At a routine health visit for a Bearded Collie, the vet should examine a bouncy, shaggy herding dog with the coat treated as something to look through, not at. Expect weighing plus a hands-on body-condition check, watching the dog move, listening to heart and lungs, feeling hips and other joints, checking eyes, lifting the coat at the ears and skin, examining teeth, and reviewing energy, appetite, and coat quality. A Beardie's normal exuberance can mask early stiffness or low energy, so your description of the dog's usual bounce, and any loss of it, is a real clinical clue.
Hips and movement in an active herding dog
Hip and gait checking should be specific in a Bearded Collie visit. The vet will feel the hips and hind legs, watch the dog walk and trot, and ask about stairs, jumping, turning sharply during play, and recovery after long walks. Report stiffness after rest, a swaying hind end, sitting crooked, or a Beardie who has quietly shortened the walks it once demanded.
Because herding dogs push through discomfort to keep working, ask what level of slowing counts as a return-early sign for your dog. Agreeing on that threshold at a routine visit prevents months of assuming a joint problem is simply middle age arriving.
Eyes, ears, and teeth under the shag
Eye examination in a Bearded Collie check looks for cloudiness, redness, discharge, and vision changes, with coat kept clear of the eyes so irritation is visible. Mention missed balls, hesitation in dim rooms, or a new startle when approached quickly. If family history or findings suggest it, the vet may discuss a specialist eye look.
Ears need the coat lifted and the canal actually seen, since hair and moisture collect out of sight. Report head shaking, scratching, odor, or sensitivity when the ears are handled during grooming. Teeth are checked for tartar and gum inflammation, and the vet should feel under the jaw and around the neck for lumps that the beard and coat conceal.
Skin review means feeling through the double coat for mats against the skin, redness, parasites, and new lumps. If you found a lump while brushing, give its location and the week you first felt it. Beardie coats make size estimates by eye unreliable, so a recorded location and date are genuinely useful.
Energy, coat, weight, and internal screening
Energy and coat changes deserve direct discussion in a Bearded Collie health visit because they can be early clues to internal problems, including thyroid issues that a vet may choose to test for. Describe weight gain on unchanged food, a coat that has become thin or dull, increased sleeping, sensitivity to cold, or a dog who asks for fewer games. Those details help the vet decide whether blood work belongs in this visit rather than the next one.
Weight itself must be judged by hand under the coat. Ask the vet to show you how ribs should feel through a Beardie's coat so your home checks stop guessing. Bring food amounts, treats, and any table food, since herding households often feed across several family members without a shared total.
Internal review covers heart, lungs, abdomen, vaccines, and parasite prevention for a dog who may spend hours in fields and wet grass. Mention appetite change, vomiting, loose stools, coughing after exercise, or increased thirst, and ask which findings from today should be rechecked and when.
Holding hip notes, coat and energy observations, weights, and any blood-work summaries for your Bearded Collie together in KinsLe with Pet Passport means the next clinician can see whether this year's quieter dog is a trend or a snapshot.