The adult life stage is typically the prime of your pet’s life, when you can expect them to be strong, healthy and happy.
Even if you have no specific health concerns with you cat or dog, it’s important to plan for a regular annual exam. The benefits of annual wellness exams for your pet include:
- being on the lookout for development of diseases or conditions
- to provide preventative care including dental care, vaccines and parasite control
- and to provide body condition advice
This can help reassure you that they are healthy or help us detect hidden diseases or conditions early.
Early detection can improve the prognosis of many diseases, keep medical costs down, and help your pet live longer. Many dogs and cats are good at hiding signs that something is wrong, so subtle changes in their health might be easy to overlook.
As they progress through their adult years the risks of common illnesses tend to increase, for example:
- arthritis
- cancer
- diabetes
- heart disease
- hormone disorders
- kidney and liver problems
Here is what you can expect from a typical annual wellness exam:
- a physical assessment, checking your dog or cat from nose to tail
- a diagnostic workup, which can include blood, fecal, and urine tests to check for parasites and underlying diseases
- a discussion with you about any physical or behavioural changes you may have noticed in your pet, or any other concerns you might have
- an oral exam, to provide recommendations on dental care, which may involve another visit for comprehensive dental treatment
Dogs and cats age more quickly than humans – an annual visit for them is like you waiting six or seven years between visits with your doctor.
