Bringing your pet in for an annual diagnostic and wellness checkup can help reassure you that your dog or cat is healthy, or to help us detect hidden diseases or conditions early. Early detection can improve the prognosis of many diseases, keep medical costs down, and help your pet live longer. Many dogs and cats are good at hiding signs that something is wrong, so subtle changes in their health or behavior might be easy to overlook. And, depending on the disease, some pets don’t show any symptoms.
Dogs and cats age far quicker than humans, so it is even more crucial for our companion animals to receive regular exams. In addition, the risks of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, and kidney and liver problems all increase with age.
As part of our Adult Wellness Program, we perform a physical assessment, checking your dog or cat from nose to tail. We also make sure that your pet receives appropriate vaccinations and other preventives. We will perform a diagnostic workup, which could include blood, fecal, and urine tests, to check for parasites and underlying diseases. We also might recommend that your pet receive dental care. When your pet is nearing his or her senior years, we will recommend a baseline exam and diagnostic workup so that we’ll know what’s “normal” for your pet. This will enable us to keep track of any changes.
Because you spend the most time with your pet, you are your pet’s expert and greatest advocate. Please let us know if you’ve noticed any physical or behavioral changes in your pet as well as any other concerns you might have.
Schedule your pet’s exam today. We are happy to discuss our Adult Wellness Program in more detail.