 Wellness
Exams
The best way to help ensure that
your pet has a happy and healthy
life is to have regular wellness
exams by your veterinarian. Pets
cannot tell you when something is
wrong; in fact many pets will do
their best to hide illnesses.
Physical examinations and discussion
of your pet’s behavior, activity,
appetite, etc with your veterinarian
help find problems early, when they
are still treatable. Your
veterinarian may wish to perform
bloodwork, x-rays, or ultrasound
based on the results of the
examination and your discussion.
“Your observations are one of the
veterinarian’s best tools”
Routine blood tests and
urinalysis are recommended for
senior pets to help detect age
related diseases early. Pets of any
age should have yearly fecal exams
to make sure that they do not have
any parasites. Dogs should be tested
for heartworm disease annually.
How often does my pet need a
wellness exam?
Pets should have routine
examinations yearly. It is estimated
that pets age the equivalent of 5-7
years for every year that passes.
Imagine how much has changed for you
over the last 5-7 years! Problems
can develop much faster than you
anticipate since pets age so much
faster.
Traditionally pets were given
vaccines yearly. Many vaccines are
now thought to be effective for
several years and veterinarians
often give some vaccines only every
2-3 years. Even if your pet is not
“due” for a vaccination, you should
still bring them in for a routine
wellness exam to make sure that they
are healthy.
How a wellness exam works
Your veterinarian will ask if you
have noticed any specific problems
or issues with your pet. Do not
hesitate to share your observations
and thoughts with your
veterinarian…Your observations are
one of the veterinarian’s best
tools. Your veterinarian may also
ask you a series of questions about
activity, appetite, thirst,
breathing, urination, and
defecation.
Don’t Forget to
Tell Your Vet About Any…
• Coughing
• Diarrhea
• Eating more than usual
• Excessive drinking of water,
panting, scratching or urination
• Vomiting
• Weight gain or weight loss
Veterinarians often begin their
physical exams with an overview of
the general appearance and the
skin/fur. They may then start
examining the front of their patient
with the eyes, ears, and mouth.
Moving further back they will listen
to your pet’s chest to check for any
heart or lung problems as well as to
record your pet’s heart and
respiratory rates. Next they will
palpate your pet’s abdomen to feel
for any abnormal shape, swelling of
the internal organs, or any masses
that shouldn’t be present. The
temperature is obtained rectally;
ear thermometers don’t tend to
produce reliable results for our
patients. Your veterinarian will
then often palpate the neck, back,
and legs, especially if they are
concerned about arthritis.
After they have completed the
examination your veterinarian will
discuss their findings with you.
Hopefully you will hear “Everything
looks great! Your pet is in great
health!” However, if your
veterinarian finds any problems or
concerns they can explain the
problems and the significance to
you. In addition to pointing out
problems your veterinarian will make
recommendations about what actions
should be taken. This could range
from prescribing flea medication to
recommending bloodwork, x-rays,
ultrasound, or other testing.
Make sure to ask questions so that
you understand any problems and
recommendations presented by your
veterinarian. Don’t forget to make
sure your pet has a routine exam
wellness exam at least yearly to
help them healthy and happy for
years to come.
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