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Glen Oak Animal Hospital - Why regular checkups are important for pets

Why regular checkups are so important for pets

Prevention First.

Happy 2020! It’s the beginning of the new year and there is no better time than no to schedule that vet appointment you have been putting off. Annual or regularly scheduled examinations with your veterinarian can are extremely beneficial in helping to maintain an effective preventive care plan for your pet. As much as we love our pets, the majority of pet owners are not trained to spot certain signs of illness or underlying disease conditions that may be present.

It’s often easy to see when your pets behavior changes drastically, or presents obvious symptoms that would cause alarm such as sudden hair loss, lack of appetite, unusual crying or whining, abnormal listlessness, etc. There are however, many potentially harmful or even fatal diseases and conditions that can be developing without the pet owner ever seeing any outward signs. Sometimes these conditions can only be confirmed by through the administration of lab tests and blood work.

Some underlying health issues may include:

  • Kidney disease
  • Heart disease
  • Dental disease
  • Weight loss
  • Diabetes

Scheduling a regular checkup enables your vet to have the chance to spot any potentially harmful conditions before they have become too advanced or serious, allowing them to more effectively treat the problem. Many times, we only bring our pets to the vet when we know that there is something wrong, and as a result, sometimes the condition has become too advanced.

Peace of mind.

The more frequently your veterinarian has the chance to observe your pet’s state of health, the easier it will be for them to detect when something has changed and identify suspicious behavior or physical anomalies.

Don’t cut corners. In this age of information and one-click online shopping, it can also be easy and tempting to try to be the “doctor” to your pet. Diagnosing your pet’s condition and buying from dubious internet market sources is a risky proposition. Your veterinarian is far more qualified to prescribe the proper medication or treatment for your pet and would be aware of any potentially dangerous interactions with drugs or diet. Very often, in an attempt to save money by avoiding a visit to the veterinarian, a pet owner may make the wrong decisions and/or purchase the wrong medication and end up with a pet that is even sicker than they were before, costing the owner even more money when they have to make an emergency visit to the vet for proper treatment.

Finally, it is also important to consider that most animals’ lifespans are sadly not as long as our own, and consequently they age more rapidly. It is therefore, even more important to keep a close watch on any developing issues, and a regular visit to the vet can be one of the best things you can do to keep your pet healthy and happy for the longest time possible.

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