Diagnostic technique of dogs-palpation

It is to touch the corresponding part of the dog's body with the finger, palm or back of the hand to determine the location, size, shape, hardness, humidity, temperature and sensitivity of the lesion. In addition, palpation can also be carried out with the help of diagnosis and treatment instruments (such as various probes). The application of equipment palpation requires certain equipment and medical knowledge and technology, which is difficult for general families to do. Therefore, we focus on the method of touching the dog by hand to check and find abnormal phenomena.

Palpation usually focuses on touching suspicious parts and organs on the basis of visual examination. Palpation can be divided into superficial palpation and deep palpation.

First, the superficial palpation method is mainly used to check the temperature, humidity and sensitivity of the body surface. During superficial palpation, the fingers are straight and flat on the body surface, slide gently without pressing, and carry out the sense of touch in turn. Check the body surface temperature, it is best to use the back of the hand, because the back of the hand is more sensitive to temperature, and should be compared with the adjacent parts, so that the feeling is more accurate. Superficial palpation is also used to check heartbeat, muscle tension, swelling and deformation of bones and joints. When the muscle spasm becomes tense (such as tetanus), the palpation feels stiff; when the muscle is relaxed because of paralysis, it feels relaxed and weak.

Second, the deep palpation method is to press the affected area with different forces, that is, to slowly press the fingertips to feel the location, size, pain and abnormal masses of the deep organs. Such as intestinal obstruction caused by fecal nodules in dogs, lumps can be detected by deep palpation. The principle of palpation should be first surrounding and then central, first shallow then deep, first light and then heavy. Specifically, palpation should start from the healthy area or the healthy side, and then move to the affected area or the sick side, and compare the healthy diseases. The size of the force should be determined according to the nature of the lesion and the depth of the site. If the lesion is shallow or the pain is severe, the force should be small; on the contrary, the force can be greater. In order to judge the response of palpation, we should pay attention to the movements of dogs during palpation, such as looking back, dodging or resistance, which is often a sign of sensitivity and pain.