Clinical Examination and Diagnosis

3.0 CLINICAL EXAMINATION and DIAGNOSIS A fundamental and critical skill of a good AHA is to properly handle and examine an animal. A proper clinical exam consists of four parts, followed by the diagnosis.

1) HISTORY TAKING (Asking the right questions about the situation)

2) OBSERVATION OF THE ANIMAL

3) EXAMINATION OF THE ANIMAL (PHYSICAL EXAMINATION)

4) EXAMINATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT (Food, water & living area.)

5) DIAGNOSIS

Special Note: HEALTHY, SICK, DYING AND DEAD ANIMALS Healthy animals should be examined BEFORE sick, dying, or dead ones to avoid possible exposure of healthy animals to disease.

Sick animals should be immediately isolated from healthy animals. Sick animals will also recover better if they are kept separate, given extra care and don't have to compete with healthy animals for food.

The examination of a dead animal is called a "post-mortem," "necropsy," or “autopsy.” A necropsy can help determine whether illness was due to a poison, deficiency, or infectious disease. It takes training and practice to recognize some diseases inside a dead animal. Other diseases, such as parasites, may be easy to recognize in a dead animal.