But sometimes, even with the best of intentions, we forget certain aspects of wellness care and miss out on chance to make the most of the opportunity. Rather than rush through these visits, you may wish to consider the wellness appointment as an important time for information sharing and gathering to enhance your pet’s life.

Five Essential Steps to Take Prior to a Wellness Exam

Since there is a lot of ground to cover during your pet’s examination, it definitely helps to be prepared. By following some of these pre-exam suggestions, you will be better prepared to glean the right information and communicate more efficiently your pet’s current state of health.

  1. Keep a care journal for your pet. Pet owners who track their pet’s ongoing care and overall health, such as changes in diet or appetite, provide us with an incredible amount of insight. These weekly notes regarding daily exercise, energy level, nutrition, weight changes, and sudden behavioral issues can help us diagnose conditions much earlier. All it takes is a simple journal or spiral notebook kept somewhere you will notice, such as next to your pet’s food. You can even use the Notes app on your phone!
  2. Alert your veterinary team to any behavioral issues, including aggression or fear. It’s also important to communicate any challenges that might make the wellness exam a source of fear for your pet. If, for example, your pet suffers from anxiety or is prone to aggressive behavior around new people or animals, we can accommodate these issues to reduce the risks for everyone. In addition, it is important for us to know about any changes in behavior that has appeared suddenly or has coincided with certain triggers, such as thunderstorms or the introduction of a new pet. Likewise, changes in behavior are often early cues to underlying or developing health conditions and should be communicated to us, to that end.
  3. Be prepared to bring current medications, a stool sample, and records from previous examinations. If your pet is on any medications, this is also critical information, since there can sometimes be contradictions between medications or treatments. If you have visited a different veterinary clinic, having those records for review is quite helpful since this establishes medical history and a health baseline. In many cases, a stool sample is also needed for parasite screening (when in doubt, ask at the time the appointment is made).
  4. Communicate any changes within the home or lifestyle. While not every pet is subject to stress during changes within the home, major upheavals like home renovation or residential moves can create changes to appetite, behavior, and interaction. Travel can also present the need for additional vaccinations and preventives, or may even require a certificate of health.
  5. Most importantly, ask questions. Finally, your pet’s wellness exam is as much for you as it is for your pet. In advance of the appointment, write down any questions you might have. We are glad to provide a plethora of resources in pet owner education in person as well as online.

We hope these five tips to a better prepared wellness exam have been helpful. We look forward to seeing you and your wonderful pet soon!