Many pet owners will only take their furbaby to visit their veterinarian if they have suffered an injury or suspected to be unwell. While these situations absolutely necessitate a trip to get professional medical attention, routine veterinary care is undoubtedly more important than you expect. This is because regular health assessments form an essential part of your pet’s health care.
 

Monitoring your pet’s health and progression

One of the biggest benefits of routine veterinary visits is that it enables our vet to build a complete picture of the health and wellbeing of your pet. If you have a young animal, one of the key areas that our vet will assess is how well your cat or dog is growing and progressing in life.

Every time you visit our veterinarian, the results of the check-up will be recorded. If our vet has insisted on any tests, the results of these will also be carefully logged. This is because they can provide invaluable information about the progression of your pet’s health. Tracking the information may show any undesirable patterns of results that could indicate the illness is developing evident. Our vet can then arrange any further testing quickly, before the underlying condition progresses and causes irreversible damage to your furbaby, as well as causing her pain and suffering.
 

Preventative veterinary care

As its name suggests, preventative health care is designed to help reduce the likelihood of your pet from becoming ill, and if she does, identifying and treating the problem as early as possible so that there are no long-lasting effects that your furbaby may be left suffering from. One of the reasons that this is so important is that animals are notoriously good at masking illness. They do this so that they don’t appear vulnerable. Unfortunately, this trait is bad news for your pet as it often means that by the time a virus or disease is impossible to hide, it has already had a negative effect on her health and wellbeing, and sometimes the repercussions are permanent.
 

What to expect during a routine veterinary visit

Most general pet check-ups take a very similar format although can vary slightly from veterinarian to veterinarian. You can usually expect your pet to undergo:

- A nose to tail physical examination so that our veterinarian can thoroughly assess all visible and touchable parts of your cat or dog’s body. This will include checking for any abnormalities such as swellings, lumps or bumps, problems with her skin or coat, or external parasite problems. The condition of your pet’s coat and skin is particularly important as this can normally indicate a variety of underlying problems.
 

- If your pet is older, our veterinarian will probably check the condition of her joints too. Arthritis and other joint problems are more likely as your pet ages, but caught early, treatment to help manage the condition can be sought and this could substantially slow its progression and keep your pet mobile for longer.
 

- Our vet should also give your furbaby a thorough dental check-up. Dental health is just as important for our cats and dogs as it is for ourselves. Almost 70% of felines and canines have some degree of periodontal disease by the time they reach 3 years old, and this can cause pain, tooth loss and infections that can spread to damage her internal organs. A proper dental check-up and a yearly professional clean can help keep dental disease at bay for as long as possible.
 

- Vaccination boosters if required, plus advice on other preventative treatments. Vaccinations are crucial for protecting your pet from the many infectious diseases that threaten her health. Equally, there are plenty of preventative treatments that you can administer at home that will keep your pet safe from parasite infestations such as heartworms, hookworms, fleas, and ticks – all of which that can compromise the health and happiness of your pet.
 

Every preventative and vaccination has a certain lifespan before it becomes ineffective, and our vet will be able to advise you both which preventatives are necessary and how often they should be given to ensure that your cat or dog remains protected at all times. To schedule an appointment, contact us and our knowledgeable veterinary team will be happy to assist you.