Dog Wellness Exams in McKinney

During a wellness exam, our dedicated veterinary team will perform a thorough assessment to ensure your dog is in the best possible health. Here’s what you can expect during your dog’s wellness exam:

• Physical Assessment: We conduct a comprehensive physical assessment, checking your dog from nose to tail. This examination allows us to identify any physical abnormalities, pain, or discomfort.
• Vaccinations and Preventives: We ensure that your dog receives the appropriate vaccinations and preventives tailored to their specific needs. This helps protect them from common diseases and parasites.
• Diagnostic Workup: Depending on your dog’s age and health status, we may perform diagnostic tests, including blood, fecal, and urine tests. These tests help us check for parasites and underlying diseases, even before symptoms appear.
• Dental Care: We may recommend dental care for your dog’s oral health. Dental issues can impact your dog’s overall well-being, and addressing them is a crucial part of our wellness services.
• Senior Wellness: As your dog approaches their senior years, we recommend a baseline exam and diagnostic panel. These tests can establish what’s normal for your dog, allowing us to monitor any changes closely.

The Importance of Annual Wellness Exams

Dog wellness exams are vitally important to ensure your beloved canine companion gets the preventive healthcare they need to live a long, happy, and healthy life by your side. Routine wellness exams offer a range of benefits for you and your pet, including:

• Establishing baseline health levels for your dog to monitor any changes over time
• Detecting potential health issues or emerging conditions early when they are most treatable
• Diseases like arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney problems can progress rapidly if not caught promptly
• Diagnostic tests like bloodwork, urinalysis, etc., help check for underlying conditions before symptoms appear
• Routine preventive care like vaccinations and parasite control

Dogs are experts at masking signs of illness or pain, so wellness exams are often the only way to identify hidden medical problems before they become serious.

What Will My Veterinarian Check During a Wellness Exam?

During a dog wellness exam, our veterinarians typically check for the following:

• Overall physical condition (body weight, skin/coat, eyes, ears, nose, etc.)
• Dental health and need for cleaning/treatment
• Proper heart and lung function
• Any abnormalities, lumps, or areas of pain/discomfort
• Internal parasites through fecal testing
• External parasites like fleas, ticks, etc.
• Underlying diseases or conditions through blood testing
• Urinalysis to check kidney/bladder health
• Mobility and joint issues, especially in senior dogs
• Up-to-date on core vaccinations (rabies, distemper, etc.)
• Need for preventive medications
• Nutritional assessment and body condition scoring
• Behavioral or cognitive changes, especially in older dogs
• Any other concerns or issues reported by the owner
• Recommendations for future preventive care