Animals age faster than humans. Since their lives progress more quickly, serious medical conditions do too. Annual pet wellness exams can help detect serious medical conditions and allow our clinicians to treat them before their status becomes unmanageable. By seeing your veterinarian at least annually, you have the opportunity to discuss your pet’s current health outlook, and ask questions about any existing conditions. Prior to your pet’s wellness exam, note any severe changes that have occurred with your pet including: vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, weight gain/loss, excessive thirst, inappropriate urination or defecation, or increased aggression. If your animal is experiencing any abnormal symptoms or has had a change in behavior since their last wellness exam, please inform the staff when scheduling an appointment.

During your pet wellness exam you should expect that we perform: 

• Full body physical exam including weight and temperature
• Complete dental exam
• Otoscopic examination of the ears
• Auscultation of the heart and lungs
• Evaluation of body condition
• Palpation of internal organs and lymph nodes
• Assessment of haircoat and skin condition
• Palpation and manipulation of joints and extremities
• Wellness blood testing, fecal examination and urinalysis
• Rectal examination if necessary

Puppy and kitten exams

Because puppies and kittens have less developed immune systems, they are far more susceptible to diseases and parasites. During puppy and kitten wellness exams, in addition to the items listed above for a routine wellness examination, we will also discuss proper nutrition, ideal growth rates, teething, potty training, vaccination protocols, and parasite protection.   We are also happy to advise you on basic obedience training. With each visit, we provide a puppy or kitten pack that contains useful information on many subjects and products that may prove helpful to you as you care for your new companion.  We will also establish with you an ideal schedule for your youngster's vaccinations and elective spay/neuter surgery. This is also a great time to begin annual wellness blood tests to establish what is normal for your pet.

Adult pet exams 

Similar to a younger pet exam, our veterinarians will examine your adult pet from head-to-tail, palpating all of the accessible internal organs, checking joint function, and recording vital statistics to ensure normality. Irregularities that are observed can be evaluated further using laboratory testing or radiography if necessary. During adult exams, we pay particular attention to dental health, lumps and bumps, and body condition.  To maintain your pet's optimum health, we may recommend a dental cleaning, evaluation of cytology samples from a lump under the microscope, or a diet change. We will also continue annual  blood testing to establish what is normal for your pet which will make disease detection easier as they age.

Senior pet exams

Your pet officially becomes a senior between 5 and 10 years of age, depending on their species and breed. Senior pets require more care than their youthful counterparts. Because older pets are more susceptible to age-related illnesses, some may require a wellness exam twice each year. Your veterinarian will help you determine when your pet becomes a senior. Yearly wellness blood tests become even more important in your senior pet as we look for those trends which help us detect diseases like early kidney insufficiency, liver abnormalities, or thyroid dysfunction.  Many of these issues can be easily managed when caught early through routine testing, before they have the opportunity to cause clinical symptoms. During senior pet exams, our physicians take your pet’s vital statistics and perform a complete head-to-tail exam of all accessible internal organs and joints, assessing any abnormalities or pain your pet might be exhibiting.

To schedule your pet’s wellness exam, contact our office today!