Bringing your dog or cat in for an annual diagnostic and preventative care checkup can help us detect hidden diseases or conditions early, and ensure that your pet is staying healthy. Early detection can improve the prognosis of many diseases, keep medical costs down, and help your pet live longer. Many pets are good at hiding signs that something is wrong, so subtle changes in their health or behavior might be easy to overlook. And, depending on the disease, some pets don’t show any symptoms.
Dogs and cats age far quicker than humans, so it is even more crucial for our companion animals to receive regular exams. In addition, the risks of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, and kidney and liver problems all increase with age.
During your pet’s preventative care exam, we will perform a thorough physical assessment, checking your dog or cat from nose to tail. We will also make sure your pet receives appropriate vaccinations and preventives. At this time a thorough dental exam will be done as well, and we may recommend that your pet receive dental care. We will also recommend a diagnostic workup, which includes blood, fecal, and urine tests. These tests not only allow us to check for parasites and underlying diseases, but also to establish a baseline while your pet is in the prime of its life. Just like people every pet is different, and this baseline will let us know what is normal for your pet and will enable us to keep track of any changes.
Because you spend the most time with your pet, you are your pet’s expert, as well as his or her greatest advocate. Please let us know if you’ve noticed any physical or behavioral changes in your pet, as well as any other concerns you might have.
Call us at Advanced Veterinary Care today to schedule your pet’s exam! If you have any questions, we would be happy to discuss our exams in more detail.
