Annual wellness care for young, healthy pets typically includes an examination, vaccine boosters, and parasite testing and control, and may also include blood and urine screening tests. However, many pet owners question the expense versus testing value. If your pet seems perfectly normal and you expect normal results, why should you invest in this extra service? The Boca Midtowne Animal Hospital team offers reasons to say “Yes” to wellness tests.

#1: Pets age faster than people

The average pet’s lifespan is 10 to 15 years, compared with humans’ 70-plus years. Aging so much faster means medical conditions can pop up quickly. Most people are encouraged to start specific wellness screenings, including blood tests and cancer screenings, during middle age, when medical problems become more likely. The same goes for pets—their risk for medical problems increases in middle and older age, and some hereditary or congenital conditions can appear in early life. A normal wellness result now could quickly become abnormal in a few months.

#2: Normal wellness results establish your pet’s baseline

Wellness blood and urine testing in a healthy, young pet will establish their baseline “normal” that your veterinarian can compare with future test results to look for subtle changes. Annual testing allows your veterinarian to track values trending up or down over time, which is especially helpful when these values remain in the laboratory’s reported normal range. Testing only once or twice throughout your pet’s life may reveal normal-range results, but that does not help determine whether they are still normal for your pet, if those results cannot be compared with your pet’s individual past results.

#3: Early disease detection increases treatment efficacy

Establishing your pet’s baseline normal and rechecking blood and urine tests each year enables early intervention when you see changes. When we detect disease before we see clinical signs and significant damage has occurred in your pet’s body, we can often prevent or significantly slow disease progression, because treatments are more effective. 

For example, if we detect kidney disease in stage one, we can preserve kidney function for long periods with the appropriate diet and supplements, whereas when we detect changes in stage three or four, when pets develop overt clinical signs, they have already lost most of their kidney function, which cannot be recovered.

#4: Treating late-stage disease is more expensive than early-stage disease

Treatments are not only less effective in more advanced disease, but also more complicated and often more expensive. Many pet diseases quickly snowball and can result in secondary problems that also need treatment, so you may spend more time and energy controlling the complications than the disease itself. 

A good example is high thyroid level in cats, which can be easily treated with medications or a procedure in the early stages. Cats diagnosed in late stages often have high blood pressure, heart damage, urinary problems, or blindness, and require extensive, specialized care. Spending money up front on annual wellness screening tests can help you avoid higher treatment costs down the line. 

#5: Normal pet wellness tests offer reassurance

If you frequently worry about your pet, annual wellness screenings can give peace of mind that your pet will stay healthy, and any diseases that are found can be addressed early and efficiently. Normal and abnormal test results are equally valuable, because both help our veterinary team understand your pet’s overall wellbeing, and allow better health management over time.

#6: Annual wellness testing meets a higher care standard

At Boca Midtowne Animal Hospital, we pride ourselves on providing pets with the highest possible care and the most advanced diagnostic and treatment technologies. We are voluntarily accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), which means we uphold hundreds of professional and medical standards to ensure we best meet your needs, and your pet’s. We’re also fear-free certified, to offer your pet the best possible in-clinic experience and ensure they will always enjoy their visits. Annual wellness testing helps us meet our high care standards by providing your pet with a disease prevention strategy—after all, wellness and preventive care are the backbone of your pet’s health.

The Boca Midtowne Animal Hospital team are experts in interpreting wellness test results and determining when interventions can best help your pet. Contact us to schedule your pet’s annual or semi-annual wellness visit, or if you have questions regarding your pet’s wellness screening results.