You want to provide optimal care for your pet, and regular wellness screenings are the best way to keep your pet healthy and improve their quality of life. Our team at Caldwell Animal Hospital gives eight reasons why regular wellness screenings are important for your pet.

#1: Pets are great at masking problems

Your pet’s ancestors learned to hide injuries and illnesses, because they would be targeted by predators if they showed any vulnerabilities. Your pet doesn’t have to worry about being eaten by a predator, but they have retained that instinct. Pets frequently don’t exhibit overt disease signs until their condition is advanced, but regular wellness screenings can help detect that your pet is suffering in silence. 

#2: Pet health issues are easier to manage in the early stages

Most conditions are easier to manage before they reach advanced stages, and early detection typically provides a better prognosis. Your pet’s regular wellness screening involves a thorough physical examination to evaluate them from their wet nose to their furry tail, and includes:

  • Eyes — We use an ophthalmoscope to assess your pet’s eyes for conditions such as cataracts and glaucoma, and to detect issues such as dry eye.
  • Ears — We examine your pet’s ears, looking for infection and parasites.
  • Mouth — Examining your pet’s mouth helps us detect dental disease.
  • Lymph nodes — We palpate your pet’s lymph nodes to ensure they aren’t enlarged, which could indicate an underlying disease.
  • Heart — We auscultate your pet’s heart to ensure they have no heart murmur or arrhythmia.
  • Lungs — We listen to your pet’s lungs to ensure their airways are clear and healthy.
  • Abdomen — We palpate your pet’s abdomen, feeling for masses and correctly sized organs.
  • Skin and coat — Conditions affecting your pet’s skin and coat can indicate underlying health issues, so we ensure your pet has no evidence of skin disease.
  • Joints — We assess your pet’s gait and palpate their joints to ensure they aren’t experiencing joint pain.

#3: You want to keep your pet at a healthy weight

Pet obesity is a significant problem in the United States, affecting the majority of cats and dogs. Pets are surprisingly proficient at begging for treats, and you may not think the few extra calories will lead to a few extra pounds that harm your pet. But, being overweight predisposes them to serious health issues, such as diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, and arthritis. Regular wellness screenings include a professional veterinary weight assessment to determine if your pet is at an ideal weight, and assigning a body conditioning score (BCS) to ascertain their actual weight status. If we determine your pet is overweight, we will formulate a weight loss plan to help them safely lose the excess weight.

#4: Obtaining baseline blood work for your pet is helpful

Each pet is unique, and baseline blood work for your pet helps us track your pet’s parameters,  detect many concerning diseases. Diagnostic blood work we perform at a typical wellness screening includes:

  • Complete blood count (CBC) — A CBC assesses your pet’s red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, and can detect issues such as anemia, infection, and inflammation.
  • Biochemistry profile — This test assesses several body systems, and can detect conditions such as electrolyte imbalances, diabetes, liver disease, and kidney failure.
  • Thyroid panel — We may recommend a thyroid panel for your senior pet, since older pets are at higher risk for thyroid disease.

#5: You want your pet’s teeth to remain healthy

Periodontal disease affects most pets by 3 years of age, and can cause more than bad breath. The bacteria that invade beneath your pet’s gum line can damage the supporting tooth structures, resulting in loose, painful teeth and possibly tooth root infections. In addition, if these bacteria invade your pet’s bloodstream, they can travel throughout their body, damaging organs such as their heart, kidneys, and liver.

#6: You want to protect your pet from parasites

During a regular wellness screening, we will screen your pet for parasites. In addition to checking your pet for fleas and ticks, we perform diagnostics to check for other problematic issues, including:

  • Heartworms — We perform a blood test to ensure your pet does not have heartworms, which can significantly damage their heart and lungs.
  • Tick-borne diseases — We also screen your pet for common tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis.
  • Intestinal parasites — We perform a fecal check, looking for intestinal parasites such as hookworms, whipworms, roundworms, giardia, and coccidia.

#7: Keeping your pet’s vaccines up to date protects them from disease

Vaccinations are important to protect your pet from serious diseases, such as rabies and distemper, and keeping them up to date ensures your pet’s protection doesn’t lapse. We tailor your pet’s vaccination protocol based on their specific lifestyle, to ensure they are protected from any pathogens they may encounter.

#8: Providing regular pet wellness screenings saves you money

Preventing health problems and catching diseases in their early stages, when they are easier to manage, helps you avoid expensive ongoing veterinary care and preventable emergency situations.

Providing regular wellness screenings for your pet is the best way to keep your four-legged friend happy and healthy. If you would like to schedule a wellness screening for your pet, contact our team at Caldwell Animal Hospital, so we can ensure their good health and help extend their life.