The most important health service you can have done for your pet is the annual physical exam. On the years that your pet requires booster vaccinations this can be done in conjunction with the vaccinations.
A comprehensive physical exam includes:
- assessing the body condition score of your pet (whether it is overweight & by what degree).
- examining the skin & coat.
- palpating lymph nodes, mammary glands, the entire body for growths and the abdominal cavity.
- an otoscope exam of the ears.
- an ophthalmic exam (check the eyes).
- auscultation of the heart and lungs.
- discuss any concerns you may have and any abnormal findings found on the physical exam.
- give recommendations.
Additional services that may be recommended for your adult pet include but are not limited to: blood testing, fecal testing, and urine testing. Your personal yearly check up at your doctor is likely to include these tests and so should your pet’s yearly exam. Every year we detect many disease processes in apparently ‘normal’ adult animals. The results help us address problems in the early stages. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatments can result in your companion living a longer healthier life.