# Check ups?



## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Who does these with their dogs?
How often do you do them?
What does the vet do during these visits?

Just curious. I have only had them done with my senior dogs (after they hit 10) to have a quick blood draw for testing. We did them yearly.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

You mean the yearly wellness exam? That's what the vet office calls them. 

I do them on everyone, seniors go 2x a year, except my one cat, who gets so stressed from the visit, we are still maintaining at one a year as long as we can. 

They check eyes, ears, throat, nose, teeth, heart, lungs, body. 

Bloodwork on seniors, non-seniors generally but no rules. That is at my request.


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## triordan (Dec 5, 2008)

once a year~shots, basic physical, weight, temp


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

Brady and Missy go once a year for check ups


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Once a year for a physical, HW check, and shots as needed, until they were senior - not just age, they had to be acting like seniors - and then twice a year for physicals and once a year for blood work to check for any underlying problems.


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## AngelJ (Aug 24, 2009)

Hero only goes to the vet once a year unless there is a problem. A general physical and shots if necessary.

Jake only goes once to our vet unless there are other problems. A general physical and shots. Jake also has to go to the eye doctor for an annual exam.

Bailey is my senior. She goes twice a year. Once for a physical and shots and once for what my vet calls a senior wellness exam where they also do blood work in addition to the physical.


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## Skye'sMom (Jul 11, 2004)

> Quote:They check eyes, ears, throat, nose, teeth, heart, lungs, body.
> 
> Bloodwork on seniors, non-seniors generally but no rules.


My dogs get about the same thing. also, temperature and vet runs his hands over their body to see if there are any lumps or bumps I missed. Discuss the foods they are on. In Buddy's case watch him walk to see if he is developing any problems from his odd gait.

Also a little time to bond with my dog - they both like to give vet kisses.


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## DogGone (Nov 28, 2009)

I take my dog(s) to the vet once a year for vaccines and to get preventive medicine scripts. I typically don't call it a checkup or a wellness exam (unless there is a complicated or serious problem) when I make an appointment because they would probably charge more. Typically before they give your dog shots they will give it a minor exam and ask you if your dog has been having any problems. Throughout the year I write down any questions or notes that I might have for the vet or his/her staff. If the veterinary office is backed up, sometimes I don't even get a chance to talk to the vet; but if I get an opportunity I will try to ask some quick questions so I don't have to pay for a full office visit; they often earn additional money out of it anyway because they often end up selling me tests and/or medication.


There should be a minor exam before giving dogs vaccines; to make sure there is no obvious problems. Giving vaccines to sick or dogs that are in this extremely bad conditions can be the straw that breaks the camel's back. If the immune system is weak, it is not wise to divert immune resources to fight a fake infection (which is essentially what a vaccine is).


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## Martie (Jun 3, 2008)

I have normally taken the dogs in for a yearly checkup, HWT, any vax needed and HW/Flea Prevention med scripts. Now that we are on raw, I plan to add yearly blood work to this just to ensure we're doing a good job nutritionally. Will make an appointment for HWT/blood draws and a second for when the test results come back for an exam and discussion of blood work if needed. I may not do this forever if after a few years I feel our diet is working well.


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## Alto (Nov 18, 2008)

This article provides an idea of what your vet should/could be doing - some vets follow this much more closely than others; if your dog is a frequent visitor, I wouldn't expect a comprehensive check at each visit but if you're doing annual or less frequent health exams, your vet should be covering most of the stuff on the list: as an owner, you can check alot of the basics on a daily/weekly/monthly schedule.

from UCDavis:

*Physical Exam Guidelines for Dogs & Cats*


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Beau goes in quite often for a wellness exam, but mostly because she goes to our vet office to swim. Our vet is usually there and a family friend and will come over and "look her over" for us before she gets in the water.

Stark went in the day I brought him home for a wellness visit. 

I bring him in once a month to get weighed and sometimes if the vet is not busy he will come over and do a quick "look over". Usually just loving on Stark, but it helps with the socializing aspect of it so I am all for it!

ETA: Stark loves going to the vets, it's the only time he gets the "bad" treats to eat (grain)... lol.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I do heartworm testing once a year, so even if my dogs are healthy and have nothing prompting them to be brought in, everyone has to go in once a year for the blooddraw. I bring all the dogs at once, and I think my vet only charges me one "exam fee". They do a basic check (heart, eyes, teeth and gums, ears, palpate abdomen). If not for the heartworm test, I probably would not do a yearly exam unless the dog had a pre-existing condition or was a senior.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

To tell you the truth my dogs have rarely gotten "wellness" exams because they have always ended up going to the vet at least several times a year for specific issues and my vet just does an exam whenever I bring them in for whatever other reason. I guess you could say they get a 'check up' when they get their yearly heartworm test, vaccines or titers.

My dogs generally get yearly bloodwork, the "Young K9 Maintenence" for younger dogs or the "Senior Wellness" for older dogs. Bianca had extra testing done recently because she was being screened to be a blood donor so they did bloodwork (free) and checked a lot more than the basics, including von Willebrands testing and all sorts of other things.

My senior cats usually gets bloodwork done at least twice a year, and my two senior dogs also had bloodwork done more than once a year because they were on medications that could affect kidney function so we did bloodwork to make sure their values stayed normal.


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