Regular wellness exams and preventive healthcare, like vaccinations and parasite preventives, play a crucial role in helping to keep your pet healthy. At Jacksonville Community Pet Clinics, we don’t want to wait until something’s wrong. The goal is to catch diseases early, when they may be easier to treat or manage. That’s why your veterinarian asks you to bring your pet in for wellness visits. By being proactive (such as by giving your pet shots), we can sometimes even prevent certain conditions or illnesses in the first place.
Keep reading to learn more about why regular veterinary visits are important for your pet’s health throughout life.
Puppies and Kittens
When dogs and cats are young, we want to see them frequently to make sure they’re adequately protected by vaccines. Starting when kittens and puppies are 6 to 8 weeks old, this initial series of affordable pet shots is given every 3 to 4 weeks until the pet is 16 or 20 weeks of age.
We also want to see young pets several times over that first crucial year to make sure their heart and other organs are healthy, they’re gaining weight as expected, and their teeth and bones are developing normally.
This is also when your Jacksonville veterinarian will deworm your pet to get rid of any intestinal parasites and typically perform a spay or neuter procedure. Spaying/neutering can help:
- Reduce some undesirable behaviors in pets
- Protect your pet against certain cancers
- Protect female pets against a potentially life-threatening type of uterine infection called pyometra
The Adult Years
As pets move into their adult years, we want to see them at least once a year for a regular checkup. During these visits, we’ll:
- Perform a thorough physical exam of your pet
- Give your pet shots (booster vaccines) to help provide your pet with continued protection against serious, highly contagious, and potentially deadly diseases
- Recommend additional affordable pet shots to help protect against diseases that your individual pet may be at risk for because of lifestyle, risk of exposure, and other factors
- Make sure your pet remains free of intestinal parasites (that’s why we ask that you bring your pet’s fecal sample with you), heartworms, and external parasites like fleas and ticks
- Check your pet’s mouth and teeth and recommend any dental care that’s needed
- Perform a nutritional assessment to help make sure your pet is getting the right nutrition for his or her breed, life stage, health, and lifestyle
- Discuss any behavioral concerns or questions you have about your pet
Pets tend to be very good at hiding signs of disease, which is why bringing them in regularly for veterinary exams is essential.
The Senior Years
Once pets start to move into their senior years (between 6 and 8 years of age for most pets, but sometimes a bit younger for larger dogs), we like to see them more often, usually twice a year.
These visits continue to help us detect any potential health issues, like arthritis or dental disease, that may become more common as pets age. We also screen for kidney, liver, and heart disease, as well as abdominal tumors, diabetes, thyroid disease (generally hyperthyroidism in cats and hypothyroidism in dogs), urinary tract disease, and more.
Remember that pets age far faster than we do, which is why we want to catch and start treating any diseases as early as possible. Early diagnosis can not only provide us with an early, more affordable start on treatment but can also give your pet a better quality of life.
In many cases, wellness screening may reveal that your pet is healthy, which is great for your peace of mind.
Pets with Chronic Conditions
Dogs and cats who have a chronic disease or are on regular medications often need more frequent vet visits. These visits let us check blood work and monitor your pet’s condition or disease, allowing your veterinarian to make crucial medication or other adjustments as needed. You can schedule these checkups at either of our two clinic locations.
What’s in a Wellness Exam?
Besides playing a crucial role in helping to keep your pet healthy throughout life, regular wellness exams give you the opportunity to:
- Ask about any questions or concerns you might have
- Bring up anything you’ve noticed that seems different with your pet, like a behavior that’s new or a lump or bump you hadn’t noticed before
Being Proactive with Your Veterinarian
Your Jacksonville vet can create an affordable wellness and preventive plan personalized to your individual pet. To find out more, give us a call to book your pet’s wellness appointment today.
