You want your pets to stay as happy and healthy as possible, but do they really need vet check ups? Taking your pets to the vet once a year or more often for routine exams is an important part of protecting their health and well-being. In fact, these check ups offer several benefits for your pets.
Find Health Issues Early
Some health problems in pets are hard to detect early on, since they don’t cause noticeable or visible symptoms. During regular check ups, your vet will examine your pets and have tests done to check for early signs of health issues. Finding these issues early can help ensure that your pets receive treatment right away. Depending on the health issues in question, this might help prevent serious complications from occurring. Although health issues can happen at any age, this risk increases as your pets get older. Routine check ups that allow your vet to catch problems early become even more important as your pets age.
Prevent Health Problems
Regular check ups can help prevent health problems from occurring in your pets. For example, your vet can let you know if your pets are obese and offer guidance on helping them lose excess weight. This can help reduce their risk of developing health problems linked to obesity, such as joint pain and cardiovascular conditions. Your vet can also take other steps to prevent health problems in pets, such as prescribing a heart worm preventative for your dogs. Without regular check ups, your pets might have a higher risk of ending up with potentially serious health issues.
Keep Vaccinations Current
Making sure your pets are up-to-date on their vaccinations is an important part of protecting them from serious diseases. Keep in mind that some vaccinations, such as rabies vaccines, are required by law. During regular check ups, your vet can let you know which vaccinations your pets need and which ones they recommend having them get, such as bordetella to prevent kennel cough if your dogs are around other dogs a lot. Although you can bring your pets in for vaccinations any time, having these taken care of during regular check ups makes it easier to ensure they stay up-to-date.
Prevent Parasites
Fleas, ticks, and other parasites can cause discomfort and disease in your pets. In some cases, parasites can cause severe diseases in pets. During routine check ups, you can talk to your vet about effective ways to lower the risk of parasites. Your vet can recommend products to use that help protect your pets from flea and tick bites or parasitic infestations.
Discuss Behavioral Issues
Routine vet exams aren’t just for physical issues. During these visits, you can also discuss any behavioral issues your pets are having. Keep in mind that behavioral problems sometimes occur due to underlying health conditions. Your vet can check for these and rule them out before providing advice on how to handle behavioral issues. For example, a house-trained pet might start having accidents, which can be due to an underlying medical condition or a behavioral cause, such as separation anxiety. Your vet can help you figure out why this issue is occurring and what to do about it. If your pet has a medical condition, your vet can start treatment promptly.
If it’s time to schedule vet check ups for your pets, please request an appointment with Animal Care Clinic.