Routine wellness visits are a great way to help your pet live a healthy life for as long as possible. These visits can also help to catch potential health issues earlier and may help you avoid additional costs associated with treatments if disease goes undetected.
A typical wellness visit might include:
A physical exam
Veterinarians look for changes in your pet’s teeth, weight, joints, skin, and ears. These changes may be signs of illness.
Diagnostic screening tests
Veterinarians check your pet’s internal health. These results help to manage and track your pet’s overall health.
A review of results
Veterinarians look for changes in results from year-to-year. Changes can act as early warning signs of health problems.
WHAT WE LOOK AT DURING A VISIT AND WHY
HEART AND LUNGS
Infection or disease can make it difficult for your pet’s heart and lungs to deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to the body.
LIVER
Your pet’s liver may have trouble managing proteins, fat, digestion, and waste. These problems could be caused by disease, a blockage or even medication.
PANCREAS AND INTESTINE
Problems with these digestive organs may be due to an inflamed pancreas, diabetes, or some types of cancers.
KIDNEYS
SDMA* testing detects kidney disease earlier than other types of kidney tests.1,2 Results also reflect other diseases your pet may have that affect the kidneys.3
THYROID
If the thyroid glands aren’t releasing the right amount of hormones, your pet’s metabolism could be affected.
BLOOD
A complete blood count (CBC) tells us if your pet is fighting an infection or has some bleeding problems. A blood test can also find diseases spread by ticks and mosquitoes.
URINE
Urine tests tell us if your pet has problems like infection or stones in the kidneys or bladder. They can also tell us about some cancers.
FECES
Fecal antigen testing tells us if your pet has parasites, such as worms. Other types of fecal tests may miss these common causes of intestinal infections, which can cause problems in people, too.
