Routine care is crucial to your pet's lifelong health and wellbeing. These visits allow your vet the opportunity to address potential issues before they become too serious. Here, our San Angelo vets talk about what to expect during a dog or cat checkup and why these routine exams are important.
Why are routine vet checkups important?
Annual dog or cat physical exams are incredibly important, even if the animal seems perfectly healthy. Regular wellness checkups help you and your vet team support your pet's good health and happiness.
By regularly attending wellness checks even when your pet seems healthy, you allow your veterinarian the opportunity to assess your pet's general health and test for diseases, illnesses, and conditions that can be hard to spot early on (including cancers and parasites).
Potentially serious medical conditions benefit from early treatment. During the checkup, your vet has two goals: to prevent health conditions from developing where possible and to spot early signs of disease so that they can be treated before they develop into more severe issues.
When should you bring your dog or cat in for an exam?
When it comes to how frequently you should bring your pet in for a checkup, it will depend on a variety of factors including their age and overall health.
If your pet has a history of illness but is currently healthy, we recommend scheduling a twice-yearly wellness check with your vet to ensure your pet stays as healthy as possible. Your vet can examine your pet and tell you how often they should come in for a physical exam.
Since your puppy or kitten's immune system is still developing, young pets can be more susceptible to some illnesses that adult pets are easily able to overcome. To provide your young pet with the care they need during their formative months, your vet might recommend booking a monthly checkup for the first few months.
Usually, an adult dog or cat with no history of illness should be taken to a vet checkup every year. Pets like senior PETS and giant breed dogs can face an increased risk of additional conditions and should see a veterinarian more often to monitor for early signs of illness. In these cases, it's a good idea to bring your pet in for twice-yearly cat or dog checkups.
What should you bring to your pet's checkup?
Your vet needs some basic medical information about your canine or feline companion, especially if this is your pet's first wellness check with us. Bring notes about your pet including their:
- Recent travel history
- Past medical records
- Eating and drinking habits
- Current medications (names & doses)
- Vaccine history
- Tick bite history
- Food (type & amount)
- Waste elimination habits
You may also choose to bring one of your pet's favorite toys or blankets with you to the visit. This can help to keep your pet calm.
What will happen during your cat's or dog's wellness exam?
Your vet will begin by reviewing your pet's health history and listening to any concerns that you may have. The vet will further follow up with questions about your pet’s diet, exercise routine, thirst level, bowel movements, urination, and other aspects of their lifestyle and general behavior.
In some cases, you’ll be asked to collect and bring along a fresh sample of your pet’s feces (bowel movement) so a fecal exam can be completed. These diagnostic tests can help to identify whether problematic intestinal parasites are present which may be otherwise difficult to detect.
Next, the vet will perform a physical examination of your pet. While this is not an exhaustive list, these are some of the steps in a routine veterinary exam of your pet:
- Measuring their gait, stance, and weight
- Listening to your pet’s lungs and heart with a stethoscope
- Checking the eyelids for any issues, in addition to examining their eyes for signs of cloudiness, discharge, excessive tearing, cloudiness, or redness
- Assessing your pet for any signs of illness such as limited motion or signs of swelling or pain by palpating (feeling along) their body.
- Feeling the abdomen to check internal organ function and to check for signs of pain or discomfort
- Examining your pet's nails and feet for signs of health issues or conditions
- Checking inside your pet’s ears for signs of wax buildup, polyps, ear mites, or bacterial infection
- Inspecting their teeth for signs of decay, damage, or periodontal disease
- Examining your pet's fur, skin, and/or coat to assess overall condition, as well as look for signs of abnormal hair loss, dandruff, unusual lumps, or bumps
If your vet finds no cause for concern, the wellness check is usually completed fairly quickly and with few issues. They may even chat with you as they do so. If an issue is identified, your vet will explain what they have noticed and recommend the next steps or potential treatments for your pet.
Annual vaccinations are also administered during a cat or dog checkup, based on your animal’s appropriate schedule.
What if your pet requires further diagnostics?
Your vet may recommend that your dog or cat have additional diagnostics performed. Remember that in the majority of cases, early detection and treatment of serious diseases is less expensive, less invasive, and less taxing on your pet than having the condition treated once it has become more advanced.
Tests for blood count, thyroid hormone testing, and a urinalysis may be done in addition to diagnostic testing like X-rays and imaging.
What will happen after your pet's appointment?
Once your pet has been physically examined, had any diagnostic tests run on them, and given their annual vaccines, your vet will dedicate time to explaining their findings to you.
For pets that are experiencing health conditions, your vet will recommend the next steps that should be taken along with prescribing medications and booking the necessary appointments.
If your pet is healthy overall, this discussion may focus on improvements to or maintenance of their current exercise and diet routines, caring for your pet’s oral health, and checking that essentials such as appropriate parasite prevention are monitored.
Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding people or pets. Always follow your doctor's advice regarding asthma or other allergy symptoms.