Comprehensive Pet Wellness Exams
At East Lawn Animal Hospital, we understand how important wellness exams are for your pet’s health. From puppy- or kitten-hood to senior citizen status, a wellness exam helps to prevent disease as your pet ages. It’s recommended that these exams increase in frequency with the age of your pet. We all know how quickly pets grow – much quicker than us, so such exams are important in detecting and preventing diseases.
The Benefits of Early Detection
We all wish our pets could talk, but unfortunately, they can’t tell us what or where it hurts. That means health conditions can be present long before they get noticed. Early detection in a wellness exam allows time for a disease or illness to get treated and managed before irreversible damage occurs. This sort of early detection is important for your pet’s aging. It helps us establish “normals” for your pet which are then compared to vitals that may be associated with the disease. This includes measuring weight, heart and respiratory rates, and sometimes blood work values.
What happens during a wellness exam?
During a wellness exam, vital signs are recorded and a history is taken, including changes in your pet’s eating and drinking habits, unusual behaviors, or changes in elimination habits. A complete physical exam is performed. Along with any needed vaccinations, a fecal (stool sample) and heartworm test are usually performed yearly (unless on heartworm prevention). Lab work, including blood tests to evaluate internal organ function, and a urinalysis may also be performed if a significant change in your pet’s behavior has been noted.
