Checking a Lagotto Romagnolo is a fingertip exercise. The breed's dense, teddy-like curl forms a fleece that can look immaculate while the skin underneath carries mats, ticks, or soreness nobody has seen for weeks. Work in sections, in strong light, ideally around a grooming session when you are already parting the coat, and let your fingers travel all the way to skin level everywhere. Add the hairy ears and the hardworking nose and front paws of a born truffle hunter, and you have the shape of a proper Lagotto check.
To the Skin Through the Curls
Divide the body into zones, neck, shoulders, back, ribs, belly, legs, tail, and work each one by parting the curl with your fingers and looking at the skin itself. Feel for mats forming tight against the skin, particularly behind the ears, in the armpits, around the collar line, and along the belly, because a mat you can feel but not see is already pulling. Look for redness, flaking, small scabs, or ticks settled where the coat is thickest. Note any spot where your dog flinches, turns, or starts scratching as your hand passes, and comb out loose wool as you go so the next check starts from a clean base.
Hairy Ears and the Truffle Hunter's Face
Lagotto ears carry hair inside the canal, which traps wax and moisture. Lift each flap and look as far in as you comfortably can for dark build-up, redness, or a stale odour, and note head shaking or ear scratching between checks. Then give the working end its due: this breed pushes its nose into soil, leaf litter, and undergrowth, so inspect the muzzle for scrapes, thorns, and seeds caught in the beard curls, check that both eyes are clear without discharge, and look inside the mouth for a broken tooth or anything lodged, especially after enthusiastic digging sessions.
Front Paws, Body, and Scent-Driven Wear
Digging loads the front end, so examine the front paws closely: torn or split nails, worn or cracked pads, redness between the toes, and any seed or grit packed into the curls around the feet. Feel over the ribs through the fleece with firm pressure, since the coat makes visual condition judging useless; ribs should be found under light cover, with a waist you can feel even if you cannot see it. Watch a short trot for even strides, and run your hands down all four legs for heat, swelling, or sensitivity the curls conceal.
What Should Prompt a Vet Visit
Book in for ears that smell, look red, or draw repeated scratching, skin patches that spread or weep under the coat, or mats that have tightened into a sore, felted plate against the skin. A limp that persists, a nail torn down to bleeding that will not settle, repeated face rubbing, or discharge from one eye also deserve prompt attention. Appetite loss, marked drinking changes, lethargy in a normally busy, bright dog, or any lump that grows under the fleece should be raised rather than watched indefinitely, and breathing difficulty is always urgent.
Findings From Under the Fleece
Almost everything you find on a Lagotto is a surprise by definition, because the coat showed you nothing. That makes written notes doubly valuable: which zone, which ear, which paw, and what the skin looked like when you finally parted the curl. Saved in KinsLe, a Pet Passport holds those coat, ear, and paw observations with your Lagotto Romagnolo's records, ready for the vet to follow your fingers.