I love the annual exam.
There are two scenarios with the annual exam: one, is that I can tell someone that their pet appears healthy, and can they enjoy a clean bill of health. Sometimes, there are a few things to tweak. Maybe the pet is a little itchy, and while the owners have been living with all that scratching, I can help make things easier with a few tips. Or perhaps there's been a change in behavior, and we can talk about addressing that change before it gets out of hand. Regardless, I take great pleasure in seeing lots of healthy animals pass through the hospital, at their annual check-up.
The second scenario is when I do identify a problem, and I can help. This is most rewarding when disease is in its early stages, and we can intervene early, for a better outcome. One example is heartworm disease. If a pet is infected with heartworms, and is never tested, we will only start to be clued in that infection is present when signs develop. This is usually in advanced stages of disease, when the heart is enlarged and the lungs have chronic changes. At that point, we can't completely reverse the changes that have taken place. Much more satisfying is diagnosing those heartworms before any symptoms develop, and treating as early as possible.
Most people bring their pets in for vaccines, but if your pet isn't getting a vaccine every year, I highly recommend that you go ahead and bring your pet in for an annual exam anyway. This is particularly true with senior citizen pets.
Your pet can't speak up when he or she is ill. Cats, in particular, hide pain and discomfort extremely well, and dogs do, to an extent, as well. Furthermore, sometimes changes in health can be very subtle and go unrecognized by the people who see the pet every day. Weight loss might happen slowly over time, and I've seen many patients who has lost a significant amount of weight, without their owner realizing, because it happened over the course of several months. The same is true for weight gain, urination habits and frequency, joint stiffness, and many other ailments that can be subtle in presentation.
Your vet will charge an office fee for the visit, and there may be costs related to further testing. However, consider it money well spent. The old adage of 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure' is based on medicine and it is incredibly wise.
Besides, sometimes it's just nice to learn that all is well.
There are two scenarios with the annual exam: one, is that I can tell someone that their pet appears healthy, and can they enjoy a clean bill of health. Sometimes, there are a few things to tweak. Maybe the pet is a little itchy, and while the owners have been living with all that scratching, I can help make things easier with a few tips. Or perhaps there's been a change in behavior, and we can talk about addressing that change before it gets out of hand. Regardless, I take great pleasure in seeing lots of healthy animals pass through the hospital, at their annual check-up.
The second scenario is when I do identify a problem, and I can help. This is most rewarding when disease is in its early stages, and we can intervene early, for a better outcome. One example is heartworm disease. If a pet is infected with heartworms, and is never tested, we will only start to be clued in that infection is present when signs develop. This is usually in advanced stages of disease, when the heart is enlarged and the lungs have chronic changes. At that point, we can't completely reverse the changes that have taken place. Much more satisfying is diagnosing those heartworms before any symptoms develop, and treating as early as possible.
Most people bring their pets in for vaccines, but if your pet isn't getting a vaccine every year, I highly recommend that you go ahead and bring your pet in for an annual exam anyway. This is particularly true with senior citizen pets.
Your pet can't speak up when he or she is ill. Cats, in particular, hide pain and discomfort extremely well, and dogs do, to an extent, as well. Furthermore, sometimes changes in health can be very subtle and go unrecognized by the people who see the pet every day. Weight loss might happen slowly over time, and I've seen many patients who has lost a significant amount of weight, without their owner realizing, because it happened over the course of several months. The same is true for weight gain, urination habits and frequency, joint stiffness, and many other ailments that can be subtle in presentation.
Your vet will charge an office fee for the visit, and there may be costs related to further testing. However, consider it money well spent. The old adage of 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure' is based on medicine and it is incredibly wise.
Besides, sometimes it's just nice to learn that all is well.