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Wellness Exam

Annual wellness exams are recommended for adult dogs, and twice-yearly exams for senior dogs. If your pet's wellness exam is overdue, contact us to make an appointment.

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If a disease is detected before your dog shows signs of illness, steps can be taken before irreversible damage occurs, which means the prognosis for a successful outcome is improved. Additionally, early detection and treatment is less costly than waiting until a disease becomes advanced enough to affect your dog’s quality of life. 

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We ask you questions about your dog's diet, elimination patterns, exercise habits, behaviour and general health before performing a thorough physical examination. Based on results, we make recommendations for specific treatments, which may include vaccinations, parasite control, skin and coat care, weight management and dental care.

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We observe or inspect:

  • How your dog walks and stands.

  • Whether your dog is bright and alert.

  • Your dog's general body condition and body weight.

  • Your dog’s muscle condition to check for any muscle wasting.

  • Ears - we look for debris or wax in the ear canal, thickening and any other signs of problems.

  • Eyes - we look for redness, discharge, cloudiness, excessive tearing and abnormal eyelid lumps.

  • Skin - we look for excessive dryness or oiliness, abnormal hair loss, abnormal thickening and lumps.

  • Nose & Face - we look for symmetry, discharges, ease of breathing, and any problem related to skin folds.

  • Mouth & Teeth - we look for tartar build-up, gum disease, broken teeth, excessive salivation and mouth ulcers.

 

We listen to:

  • The heart - listening for abnormal heart rate, heart rhythm and heart murmurs.

  • The lungs - listening for evidence of increased or decreased breath sounds.

 

We feel:

  • The lymph nodes in the region of the head, neck and hind legs to look for swelling or pain.

  • The legs - we look for evidence of lameness, muscle and nerve problems and problems with the paws.

  • The pulse – if we hear anything unusual, we may simultaneously listen to the chest and palpate the pulse in the hind legs.

  • The abdomen - we feel the bladder, liver, intestines, spleen and stomach to assess whether these organs appear normal or abnormal, and whether there is any evidence of discomfort.

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Depending on results and your pet's age, we may recommend in-house screening tests such as a complete blood count (CBC), biochemistry profile, urinalysis or thyroid hormone testing. We will advise you on this. 

 

Do not feed your pet for about 6 hours before your appointment

This helps to clear the blood of lipemia, which can interfere with some blood tests and make the results difficult to interpret.

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