Veterinary checkups, also known as wellness exams for pets, are the best way to ensure your cat or dog’s long-term health and high quality of life. However, you may wonder what occurs during my pet’s checkups that make them so important. Today, you will discover the answer to that question.
What does a veterinarian look for during a physical examination?
The veterinarians will conduct a thorough examination or even recommend you to visit pet labs and diagnostics. If your pet visits a veterinarian for a routine checkup or an illness. This examination and the information you provide about your pet’s home care and activities enable us to determine their health status quickly. Although each veterinarian has a routine for performing a physical exam, the following steps are typical:
- Consider your pet’s behavior. This provides your veterinarian with information about your pet’s mental health and whether they appear friendly, anxious, or hostile towards them.
- Examine your pet’s sitting, standing, and walking movements for indications of pain, stiffness, weakness, or wobbliness.
- Examine your pet’s face for signs of discharge, edema, or asymmetry.
- Examine the ears and eyes of your pet for any signs of inflammation, infection, growth, or disease.
- Examine your pet’s mouth for signs of dehydration or anemia, assess their dental health, and look for masses.
- Examine the superficial lymph nodes of your pet for enlargements that may indicate inflammation, infection, or even tumors.
- They will listen to your pet’s chest for normal heart and lung sounds and rhythms.
- Examine your pet’s abdomen for painful or enlarged organs.
- Look for any lumps on your pet’s skin or muscles.
- Examine your pet’s skin for lesions and parasites.
- The purpose of an orthopedic examination is to detect joint pain or stiffness.
- Check your pet’s temperature to determine if they have a fever or are cold.
They may be able to diagnose solely based on examination and history. Occasionally, your pet may need additional diagnostic tests to confirm suspected conditions. In either case, we will conduct a thorough examination of your pet. For more information, click here.
Why are regular veterinary exams essential?
Even if your pet appears healthy, you should schedule this annual physical examination with your veterinarian. This wellness exams aid in achieving and maintaining optimal health for your pet. Bringing your healthy pet to the veterinarian regularly enables the veterinarian to evaluate your pet’s overall health and well-being.
They will examine your pet for illness and disease and look for conditions that respond best to early treatment. During the examination, your veterinarian has two objectives: preventing the development of health conditions and detecting early signs of disease. Thus, they can be treated before becoming more serious issues.
Consider the Cost
If you continue to believe that a checkup for your healthy pet is too expensive, consider the following. Consider that these routine wellness exams can save you substantial money compared to the cost of treating advanced conditions.
In addition, they will treat any medical issues your dog or cat may have so that they experience as little discomfort or pain as possible. If a medical condition is discovered early, it can be diagnosed and treated more quickly. Early treatment is the key to positive outcomes, ensuring that you and your cherished pet benefit from routine wellness exams.
Conclusion
Regardless of your pet type, a yearly visit to the veterinarian should be part of their routine care. Vaccinations, dental examinations, physical examinations, grooming appointments, spaying or neutering, and professional advice on your concerns all contribute to the health and happiness of your pet.
