Taking your pet to the vet can be a hassle, especially when your pet is very reluctant to go. Not to mention, dealing with whatever costs you may incur. However, there are some good reasons to make sure your pet gets a checkup at least once a year.
- Your pet can’t tell you that they hurt.
If only our pets could talk. But unfortunately animals often don’t outwardly show their pain and indications of pain may be subtle. Your pet might seem to start being more picky about their food. This could be mistaken for just simple fussiness when it could actually be a tooth problem or something else. Or maybe they become less active and this could be mistaken for aging when it could be a serious medical problem. Routing checks will help a vet discover what is really going on with your pet.
- As your pet ages, medical issues are more likely to come up.
Pets should get medical checkups just like we do. While sometimes it’s not very evident, our pets age much faster than we do. So think of it this way, a medical check-up for your pet is comparative to a medical check-up every 5 – 7 years for a human. So at least you want to have your pet checked once a year.
- Yearly exams can discover a problem before it’s too late.
As your pet ages, they are more likely to begin to have medical problems. Some of these problems may come gradually, such as with arthritis, so that you may not even notice them at first. Others can be internal and you may not be aware of them at all. For example, tooth decay, problems with the heart, kidneys, etc. Whereas, a veterinarian doing a routine check can be alerted to these changes. Early diagnosis can help your pet have a good quality of life and may even help prolong their life if illness is caught and treated in its early stages. Diseases could be caught before it’s too late.
- This is a great time to talk with your vet and better understand the needs of your pet.
Meeting with your vet and getting a thorough exam of your pet will help you stay educated about your pet. This is a great time to ask the vet any questions you may have. Here are some examples of questions you can ask:
- What is my pet’s ideal weight?
- Are my pet’s teeth and gums healthy?
- Does my pet need any blood tests?
- What are the essential vaccines?
- You can save money in the long run.
It can end up costing you a lot more money in the long run if you don’t bring your pet in for regular checkups. Without proper medical checkups they can develop more complicated and expensive issues. Teeth are a good example of this. Just like with humans, regular checkups can prevent serious and expensive teeth problems from developing.
We look forward to seeing you here at Countryside Veterinary Service soon.
Sincerely,
Stacey Funderburk D.V.M.