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My pet seems healthy.  Why should my pet be examined annually by a veterinarian?  Isn’t that unnecessary stress to my pet and expense to me?

A good “rule of thumb” for most healthy pets is that they should have a full physical examination at least once a year.  Of course pets who are exhibiting any abnormal symptoms (such as a change in appetite, thirst, behavior, gait, urine or stool production, skin or coat changes) should be examined as soon as possible to determine the cause, severity and any treatment necessary.  However, even pets who appear healthy to their owners may have subtle problems that could become threatening to their health in the future.  Not only can pets not verbally tell you that something is wrong, they often instinctually hide their symptoms from their families.  It is quite common for veterinarians to diagnose parasites, growths, ear and dental infections, or nutritional problems in pets who are presented for their annual examination by owners who are completely taken by surprise that such a condition is present.  While the discovery of an abnormality is concerning, remember that allowing us to identify it in its earliest detectable stage usually results in a much more affordable and successful treatment.  An undetected problem may cause your pet to suffer (often silently) and even do further damage.   Later diagnosis may mean less success (and higher cost) in managing a health problem.

Annual exams also allow the veterinarian to determine your pet’s ideal preventive health program.  By learning about your pet’s lifestyle and overall health, we are able to customize our recommendations so that we avoid unnecessary vaccinations and preventives, but administer those that are important to prevent illness.

In addition, annual visits to the veterinarian actually decrease stress to the pet by allowing them to get accustomed to these trips while they are feeling well.  Our doctors and staff are committed to making visits as pleasant as possible so that pets learn to relax and cooperate.  Not only does this make our job easier, but also much more rewarding!  We want to be your pets’ friends, and regular visits reinforce this relationship.  Feel free to stop by with your pet anytime.  We love to give treats and positive attention so they learn to love seeing us like we love seeing them!

-Dr. Jennifer Pursley-

*Below is an example of two patients who benefited from their annual exam:

Patients "Frankie" and "Butch" were scheduled to have their vaccines done in early April.  Upon arrival, our receptionist Michelle noticed that they hadn't been in for a physical exam since they started getting toe nail trims at Northwood in June of 2009.  Michelle explained the importance of an annual exam to their owner, and although she was a little reluctant at first due to the additional cost, she agreed that it would be a good idea to get them checked out.  As it turned out, it was a good idea indeed!  During the examination, Dr. Roberts located a foxtail lodged in Frankie's ear.  Since it was caught early enough, Dr. Roberts was able to remove it easily, with no pain to Frankie.  Had it been left unnoticed any longer, the foxtail could have continued traveling further into the ear, causing a lot of pain and problems for Frankie.  During Butch's examination, Dr. Roberts took note of the moderate tartar build up on his teeth.  Dr. Roberts recommended a non-anesthesia dental, which he came in for later that month.  Doing this helped prevent further tartar build up which could lead to dental disease and also prevented Butch from having to undergo anesthesia during a dental cleaning at a later time.  Frankie and Butch had a very happy owner at the end of the experience.  She was very grateful we had recommended the physical exams because we saved her a lot of time and money, and ultimately her two dogs were healthier because of it!