Spring is in full bloom and it's the perfect time to spend more quality time outdoors with our furry friends. However, scheduling a spring check-up with your vet is recommended to ensure your pet stays healthy this season.

Routine Check-Ups for Healthy Pets

Preventive health care is the best for your pets and routine vet visits can help ensure they live a long, healthy, and happy life. Delaying or avoiding these regular check-ups can cause major health problems for your pet, which can be expensive to treat in emergency vet care. Adult dogs and cats should have a wellness check-up at least once a year. This early detection allows your vet to treat any potential diseases or health issues in the beginning stages, increasing the chances of a successful treatment.

What to Expect at the Vet

There is a lot to cover during these visits. Your vet will check your pet's weight, temperature, pulse, and respiration rates, while asking questions about your pet's diet, lifestyle, behaviour, and health history. They will examine your pet's ears, eyes, mouth, organs, reflexes, and movement. The skin, abdomen, muscles, joints, and bones are also examined. Additionally, they may perform a dental examination, nail clipping, heartworm test, or resume a heartworm prevention program. Depending on your pet's needs, your vet may recommend additional tests like bloodwork, urinalysis, or a fecal examination.

5 Reasons Your Pet Should Have Regular Check-Ups

1. Your pet may seem fine, but they could be hiding an underlying health issue. Pets have a natural instinct to hide pain or discomfort. Even if they are acting normally, they could be experiencing health problems only a veterinarian can detect.
2. You can save your pet from suffering, pain, and diseases like diabetes, hyperthyroidism, anemia, or heartworm. Early detection and treatment of these diseases can help prevent serious health problems from developing.
3. Regular check-ups can save you money in the long run. Preventive care helps catch potential health problems early on, which can be less expensive to treat than advanced conditions.
4. You can have a question-and-answer session about any concerns you have about your pet's health.
5. Regular check-ups can ensure your pet is up-to-date with their vaccinations.

Vaccinations as Prevention

Vaccinations are a simple, safe, and effective way of protecting our pets from diseases. Your vet can recommend vaccines for your pet based on factors like geographic location, exposure to wildlife, and other domestic animals.

Heartworm Prevention

Heartworm is a fatal parasitic disease that affects cats and dogs, spread by mosquitoes. Preventives are easily and readily available, extremely effective, and safe. It's essential to keep your pet free of heartworm by having them tested annually. Consult with your vet about what options are most suitable for your pet. Alternative treatments and prevention methods are available through holistic veterinary clinics.

Cats, unfortunately, have no safe or effective treatment to remove heartworms once they have them, so preventing this disease is crucial. 

The Bottom Line

Preventing diseases and health issues is crucial to ensuring our pets live happy, healthy lives, especially during heartworm season. Regular check-ups, vaccinations, and heartworm prevention can save money and keep your pets healthy and happy. Keep up to date with your veterinarian visits, so you and your furry friend can continue to enjoy the outdoors together!