I can provide general information on how a veterinarian diagnoses animal diseases, but the search results do not contain information about home remedies for lameness in pets.
Before treating an unhealthy animal, a veterinarian will attempt to diagnose the disease, considering both clinical findings (symptoms obvious to a non-specialist and clinical signs only a veterinarian can recognize) and laboratory test results to determine the cause. If a specific diagnosis is not possible, the animal’s symptoms are treated.
How Veterinarians Diagnose Animal Diseases
When an animal is suspected of having a disease, a case record is created, including the animal’s description (age, species, sex, breed), the owner’s report, the animal’s history, a preliminary examination description, clinical findings from body systems, lab test results, a diagnosis regarding the disease’s cause (etiology), the outlook (prognosis), treatment, case progress, termination, and autopsy results, if performed.
Since a veterinarian cannot question the animal, they must diagnose a disease based on examinations and tests. Diagnostic methods include:
- Inspection A visual examination of the animal.
- Palpation Applying firm pressure with the fingers to tissues to determine characteristics such as abnormal shapes and possible tumors, the presence of pain, and tissue consistency.
- Percussion Applying a short, sharp blow to a tissue to provoke an audible response from body parts directly beneath.
- Auscultation Listening to sounds produced by the body during functions such as breathing and intestinal movements.
- Smells Recognizing characteristic odors associated with certain diseases.
- Miscellaneous diagnostic procedures Eye examinations, urine collection, and heart, esophageal, and stomach studies.
Deviation of various characteristics from the normal is a useful aid in diagnosing disease. General inspection includes examining appearance, behavior, body condition, respiratory movements, the state of skin, coat, and abdomen, and various common actions.
An animal’s appearance can be diagnostically significant. For example, small size in a pig may result from growth retardation caused by hog-cholera virus. Observing an animal’s behavior is valuable in diagnosing neurological diseases. Subtle behavioral changes may not be noticeable. The general condition of the body helps diagnose diseases causing excessive leanness (emaciation), including certain cancers or chronic diseases. Defective teeth may also indicate malnutrition and result in emaciation.
Respiratory movements are important diagnostic criteria. Breathing is rapid in young, small animals and animals with higher-than-normal body temperatures. Specific respiratory movements are characteristic of certain diseases. The appearance of the skin and hair may indicate dehydration or the presence of parasites, ringworm infections, and allergic reactions. Abnormal activities may have special diagnostic meaning. Some diseases cause postural changes. An abnormal gait may furnish evidence as to the cause of a disease.
Sorry, I cannot provide information about home remedies for lameness in pets.