Dogs and cats have shorter life spans than we do. That means that they age more quickly. Once mature, one year of our life equals about 4 years to them. So it is crucial that your pet receives a yearly exam, even if they seem to be feeling good. It is essential to pick up even small changes before they become a crisis for your pet, not only for the economic savings in treating a disease early, but in giving your pet the best quality life possible. We have reduced the frequency with which your pet will receive vaccinations now, but the exam has always been the most important part of your visit anyway.
It is important that we be sure that your pet is on proper medications, like heartworm preventive. Heartworm disease needs to be checked for every year, because it is so prevalent around here, and we want to catch that early if infection happens. We need to check your pet for parasites that live in the intestinal tract as well, because if present, these can be infective to your children and cause nasty problems.
Frequently we will find early dental disease that can be managed easily if found early, but if it isn’t found until there is advanced periodontal disease, the treatment can be extremely expensive, as well as allowing your pet be in severe pain.
We like to do blood profiles on our aging pets, to assure that no changes are occurring unnoticed internally. Again, if we find abnormalities on outwardly healthy pets, it allows us to manage these changes more quickly and with less expense.
If you want to do the very best for your pet, please be sure to return every year, to receive this very important physical exam. It is one of the ways you can show how much you love your pet.