If you have a pet, then you’ve probably wondered why it’s so important for your furry friend to go to the veterinarian every year—or more often, depending on her health needs. You may wonder if it’s okay to skip those regular cat and dog exams as long as she seems healthy and happy, and you may even have financial difficulty paying for veterinary visits as well.
If you’ve ever thought anything like this, you’re not alone. However, when you have a pet, it’s important to keep up with those regular veterinary visits so she can remain healthy even longer. In this article, we’ll go over some of the most crucial reasons you and your pet need to make that annual or bi-annual veterinarian trip in Marinette, even if everything seems okay.
Keeping Up with Vaccinations
One of the most important reasons to see a veterinarian regularly is to make sure your pet gets her vaccinations on schedule. Pets need vaccinations frequently and often require booster shots to keep those vaccinations up-to-date. Depending on where you live, these boosters may even be required by law, or they could be required by your apartment building, housing community, or Homeowner’s Association.
It is always important to get your pet the shots she needs as required by law, but she may need others as well. By working with your veterinarian, you’ll be able to give your pet the right vaccinations at the right time and keep up with the schedule throughout her life, too.
Building a Relationship with a Veterinarian
It can be scary taking your pet to the veterinarian for the first time. Although your pet might always get nervous at the veterinarian’s office, you can alleviate a lot of your own concerns by getting to know the veterinarian you’re working with. Your veterinarian will be an important part of your life with your pet, and when you understand your veterinarian well, you can work better together too.
Knowing you can trust your veterinarian is very crucial for any pet owner. If you don’t know your veterinarian very well, how can you trust they are giving you the best advice for your situation and your pet’s health? This is one of the many reasons why it’s so important to take your pet to the veterinarian frequently enough. Building a strong rapport with your veterinarian ensures everything will go smoothly in your pet’s health throughout her life, even as she reaches the later part of it.
Finding Problems Early
Of course, going to the veterinarian frequently has the same benefit as going for regular checkups with your doctor, too: finding problems early. If something is wrong with your pet but it hasn’t begun to show signs yet, your veterinarian may be able to recognize warning signs you don’t notice.
Your veterinarian will do a thorough round of testing every year or twice a year, including heartworm tests, blood work, urine and fecal tests, and physical exams. Your pet will have her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth checked, and the veterinarian will palpate and listen to her vital organs. Although these tests may not always catch every potential problem, they can give your veterinarian a good idea of what’s going on in your pet’s life and what health problems you may need to be on the lookout for as she gets older, too.
Taking Care of Small Issues
Last but not least, checking in regularly with your veterinarian can make it easier for you to take care of small issues with your furry friend. If your pet is having a behavioral problem, for example, you can speak to your veterinarian about it at your next visit. This problem could be related to a health concern, but it could just as easily be something benign that has a simple solution. Your veterinarian may be able to give you insights you hadn’t thought of yet.
You might also notice small health concerns that aren’t anything life-threatening but still need to be treated. For example, if your dog has bad dandruff, this isn’t a life-threatening issue. However, you can bring it up with your veterinarian at your pet’s next regularly scheduled visit and find out some solutions that could help. Your veterinarian might recommend a new food, a medicated shampoo, or some other trick that could keep your pet from being so itchy and solve the problem without any serious medical treatment or procedures involved.
As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to keep you and your pet going to the veterinarian. It’s important to have your pet checked out by a veterinarian twice a year if possible, even if she seems okay. This way, you can check off every point on the list above and enjoy a happy, healthy life with your pet as well.