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You do lots of things for your beloved pet. You may spend hours playing fetch, splurging on a grooming session for them rather than getting your hair done, or pouring over research about the best food to feed. Ten West Bird & Animal Hospital has an extra care tip for you: bringing your pet in for their wellness check may be the most important thing that you can do for them. 

Things That Happen at a Pet Wellness Check

Most of us know to take our pets to the vet when they are sick. It’s a little more counterintuitive, though, to bring them in when they are doing well. 

Wellness checkups are a really essential part of good pet care. Most pets should be seen at least once a year outside of injury or illness. At these preventive care appointments we will:

• Do a thorough, nose-to-tail examination
• Weigh your pet and assess body condition score
• Discuss nutrition and supplements
• Have a conversation about any behavioral concerns you might have
• Make recommendations for vaccines that may benefit your family
• Prescribe heartworm, flea, and tick preventives
• Perform screening for parasites such as intestinal worms and heartworms
• Discuss recommendations for proactive deworming
• Assess the need for screening testing such as blood work, urinalysis, or radiographs (X-ray)
• Talk about any changes in your pet’s physical examination or behavior
• Look for any sources of pain
• Discuss dental care recommendations
• Recommend spay or neuter as needed
• Look closely for new lumps or bumps
• Talk about your pet’s grooming needs

Our team takes pet wellness visits very seriously. They are a great opportunity to collaborate and be sure your pet is getting the comprehensive care that they deserve.

How Preventive Care Ups Your Pet Care Game

Once you have an understanding of what happens during a typical preventive care appointment, it is easier to appreciate how having regular wellness checks can positively impact your pet’s care. 

Pets and their owners who visit the vet proactively:

• Often have a better relationship with their pet’s healthcare team
• Benefit from their veterinarian having more intimate knowledge of the patients, resulting in earlier detection of variations from the pet’s norms
• Are better able to avoid problems such as weight gain 
• Often avoid disease and parasites due to proactive deworming, vaccinations, and parasite prevention
• May be less likely to have serious complications when they do become ill as their problems are typically caught earlier in their course
• Spend less money on average due to the prevention and early detection of illness

So, is your pet up to date on their wellness check? If you aren’t sure, give us a call so we can help get you up to speed fast.