Wellness Exams

According to American Animal Hospital Association, pets should receive wellness exams at least once a year, with the frequency increasing as the pet gets older. These exams are helpful for several reasons, including:

Detecting and Treating Diseases Earlier

You don’t want to wait until it’s too late to find out something is wrong with your pet. Since pets can’t relay their problems by speaking, it’s often difficult for pet owners to know when there is an issue. Wellness exams for dogs, cats, and other animals are great because they allow medical professionals to evaluate the pet’s behaviors and look for any signs or symptoms of diseases or other ailments. These exams may also include bloodwork and urinalysis to help identify hidden problems.

Providing Customized Care

Not all pets have the same needs when it comes to medical care, and wellness exams allow veterinarians to adjust their services to meet a pet’s specific needs. For instance, some breeds of cats and dogs are more likely to get certain diseases. Wellness exams allow professionals to spend time testing for those conditions rather than going through a generic checklist.

Preventing Parasites and Diseases

While many pet owners may utilize flea, tick, and heartworm medications to keep these pests at bay throughout the year, annual testing is the best way to ensure they’re safe. During wellness exams, dogs may be tested for tick-borne diseases or heartworms, while cats and dogs may both undergo fecal testing to ensure they don’t have intestinal worms. This testing is crucial because, if anything is found, your veterinarian can begin treatment and adjust the pet’s prevention plan accordingly.

Keeping an Eye on Chronic Conditions

If your pet suffers from any chronic conditions, it’s important to monitor their progression. This can include ongoing issues like diabetes or cancers, which may evolve over time and require different, more aggressive treatment options as they progress. Wellness exams let veterinarians assess how a pet’s body is responding to current treatments, making it easier to see when adjustments to their treatment plan need to be made.