How often should your pet get a routine vet check-up or physical exam?

A 5 year old kitty with no medical issues should see the veterinarian once a year. A 9 year old kitty with no medical issues should see a veterinarian every 6 months. As pets age, symptoms of some age-related diseases can be extremely subtle, so we recommend monitoring them more closely.

Usually vet visits are most frequent during the first year of life. Vaccines and dewormer should be administered at 8, 12, and 16 weeks of age. The next booster vaccine is due at 1 year and then year there after. So an annual exam is recommended. Milo should also get neutered after 6 months of age.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. For a new puppy visit a vet will do a physical exam looking for any congenital abnormalities (heart murmurs, cleft palate, etc.). They will also look at body condition and if the abdomen seems bloated. At 6-8 weeks of age they will start the vaccine process. Your vet will also talk to you about deworming and diet. For a 3 year old dog the visit is similar, a physical exam and questions about history to make sure nothing is going wrong, as well as vaccines and deworming that is required. You should also discuss with your vet about desexing both April and your puppy. Around the age of 5 your vet might start talking to you about bloodwork to look for underlying disease. Best of luck with April and your new puppy.

The annual vet visit is an important part of routine care for your pet. The vet will carefully examine him and establish if they are any health concerns. They will also ask you some general questions such as water consumption and toilet habits of the pet. Often at this visit the pet will receive any vaccinations that are overdue and routine flea and work treatment. It is also a good opportunity for you to discuss any concerns or ask for advice.

Hello, and thanks for your question. Each exam will be slightly tailored to the purpose of that day's visit, and sometimes I will slightly modify an exam based on what has or has not been recently checked. Furthermore, your vet is probably doing much of the exam while you're talking. I'm sure when I do my appointments, it may often look like I'm simply petting the dog - when I am feeling lymph nodes, palpating abdomen, looking at eyes/ears/teeth, etc. So, of course I wasn't there and cannot speak for your vets, but I would suspect that there was more of an exam happening than was perhaps made clear! In a perfect world, every visit would involve checking every body system in every way possible. But, with time limitations and specific concerns that may need to be discussed, some visits will likely involve going more into depth with one body system or another. Hope this helps!

It is recommended to have a yearly physical examination with animals. Ideally they would be seen every 6 months. This is because animals age a lot faster then people and catching diseases and behavioral problems earlier is beneficial. Regarding vaccinations the first rabies vaccination is good for 1 year. After that it is good for 3 years. The Distemper vaccination after the first series should be repeated in a year. Depending on Kaya's lifestyle then I would recommend doing it every 1 or 3 years. If there are a lot of dogs or Kaya goes to a daycare/dogpark/kennel then I would give it every year. If she is a house dog that doesn't come in contact with any other animals then every 3 years is ok. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Lady should have a physical exam at least once a year regardless of her age because pets age much faster than humans. Geriatric pets should get an exam every 6 months and bloodwork at least once a year. Small breed dogs are considered geriatric at 9 years old. At that time, she should definitely have an exam and a discussion about different foods, exercise recommendations, bloodwork...etc. Good job on thinking proactively! I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.