Written by Marissa Greenberg, DVM
Most of us visit the doctor or the dentist at least once a year. Many of us may not know that this is equally as important for our pets! Dogs and cats should have a wellness exam at least once a year. As pets age or develop conditions, it may be recommended that they be seen more often.
During a wellness exam at Animal Care Clinic, your pet will have a complete physical exam. This includes checking their eyes, ears, nose, teeth, mouth, lymph nodes, skin, and external reproductive system, palpating their abdomen, and listening to their heart and lungs with a stethoscope. Recommendations will be made based on each individual patient and client needs for things such as vaccines, blood tests, and parasite prevention, as well as dental cleaning. Many pets may need yearly dental cleaning to maintain healthy teeth and gums. Most patients do not need yearly vaccines, but we may recommend yearly blood tests to check for things such as feline viruses, heartworms, or diseases transmitted by ticks.
As pets age, we may recommend blood tests such as white and red blood cell counts, general health profile chemistry tests, thyroid levels, and urinalysis. These are similar to the tests many of us have ordered by our own doctors. These tests can help us catch some diseases early and intervene quickly. They can also serve as a baseline to have something to compare to if a pet gets sick later down the road.
Please contact us to schedule your pet’s yearly wellness exam or to find out more about our recommendations!
