How Often Should My Pet Have a Wellness Exam?
Most healthy adult dogs and cats should visit the veterinarian for a wellness exam once a year. Puppies, kittens, senior pets, and pets with chronic health conditions may need more frequent checkups so our veterinarians can monitor development, aging changes, medications, mobility, dental health, appetite, and behavior.
What’s Included in a Pet Wellness Exam?
A pet wellness exam includes a full physical evaluation and a conversation about your pet’s health history, habits, and daily routine. We examine your pet’s eyes, ears, teeth, skin, heart, lungs, abdomen, joints, weight, and body condition while looking for changes that may not be easy to spot at home.
Your veterinarian will also ask about your pet’s appetite, energy, bathroom habits, mobility, behavior, diet, medications, and any concerns you’ve noticed. From there, we make recommendations based on your pet’s age, species, breed, lifestyle, and individual risk factors.
Depending on your pet’s needs, the visit may include vaccines, parasite testing and prevention, bloodwork, nutrition counseling, dental care recommendations, behavior guidance, or screening tests.