Our veterinarian Tifton provides wellness care and check ups as needed throughout the year.
Your pet deserves the best veterinary care available in Tifton. Our vet is dedicated to providing, not just emergency care, but ongoing wellness for your family pet.
Animals of all kinds need consistent, regular professional medical attention throughout their lives. Veterinary wellness checkups enable you to help ensure that your pet receives the proper diagnostic, examination and preventative treatments necessary to ensure optimal health on a daily basis.
Annual Wellness Checkups
When your pet gets their annual wellness checkup, here’s what you can expect. First, your pet will be checked over in a general way that starts with a physical examination. This is done to help catch any potential obvious problems such as deformities, growths, areas of pain or discomfort, or motility issues.
During the visit, you’ll discuss your pet’s health, and you’ll have the opportunity to convey anything that may be concerning you such as changes in behavior or appetite, or anything else that’s changed since the last visit. Your vet will also ask you specific questions in order to highlight common potential issues, as well as to get a better sense of the animal’s lifestyle at home.
Next, your pet’s file will be carefully reviewed, with an eye toward ensuring that all preventative treatments and any local government mandated animal treatments are brought up to date during the annual wellness checkup.
These may include things like:
- Vaccinations
- Inoculations
- Parasite control treatments
Wellness Services
Annual wellness checkups provide the chance for your pet to receive needed diagnostic procedures and treatment in a wide range of service areas. Additional services that may be conducted during your pet’s annual veterinary check up include items such as:
- microchipping
- dental examination and treatment
- spaying/neutering
- blood testing
- heartworm testing/treatment
- flea dipping
- FIV testing
- Parvovirus testing
Wellness Checkups for Special Situations
Consistent wellness checkups are also crucial for pets that fall into special categories, such as aging pets and relatively newborns, like puppies and kittens.
Senior Pet Care
Older pets often develop a range of age-related issues, such as loss of appetite, mobility challenges and failing eyesight. Veterinary wellness checkups support the health aging of your beloved pet to help ensure quality of life for as long as possible.
Puppy and Kitten Care
At a minimum, you should strive to have your new puppy or kitten get a visit when they are about eight weeks of age. Early wellness checkup can reveal health conditions you should be aware of, as well as to build a baseline of health that can be used throughout your new pet’s life. In addition, if you’re a new pet owner, you can receive valuable advice and tips on caring for your young pet, such as tooth brushing techniques and parasite control.
These are just some of the many services and treatment options available during routine veterinary wellness checkups with Branch's Veterinary Clinic of Tifton. We are dedicated to providing the most advanced care for your pet in Tifton, and we can’t wait to be a part of your pet's whole life health!
What to Expect from a Wellness Exam
Pet wellness exams are generally scheduled annually, except for baby pets and senior pets which may need more frequent visits. Baby pets should be seen more often so we can take stock of their growth and development. Senior pets may need semi-annual wellness exams to monitor their delicate health.
During the wellness exam, your veterinarian will discuss any problems you’re having with your pet’s health, diet, exercise, or behavior and answer any questions you may have concerning his care. We’ll weigh your pet, check his vital signs, and put this information in his records for future reference. Then we will conduct a physical exam.
Testing
A wellness exam involves a visual inspection of your pet including eyes, nose, ears, face, mouth, and teeth to detect signs of sickness or abnormalities. We’ll examine your pet’s fur, skin, and joints and listen to his heart and lungs. We’ll observe how your pet stands, walks, and reacts to touch and voice commands.
If your pet shows signs of dental issues, we may recommend a complete pet dental exam or cleaning at a later date. Pet dental care is an essential aspect of your pet’s overall health. Vaccinations are also important to your pet’s long-term health. Vaccinations can be updated, if necessary, during a wellness exam.
Your pet’s wellness exam may also include diagnostics in the form of x-rays or ultrasound and blood work to uncover hidden internal medical issues. As pets can’t verbalize how they feel, these tests are essential to determining the state of your pet’s health.
The Importance of Pet Wellness Exams
Through routine wellness care, your veterinarian can uncover signs of health problems early, when they’re more treatable. Some problems can be prevented altogether by changing your pet’s diet or exercise or lifestyle. Routine visits also give your vet a chance to update your pet’s vaccines or medications that provide year-round protection against fleas, ticks, and worms. Wellness visits can help your furry friend avoid developing health problems that cause pain now and in the future.
