Vet Care Every Pet Should Have Done Annually
Wellness Exam
Just like we should see our doctor once a year for a wellness exam, our pets need to see their veterinarian once a year too! Since pets age much faster than we do it is extremely important that an exam be done once a year for young dogs and cats and every six months for senior pets (>7 years). Even if you think you cat or dog is healthy, a veterinarian should look over your pet. He or she is specially trained to notice even subtle changes to your pet’s body.
Fecal Exam
A fecal test should be done annually along with the wellness exam to check for internal parasites. These parasites can not only cause problems for your pet, but some parasites can be zoonotic (contagious to humans) and can cause serious health problems for yourself or your children.
Blood Test
For those pets and are over the age of 7, annual screening blood work is recommended. Blood work allows your veterinarian to check for problems inside the body that may not be causing outward clinical signs. A complete blood count is done to look for things like anemia, inflammation or possible infection somewhere in the body. A complete chemistry profile is done to look for things like kidney and liver disease, diabetes, Cushing’s disease, hypothyroidism, and hyperthyroidism to just name a few.
Dental Cleaning
Ideally you should brush your dog’s or cat’s teeth 3-5 times a week and have a dental cleaning done yearly. A complete cleaning and polishing consists of putting your pet under general anesthesia and using an ultrasonic scaler to remove calculus from the teeth and then polishing done just like we would at the dentist’s office. A full oral exam is also done to evaluate the health of the teeth and gums and to decide if any extractions are needed. If an annual cleaning is done it can reduce the need for extractions.
Vaccines
The types of vaccines your pet gets and protocols your veterinarian follows will determine how often your pet needs to be vaccinated. According to AAHA and AAFP guidelines, DAPP, FVRCP, and Rabies can be given every 3 years after the initial puppy or kitten series. Vaccines like Bordetella or Leptosporosis need to be given at least yearly.
Make sure to consult your veterinarian to determine what else may be needed to keep your pet healthy.
--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.
Kate on October 22, 2008 at 05:41 PM
Your post should discuss Vaccine Associated Sarcoma a serious and often deadly side effect from cat vaccines. While there is great benefit to vaccinating your pets, some cats develop sarcomas associated with the vaccines which are often fatal. Your vet should discuss this possibility with you prior to each vaccination and your vet should follow vaccination protocals that have been released by the AVMA. For more infomation readers can see:
http://www.histovet.com/PDFs/FelineSarcomaRoundtable.pdf
http://www.catshots.com/
http://histovet.com/PDFs/HIS_PostVaccinal.pdf
http://www.webfeline.com/2008/feline-vaccination-guidelines/