What is a dog wellness exam at Advanced Animal Care?
A dog wellness exam is a thorough nose-to-tail exam. We look at their mouth, eyes, ears, feel their lymph nodes, listen to their heart and lungs, and feel their abdomen. It's just a thorough exam.
What does a dog wellness exam consist of, and what will a veterinarian do to my dog during that wellness exam?
Nose to tail. We're listening to their heart and lungs with our stethoscope, palpating their abdomen with our hands to try and see how things feel in there if there's anything funky going on, and feeling their peripheral lymph nodes as well to make sure that they're not swollen, enlarged, or hard—anything like that. Just a good thorough exam.
How often should I be having a dog wellness exam?
We certainly recommend at the bare minimum once a year. For our older pets, it is beneficial to bring them in twice a year just to get an idea of what's going on with our little babies. It's hard when you're with them day to day to see those slight changes that we may notice with fresh eyes when we see them once a year or twice a year.
What should I expect during a routine wellness exam for my dog?
We'll check in at the front desk and bring you into that room. Our technician will go into the room and triage you and ask if there's been anything going on with your pet. Then the doctor will come in, do a thorough physical exam, update any vaccines that need to be updated, grab some blood for heartworm and tick-borne disease testing, and that's pretty much it.
What happens if the veterinarian finds something abnormal during a dog wellness exam?
If I find something abnormal, I say, "Hey, I've noticed this is going on with your pet, here are the things I'm concerned about." We offer a variety of options, you know, we can do these two or three things and kind of go from there. We pick a plan together, we work together to find out what's best for your pet.
What vaccinations should my dog receive during a wellness exam?
Rabies is required by law. It is something that humans can get, and it is fatal in humans, so we certainly recommend that. DHLPP, which is distemper, lepto, hepatitis, parvo, and influenza, is a vaccine that we booster every year for the lepto. DHPP outside of that can be boostered every 3 years once they've had their initial vaccine series. Bordetella is a kennel cough vaccine, so if your pet goes to grooming, boarding, things that are social with other pets, we certainly recommend boostering that as well. Then other lifestyle vaccines, like Lyme vaccine, flu vaccine, just depend on what you and your pet do.
How can I prepare my dog for the wellness exam?
It's always helpful if your dog gets really anxious during car rides or at the clinic. You can always bring them by, just give us a call, let us know we're more than happy to say hey, come pet your pet, and feed them a little bit of spray cheese. Give them some treats to make them more comfortable coming here. But it certainly helps just to get them more used to the area.
How much is a wellness exam for a dog?
We offer wellness exams for dogs at just $58! Throughout the visit, we’ll also discuss any necessary updates, like vaccines and blood work, providing you with estimates as we go along.
Will my dog need any blood tests or lab work during the exam?
Yes, we certainly recommend at the very least checking a heartworm and tick-borne disease test once a year. For older pets, we recommend wellness blood work at least once a year, if not every six months, to get an idea of where our values are, how they're trending, what things may be going on internally.
What are common health issues that wellness exams can detect?
When we check for heartworm and tick diseases, we're really looking out for your pet's health through their blood. Ticks can carry a whole range of diseases, so we specifically check for anaplasma, ehrlichia, and Lyme—these can lead to problems like bleeding disorders or lameness, and we want to catch those early. Heartworm disease is transmitted by mosquitoes, and since we can't really know when our dogs might get bitten, it's essential to stay vigilant. In Kentucky, the weather isn't cold enough all year to eliminate those pesky mosquitoes, which means there's a risk for our pups every single day. Even if we spend most of our time indoors, we still need to step outside sometimes, and we have to keep that in mind!
How can a wellness exam help in managing my dog's weight?
Getting a weight every year helps us track where we're at, how we're trending. If we have gained weight, we certainly sit and talk about that. We will give you an exact calorie count with an idea of what you're feeding, about how many cups to feed, and talk about healthy alternatives for treats—frozen green beans, regular baby carrots, those are wonderful, low-calorie ways to treat our pets.
What should I bring to my dog's wellness exam appointment?
Bring your dog, bring any treats that they really like, particularly if they have some tummy troubles and you don't want the spray cheese that's here. If you bring your own treats, we certainly give those to them as well. Just come prepared to hang out with your pet for a little bit.
How can I ensure my dog stays calm and comfortable during the exam?
Practicing some of the same things we do at the office at home can be really beneficial! For instance, gently lifting up their gums, checking their ears, or feeling their belly can be great routines. The more they're comfortable with this kind of handling, the more relaxed they'll be when someone new, like me, does it too.
Can a wellness exam detect early signs of serious diseases?
Yes, it certainly can. We look in that mouth for dental disease, which can impact other things like heart disease, and it can make heart disease worse. It can also raise some kidney values too on blood work, surprisingly, so cleaning up those teeth can really help out with that. When we feel their abdomen, we can say, "Oh, that liver feels a little bit big," and we get ahead of things like that. We're checking masses that we may have, noting those in the medical record, and we can watch those, sample those to see if they're concerning.
What questions should I prepare to ask my veterinarian during the wellness exam?
If you've noticed any changes in your dog's routine—like their eating habits, bathroom habits, or behavior—please share those with us. Anything that's on your mind is important to us, so don’t hesitate to reach out with any concerns you have!
What follow-up care might be necessary after a wellness exam?
It depends on what we find during the exam. Certainly, if you have a concern about their weight, then we'll go home with a diet plan. If we have an ear infection that popped up, we'll go home with medications for that. But certainly, anything that we recommend, we'll partner with you in taking care of that after.
Is there a specific senior wellness exam for dogs?
There's not. A good thorough physical exam is for every patient, unless there's something you're super concerned about that you want us to look at more in-depth and do additional testing. Every pet gets a nose-to-tail exam.
If you have questions, we would love to answer them for you. Please give us a call at the office at (859) 625-5678, or you can email us at [email protected]. Our staff would love to talk with you!
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