Should I be Taking My Dog for Routine “Wellness Visits?”

By Dr Cathy Alinovi, DVM.

At first look, this question seems like a no-brainer, mostly because we have been well trained to think that everybody needs a physical examination once or twice a year. This training begins with well-baby visits for our infants where the doctor listens the heart, lungs, weighs and measures the baby, and — of course — checks the vaccine schedule. 

So it’s not surprising that one of the first things we do when we get a new pet is run to the veterinarian for an examination to get an expert opinion on the health of our new furry friend. At this first visit, ideally the veterinarian will listen to the heart and lungs, look for an umbilical hernia, test for intestinal worms, check the pet’s bite and make sure everything else looks good.  But that’s not all that happens. 

You also get programmed into the every three weeks schedule of multiple vaccinations and scheduled for sterilization surgery.  The first attempt is made to sell you on prescription pet food. And heartworm and flea and tick medicine is prescribed. 

In other words, cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching.

So, what is the solution? How can you have a healthy pet without spending unnecessary time and money at the vet’s office?  I’m thrilled you asked, although the answer may be a bit less clear cut than you might expect. 

Certainly, you want to know that your animal is healthy. One the one hand this comes down to the power of observation.  Just as a parent can look at her two-legged child and —without an expert’s opinion — say “my child is healthy,” so too can pet parents assess (at least physically) their pet’s health status. 

But let’s look at this from the perspective of a conventional veterinarian.  They like to see your pet every year, because they have this idea that if they do annual visits, they’re going to identify potential problems early.  But is this really the case? 

Not always. Even annual blood work, while it can give you a baseline for health factors that may not be visible or observable, is still limited. By the time there’s an abnormality in the bloodwork there’s something very serious going on in the body; something that we should’ve noticed long before the bloodwork changes became apparent.  Again, the power of observation. 

So, what is the answer? To visit your veterinarian annually or not… that is the question. 

Ideally, someone committed to maintaining and optimizing your pet’s health would want to make sure the body is moving well, check mental development and also discuss behavior, potty habits and nutrition. (The most important and most consistent thing any pet parent does for their pet is feed them, so the nutrition conversation is more important than nearly anything else.) But very rarely is any of this done at the veterinarian’s office.  That’s why it seems like a chiropractor or functional practitioner might be a better advocate for wellness and a better option for “wellness visit” investments, regardless of whether we’re talking dogs, cats, bunnies, horses, or humans. 

An alternative option is to find a holistic pet health expert that you can visit virtually. I see patients from all over the world in my pet health membership and help pet parents save money while increasing the health, energy and longevity of their beloved pets. 

Dr Cathy Alinovi, natural pet healthcare coach. Dr Cathy has locations serving Tampa Bay, the Yucatan Mexico and her client come from all over the world via her virtual phone consultations. https://healthypawsibilities.com/