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Importance of Wellness Exams

What Are Wellness Exams?

Like human check-ups, wellness exams are annual or bi-annual visits to ensure your pet is healthy. Wellness exams are an excellent opportunity to discuss concerns or questions about your pet’s health with your veterinarian. These exams also give you time to discuss treatment options and preventative with your veterinarian. Annual exams are a vital step in keeping your pet feeling their best!

What Do Vets Check For During Exams?

There are two parts to wellness exams. During the first portion, your veterinarian will ask questions about your pet’s diet, exercise routine and behaviors. We do this to better understand your pet’s lifestyle and any factors that could put their health at risk. We may suggest alternative options if we have any concerns about their daily routines.

During the second portion of the wellness exam, your veterinarian will physically examine your pet. We’ll listen to your pet’s breathing pattern for irregularities and feel different parts of your pet to ensure there are no issues with organs or their skin. We’ll also assess your pet’s posture, skin, eyes, ears, nose, face, mouth, teeth, and even hair! It’s truly a nose-to-tail examination.

The most common tests to see at a wellness exam are fecal tests, heartworm tests, and diagnostic tests. Your Veterinarian may also perform some or all of these common tests. The fecal test checks for internal parasites and other internal conditions that can harm your pet if they go undetected. The heartworm test is a yearly check to ensure that your pet’s chosen prevention plan is working. Common diagnostic tests such as regular blood testing are run during these visits to detect diseases early and to be able to treat those illnesses faster.

Regular Wellness Exams also help with prevention. Vaccines are needed to protect your pet against illnesses and disease, annual oral assessments help to prevent dental disease, and parasite prevention protects your pet from heartworms, fleas, ticks, and other common pests.

Why Should I Get Wellness Exams for My Pet?

Your pet cannot tell you when something is wrong, but an annual wellness exam can reveal issues and illnesses. Many pets are very good at hiding disease or injury from their owners. This can make it difficult to detect when your pet is in pain and make their ailment much more difficult to treat once it is detected. If a veterinarian identifies a disease or condition in your pet early, the discomfort your pet may experience dramatically decreases.

For senior pets, we recommend increasing wellness exams to twice a year. Older pets are at higher risk of developing diseases or suffering from injuries. Likewise, puppies and kittens usually need several wellness visits before they turn one year of age to ensure they’re properly vaccinated, spayed or neutered, microchipped and more. Your veterinarian will be able to provide a more detailed timeline for Puppy and Kitten appointments.

Is it time for your pet’s annual routine exam? Book an appointment for your furry friend today!