Auscultating Lung Sounds

     At school on Thursday we spent four hours in Health Care Skill learning to auscultate lung sounds and how to identify irregularities. There are a lot of great websites that you can utilize to hear lung sound anomalies that you might not encounter in clinic. 
     During class, my teacher made a good point. It's not necessarily the most important thing to diagnose what you're hearing as it is to understand that what you're hearing is abnormal. She also highlighted that irregularities in lung and heart sounds are often normal variations, benign and/or transient. Never underestimate the value of a second opinion, she reminded us. Armed with my new skills, I headed home to get ready for clinic on Thursday with my midwife.
    Around midnight I awoke to my 14 year old dog-daughter panting in bed. I retrieved my stethoscope and listened to her heart and lungs. Tabitha has been very sickly the last couple of years so anytime she seems unwell I always worry that this could be the beginning of the end.
     I'm no expert on canine anatomy or pathology but from what I learned in class I diagnosed her with tachypnea. I spent about 15 minutes petting her and listening for changes, worried that she was headed for the worst. I contemplated taking her to the emergency vet but decided to wake up my mom for some motherly advice. 
     "Mom!!! Wake up, I think Tabitha is dying!!!" I gave my mom report about her rapid breathing and fast heart rate. When my mom came in to check on her she immediately knew what was wrong. My room had gotten too hot and Tabitha was panting to cool off! What relief!
     It's amazing how this little life lesson reinforced what my teacher said in class. Always understand that irregularities may be benign and never underestimate the value of a second opinion! Lesson learned!