Wellness Exams For Dogs and Cats
Veterinary exams (also commonly referred to as wellness exams, preventive exams, or regular check-ups) are a critical component to ensuring that your pet is healthy. A veterinary exam for your dog or cat is a routine medical examination that is designed to ensure that your pet is currently healthy and that we are actively preventing diseases from popping up in the future.
For pets that are exhibiting signs of illness, a sick pet visit would be more applicable as it dives deeper into the immediate treatments or veterinary attention needed to get your dog or cat healthy as quickly as possible.
When Does My Pet Need A Wellness Exam?
Great question – and the answer may depend on how healthy your dog or cat is, in general. As with humans, our pets become more susceptible to disease and illness as they age; however, it’s also very important for puppies and kittens to be seen frequently as their immune systems are also very susceptible to illness.
During the early months of having a puppy or kitten, we recommend bringing them in to see the veterinarian on a monthly basis. Once your pet gets a little older, it’s more common to bring them in for wellness exams once or twice per year. As your pet reaches the middle of their life and moves on to their senior years, we suggest ensuring that they see their veterinarian every 6 months at minimum to ensure that any possible illness or disease is caught with plenty of time for treatment.
What Are Veterinarians Checking For During A Wellness Exam?
Here’s what you can expect from standard wellness exams:
- Examination of your pet’s overall health and medical history
- Review of your pet’s skin, coat, joint health, dental health, and weight
- Review of core vaccinations given to your pet in the past
- A complete physical exam of your pet
- Questions about your pet’s diet
- Analysis of how much your pet exercises and their habits
- Suggestions for preventive techniques, such as additional vaccinations or flea, tick, heartworm, and intestinal parasite testing, treatment, or prevention