How Often Should My Pet Get a Wellness Exam?

Being a pet owner comes with a lot of different responsibilities. As a caring and compassionate owner, one of your top priorities will undoubtedly be making sure that your pet is as healthy and happy as possible. However, it can be difficult to tell just how healthy an animal is. After all, they can’t tell you if they are feeling unwell or experiencing problems. They may not even know themselves.

That’s why pet wellness exams are so important. It can seem silly to take your pet to see your veterinarian when they don’t seem sick. However, wellness exams form a crucial part of your pet’s preventative care. This is because they can be used to detect underlying problems or worrying patterns in their results, and implement preventative steps or prompt treatment if necessary.

What is a Pet Wellness Exam?

A pet wellness exam is an appointment with your veterinarian for a nose-to-tail check of your pet’s physical wellbeing. It’s also an opportunity for you to discuss your pet’s lifestyle and behavior with them. This can be important since sometimes health problems manifest in behavior changes in your pet instead of visible physical symptoms.

Pet wellness exams in Alvin, TX can vary depending on your vet, but typically, you can expect them to include the following elements:

Physical Exam

Unsurprisingly, your vet will check over your pet’s body, looking for any abnormalities such as lumps, bumps, poor coat quality, skin issues, and more. They will check your pet’s eyes for any weeping or pus, their ears for infection or mites, and their mouth and teeth for signs of periodontal disease. Your vet will want to see how your pet stands, whether they can bear weight, and how they move.

In addition to the above checks, they will also likely check your pet’s temperature, breathing rate, and weight, and palpate their abdomen to check that their organs are in the right place and are the right size.

Consultation

This is the part of your appointment where your vet will ask you various questions about your pet’s lifestyle. This may include what they eat and how often, how their toileting is, how much exercise they get, and what their general behavior is like. This is an ideal opportunity for you to ask any questions or raise any concerns that you have. Depending on your individual animal, your vet may recommend that you make a few changes if they feel that they would benefit your pet. For example, changing their diet or adding a supplement to it, or altering how much exercise they get.

Testing

Testing may not be a part of every pet wellness exam, but it may be recommended. Some of the tests that may be recommended could include:

• Blood testing
   

• Urinalysis
   

• Fecal analysis
   

• Thyroid testing
   

• Heartworm testing

These may be followed up by x-rays or MRI as part of the diagnostic process if your vet has any concerns. Your vet will be able to explain exactly what each test is for and what it will tell them.

Vaccinations and Preventatives

If your pet is due for any vaccinations, it may be possible to give these during their wellness exam. The same is true of certain preventatives, such as injectable heartworm preventatives. Your vet will be able to advise you if your pet is due for any routine preventative treatment and if it can be administered at this time.

How Often Should My Pet Get a Wellness Exam?

In most cases, veterinarians advise that pets attend a wellness exam once every 12 months. However, if they have any concerns about the health and wellbeing of your animal and want to monitor them more closely, the frequency of these visits may be increased.

If you would like more information about pet wellness exams at Alvin Animal Clinic, or to schedule an appointment for your pet, please call our vet office in Alvin at (281) 585-5183.