Here at Canadian Veterinary Hospital, our aim is to ensure that your animal companion is healthy and happy in order that your pet may live a long, rewarding life. The best way to do this is through a regular check-up. It is, after all, much easier to prevent disease than to treat it.
We are not always able to tell when something is wrong with our pets, so a routine check-up is in their best interest. Regular health exams will help the identification and possible prevention of any diseases, thus making sure that your pet remains healthy all year round. By performing these check-ups, veterinarians will be able to detect problems at their earliest stages and address any issues simply and cost-effectively.
Procedures
The kinds of procedures our veterinarians will be performing during a routine examination of your pet include: auscultation or listening to their heart and lung sounds with a stethoscope; taking their temperature; taking their heart and respiratory rates; palpating their abdomen to check their liver, stomach and intestines, kidneys and bladder; checking all their lymph nodes; checking their oral cavity (teeth, tongue, gums); providing a dental score (how healthy are your pet’s teeth and gums?); checking their eyes, ears, coat, skin and nails; checking for soreness or lameness; checking their weight and body score and discussing good diets; and checking their vaccine, de-worming and de-tick status.
Preventative measures
The preventative measures required in order to ensure the well-being of your pet will vary according to your pet’s age. Spaying and neutering, for instance, will be recommended for pets just before puberty. In addition to preventing unwanted pregnancies, this can also protect against serious health problems later in life and reduce behavioural problems associated with the mating instinct. For older pets, blood tests may be recommended in order to test for conditions that are more common later in life such as diabetes mellitus and kidney disease.
No matter what stage of life your pet may be in, there is no doubt that a regular health check is essential. Generally speaking, an annual wellness exam should be sufficient. However, in the case of younger or older pets, more frequent examinations may be required. If it has been a while since your prized companion was last examined, please get in touch with us to arrange for one of our qualified veterinarians to perform a routine examination at our hospital here in Doha, Qatar. Your pet will thank you for it!
