Examination

 

Your pet can benefit greatly from regular wellness examinations or checkups. Whether your pet is a youngster, a “senior citizen,” or any age in between, wellness examinations provide an excellent opportunity for us to conduct a thorough physical examination and develop a health profile for your pet. This information will help us identify medical problems and any other issues that can affect your pet’s health and quality of life. A wellness examination includes an evaluation of all of your pet’s major organ systems. We’ll use the wellness visit to ask you questions about your pet’s behavior, appetite, exercise habits, and regular activities at home.

 

This is also an excellent time for us to discuss any routine diagnostic testing that may benefit your pet or to recommend any vaccinations that may be due. If your pet seems healthy, a wellness examination is a good opportunity to note any changes, such as weight gain or loss or other subtle changes that may not be evident at home. Sometimes, information obtained during a wellness examination can help detect early signs of illness and address health issues before they progress. As our pets age, just as with us, they become more at-risk for illness or organ dysfunction.

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Your pet's yearly wellness examination at Harrison Animal Hospital includes our commitment to:

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• Examine your pet's teeth, throat, and oral cavity

• Check your pet's vision and examine the eyes

• Examine the ears for infection, ear mites, an allergic reaction, and other related health issues

• Examine the respiratory system

• Assess your pet's heart and evaluate cardiac function

• Test your pet's reflexes

• Palpate lymph nodes

• Palpate joints and muscles for arthritis and other orthopedic conditions

• Test to evaluate the function of internal organs

• Assess changes in your pet's body weight, appetite, urination and bowel habits

• Inquire as to your pet's activity level

• Inspect and palpate the skin for unusual growth developments

• Assess your pet's fur and check for matting and injury

• Utilize laboratory testing to detect early signs of disease

• Assess and evaluate general or specific changes in your pet's health since the last wellness visit

• Discuss preventive techniques with you, the pet owner

• Collect and examine fecal samples for signs of parasitic infestation

• Demonstrate to you, the pet owner, how to administer at-home medication

• Answer your questions and concerns