As a pet owner, it is important that your cat or dog stay happy and healthy. At Erie Animal Hospital, we offer yearly pet wellness exams to detect any conditions or diseases early and improve your pet’s health. The wellness exam is described below and why this process is important to every pet.
The Importance of Pet Wellness Exams
1. Why does your pet need a yearly exam if they are not sick?
Vaccines are a great answer because just like us, our pets need them to stay healthy.
Do they still need a yearly exam if no vaccines are due? Yes! We believe that the wellness exam is even more important as your pet ages. As part of an animal’s instinct, they may cover up some illnesses and pain. We may be able to pick up on some of the things by the exam and talking to you. The owner is as important to the wellness exam as the pet. Who knows more about their pet than you?
2. What to Expect During a Pet Wellness Exam?
As you enter the hospital, a caring technician will ask you some questions about your pet, such as how and what your pet is eating and drinking, their bathroom habits and any concerns that you have. The doctor will check your pet from head to tail. We will listen to your pet’s heart and we will observe and monitor their breathing. We will check their ears and look in their mouth. Issues with bad teeth can be a serious health risk and dental care is an important part of proactive pet healthcare. Ears can have wax or ear mites, possible indicating infection. We will watch them to ensure they are walking correctly, jont issues are common in pets and most issues respond well to early detection. Some pets become very nervous and we try to make them more comfortable using treats and slow calm language and movements.
Early Detection of Conditions or Diseases
3. What things can be done to make sure my pet is healthy?
At a yearly wellness exam, we are able to run screening tests that look for diseases such as Feline Leukemia, Heartworm and other tick borne diseases. In older pets, we can run more extensive bloodwork that looks at all of the systems inside and catches many diseases early.
Contact us for an Appointment Today
If your pet needs a wellness exam, please contact us at (814) 838-7638 today. We are happy to tell you more about how to prepare for the exam and set you up with an appointment. We look forward to assisting you with your pet’s health and well being!
