Annual health check

Annual health checks are important for both dogs and cats to ensure their overall health and well-being. These checkups help catch early signs of illness and maintain preventative care, such as vaccinations and parasite control. Here's what typically happens during an annual health check for dogs and cats:

1. Physical Examination

• Weight check: Monitoring your pet’s weight is essential to ensure they stay within a healthy range and adjust their diet if necessary.
• Skin and coat: The vet checks for any lumps, bumps, or signs of skin conditions like allergies or parasites.
• Teeth and gums: Oral health is critical; the vet looks for signs of dental disease, bad breath, or gum issues.
• Ears and eyes: These are checked for signs of infection, inflammation, or discharge.
• Heart and lungs: The vet listens to the heart and lungs to detect any abnormal sounds, murmurs, or breathing issues.
• Joints and muscles: Assessment of your pet's mobility and signs of arthritis or muscle weakness.

2. Vaccinations

• Dogs: A comprehensive vaccinations usually include distemper, parvovirus, and adenovirus (DHP), Kennel cough and Leptospirosis 
• Cats: Common vaccines include rabies, feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and panleukopenia (FVRCP). Cats may also need feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and FIV vaccines.

3. Parasite Control

• Fleas, ticks, and mites: The vet will recommend preventatives and check for signs of infestations. Camden Veterinary Hospital offers either tablets (3 monthly), Spot on (6 monthly) and yearley injectable prevention for flea, tick and mite prevention.
• Heartworm testing (dogs): Dogs are typically tested for heartworms, especially if they're not on year-round prevention and given yearly heartworm injection.
• Fecal examination: Both dogs and cats may have their feces tested for intestinal parasites like worms.
• Intestinal worming: can be montly or 3 monthly according to the worming schedule your pets are on.

4. Blood Tests

• We often recommend blood work, especially for older pets, to monitor organ function, including liver and kidney health.
• Senior pets: For older dogs and cats, blood work can also screen for thyroid problems, diabetes, and other age-related conditions.

5. Diet and Nutrition

• Your vet may ask about your pet’s diet and suggest adjustments for optimal nutrition based on age, breed, and any medical conditions.

6. Behavioral Consultation

• The vet may ask questions about your pet's behavior to address any concerns like aggression, anxiety, or inappropriate elimination.

Special Considerations for Dogs and Cats:

• Senior pets: As pets age, their health checks may become more frequent (bi-annual) to monitor age-related diseases.
• Breed-specific health issues: Some breeds are more prone to specific health conditions, so your vet may focus on areas more likely to affect your pet.

Annual checkups are key to maintaining a long and healthy life for your pet.