  

Any thoughts?                    

[Magic Star]

Hi Hel

So sorry about Benjy  I had a similar experience with my german shepherd that I got from rescue Sheba 7, , hubbie was stroking her tum one day, when he noticed a lump, we took her the vets the same day, and he suspected a mammory tumor, he did some tests and they came back positive  There wasn't really anything he could do for her, except make her last days comfortable she carried on for a few months, before any symptoms (except the lump) started and then we had to make the very sad decision to let her go, it was both the kindest and the most difficult decsion to make.  She did have other health issues too, sadly.  I always wonder if we had caught it earlier, if something more could have been done :?:  

Thats why I asked really, how far should we go to try and catch things that could be serious?  On the other hand, maybe this could take away the enjoyment we get from the dogs, as we are constantly worrying about test results :roll:  Difficult one really.                    

[PennyB]

When I took Wilf for his final work-up at Cambridge University Vet School the oncologist said there was no value in doing a blood test unless they found any lumps or bumps or anything suspicious on ultrasound or X-ray!                    

[*Jay*]

I do make sure that when my boys go in for their boosters that their hearts get checked. With Brook, I get a blood sample done every year to check his liver/kidney function so that if and when these organs start to deteriorate, I'll have caught it early. He also gets his various lumps and bumps checked regularly.                    

[Silver Surfer (indiesnan)]

My vet is very good. wev'e used the same vet for about 35 years.    He checks Nells heart,and also asks lots of questions, ie, does she cough after exercise, does she get out of breath easily. He also checks  ears mouth teeth skin coat eyes and hips, and also checks weight.  




    Barb                    

[Hel]

Thats why I asked really, how far should we go to try and catch things that could be serious?  On the other hand, maybe this could take away the enjoyment we get from the dogs, as we are constantly worrying about test results :roll:  Difficult one really.

It is a difficult one.  With Benjy, once he got ill (he had cancer of the spleen with secondaries in the liver), a blood/hemo test showed his liver results to be off the scale.  A scan then showed the state of his spleen (it was massive) and shadows in the liver  :cry: He'd obviously had the cancer for months, but other than going off his dried food a couple of weeks before (but happy to eat 'real' food), there was no sign until he became ill a week before he died.  It's truly amazing how many dogs can live with such illnesses without showing any sign - Benjy was very happily doing 2 hour walks and jumping around.

According to the vet I saw, cancer in the spleen can be treated with removal of the spleen, if it's caught early enough and it hasn't spread.  But, he didn't say how you caught it early - Benjy was fine until it got to its fatal stage - the spleen was starting to rupture.  And, it is such a big operation with major risks (the op itself and life expectancy afterwards)  that I'd have to think very carefully before putting a dog through it.

So, back to your question (sort of, anyway) - is it worth knowing about cancers that are very difficult to treat?  With Benjy, I'm glad I didn't as it was too late to do anything when I rehomed him.  If it was a dog I'd had before it was too late, I'm in two minds.  Most of me says no, but a bit of me says ' suppose he could have been saved'.  As you say, it's a difficult one   .