As originally published by Dr. Dan Hebert in Duxbury Neighbors Magazine, 2024

Now that everyone has smart phones, everyone has the ability to quickly grab a photo or video of something for their memories or to share with friends & family. Unfortunately, veterinarians don’t seem to be on the list of people to think about when considering videos to share. It seems like people feel we will know exactly what’s going on with their pet after describing the problem and allowing us to do our examinations. While that’s incredibly flattering, it’s often not the case and we need further information. This is where getting videos of your pet’s problem can be super helpful.

Videos of your pet's problem can be very helpful

Many pets won’t show their clinical signs once they get to the hospital. They have just gone on an exciting car ride, they’re seeing new furry friends in the lobby, and they’re getting some amazingly skilled scratches from our staff. So, they often forget that they’re hurt or sick by the time they’re here. That’s why it’s better if you can show us what they’re doing when they’re not distracted. Here are some common issues we’d love for you to get on video before your visits:

  1. Limping: You’d be amazed how many times pets won’t limp at all once they arrive at the clinic. You’d also be amazed at how hard it is for owners to even figure out which leg the pets are limping on (there are 4 after all…). This is pretty important when determining which leg to x-ray. The nature of the limp can also help us in determining the cause. In some cases, it isn’t even the leg that’s the problem. Issues with the spine, inner ear, or brain can also cause gait problems that owner mistake for a leg injury. Watching them in action at home gives us a ton of information.

  2. Coughing: Like a limp, a cough can come from multiple causes and locations. Coughs are usually from some irritation along the respiratory tract. This could include the lungs, windpipe, throat, and nose. Each of these areas can have different causes for irritation and require different testing. Sometimes, the cough isn’t a cough at all. It could be retching or other gastrointestinal upset. Our job is much easier (and your bill will be much smaller) if we can focus our attention on the correct tests.

  3. Licking/Scratching: This seems silly, but many times people think pets are licking or scratching a certain part of the body and they aren’t at all. Scratching the face can often be attempts to rub the ear canal inside the skull. Chewing the sides can often mean spinal trauma.

  4. Dizziness/Collapse: It can be counter-intuitive to grab your phone when an episode like this is happening to your pets, but it’s very important. The biggest problem we have with these episodes it is differentiating between a neurologic problem or a heart problem. A video can often tell us exactly which it is.

These are just 4 examples. Ideally, grab us videos of anything and will be very happy doctors. We won’t ever make you feel silly for doing it. Also, now that medical records are electronic, we can add them for future use by other doctors or specialists who may need to be called in to assist in helping your pet.