A dog exam is a great checkup to ensure your dog is happy and healthy!
As a pet owner, it is your responsibility to meet the needs of your dog, including their health and wellness. The thing with animals is, they’re loyal and they love you, and even when they’re sick or injured they would never let you know. But, you know your dog best and you’ll likely know when something is up.
This is why an annual dog exam at your local vet is vital!
At The Vet Set in Carroll Gardens, we love seeing your pooch, especially when it’s for a preventative physical exam! Learn more about what to expect at your next dog exam!
A Dog’s Physical Examination
Most dogs don’t like going to the vet — they won’t get out of the car and they’ll cuddle up extra close in the waiting room — they know. This is why wellness exams are important — not only does it teach your dog that not every visit to the vet is scary, but it is also an amazing preventative tool in their health. Let’s dive into what a typical dog exam will look like below.
What is a wellness exam?
A wellness dog exam is a routine physical examination of your dog when they’re healthy. This checkup ensures that they’re happy and healthy and helps with the maintenance of their wellness.
How often is a wellness dog exam needed?
How often we see your dog is dependent on a couple of factors such as their age and current health status. If you have a puppy on your hands, a checkup is recommended on a monthly basis, and in older dogs, it can range anywhere from once to twice a year or more.
We know that the lifespan of a dog is different than humans and they age faster — a lot can progress in one year of a dog’s life which means they may need more care than just one vet visit a year.
It’s important to connect with your local vet and discuss when and how many wellness exams they recommend for your dog.
And now, let’s get into what happens at a wellness exam.
What does the vet check in a dog exam?
During your routine checkup, your vet will ask you a series of questions about your dog including:
- Diet
- Exercise
- Thirst
- Behavior
- Habits
- Bowel movements
- Breathing
This is also a great time to bring up any questions or concerns about your dog’s lifestyle or health status.
After they get a good picture of your dog’s health on paper, they will perform a physical exam. Based on both the questions and physical examination of your dog, the vet will make recommendations for specific preventative medicine treatments such as vaccines, parasites, coat care, nutrition, dental care, and weight management. If there are any other major concerns they have, they’ll also discuss this with you at this time.
Your dog’s health is a priority and because our pets can’t communicate with us it’s up to us to keep them happy and healthy, which is why wellness exams should be a part of your dog’s care! Not only will your dog learn that going to the vet isn’t always a bad thing, but it improves early detection of disease and illness to improve your dog’s outcome.
We’re getting a better picture of why a wellness dog exam is needed and what the vet checks for. There are many more things we’d like to cover to help you understand the importance of a wellness checkup, so stay tuned for part two!
To schedule your wellness dog exam, connect with our Carroll Gardens vet clinic today!