Spring Clean: Vet Check-Up Edition

Ready for our annual check-up! Special thanks to Dr. Jaime and the Alma Street Animal Hospital team in Erin, Ontario

Every spring, without fail, my dogs and I have a special date marked on our calendar. Nope, it’s not a team tryout. Nope, it’s not an agility competition overseas. It’s our annual vet checkup!

I know this may not sound very exciting, but more than excitement, this brings me PEACE OF MIND regarding my dogs’ health and wellbeing. I’m a big believer in being proactive rather than reactive. By taking my dogs to their vet annually for their general checkup, I achieve the following:

1.🩺 Preventative Care: These check-ups are like a preemptive strike against potential health issues. They help us catch and detect illnesses or internal changes that may go unnoticed in day-to-day life. Identifying potential issues early on allows us to address them proactively, ensuring our dogs lead healthy and happy lives.

2. 📈 Objective Data: Having objective data from these appointments allows us to compare results over time, giving us a clearer picture of our dog’s health trajectory.

3. 👀 Extra Set of Eyes: Even though we live with our dogs, having another set of trained hands and eyes on them ensures nothing slips through the cracks.

4. 👍 Positive Vet Experience: We want our dogs to see the vet as a happy place, not just somewhere they go when they're sick. Socialization and positive vet experiences are crucial for their overall well-being.

5. 😖 Settling Nerves: Keeper, my COVID puppy, is not particularly fond of vet visits since having to attend several visits as a puppy without my presence. To help settle her nerves and gain confidence, bringing her in with the whole pack is helpful and makes the experience more enjoyable. 

6. 🤜🤛Developing and Maintaining Relationships with my Veterinarian: Having a good relationship with my veterinarian helps me feel more comfortable discussing any concerns or issues I have with my dogs and gives me the confidence that they are in good hands! Also, by seeing my dogs regularly, my vet knows the unique qualities of each of my dogs - both mental and physical, which allows her to interact and handle each of my dogs using a tailored approach.

Dr. Jamie winning over the pack.

​So what happens at these annual appointments?

Each year, my dogs go through an extensive checkup that includes the following: 

✅ A full physical exam completed by our DVM - Dr. Jamie!
✅ Bloodwork: A complete blood count (CBC) (which detects anemia, diseases of the immune system, infections and blood cancers)  and chemistry to evaluate organ function
✅ Titre testing for distemper and paro virus 

What is a Titre test? It is a blood sample collected from your dog to determine immunity and protection against core vaccine agents. After your pet has completed their initial series of these vaccines (distemper and parvovirus) and boosters one year later, the annual titre can determine if your dog requires ongoing boosters. In my opinion, less is more, and I do not want to give a vaccine if my dog does not require it. Ask your vet if they offer this service at your next appointment.

✅ Rabies vaccine according to the three-year protocol
✅ Heartworm testing and tick-borne disease panel - heartworm and tick season is upon us!
✅ Fecal exam for parasites 
✅ And plenty of liver treats - and cheese whiz!  to make it a positive experience

Cheez Wiz is the best! You can’t go wrong with it

Aside from maintaining their health in tip-top shape, what else do I gain from these appointments?

The information I collect at these annual check-ups helps me pivot and make proactive changes in my dogs’ care routine, such as:

Miss Quinn lapping up all the cookies she can find!

✔️Adjusting diets based on hydration levels. For example, my 4 shelties’ water intake level is low - they are not big drinkers! Last year, the boys’ bloodwork showed mild signs of dehydration. So over the past year, I added more water and moisture to their meals, and the issue has now corrected itself. What we don’t know, we don’t know! Applied knowledge is power.​

✔️ Acquiring a baseline for my dog's individual blood value norms, even if they fall outside typical ranges. For example, my Assie Quinn's bloodwork has typically displayed a low neutrophil (a type of white blood cell involved in fighting infection) count for 7 of her 9 years. I understand that this is the norm for Quinn, and don’t need to get worried. 
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✔️ Having updated results on hand for emergencies saves time and potentially lives.

✔️ Recognizing that the initial cost is an investment in long-term savings.

✔️ Utilizing tools like graphs to track weight and monitor trends over time. For example, this is my youngest pup, Siren, ’s weight chart. Given that she is growing, we expect her weight to increase appropriately and then start to plateau. 

Annual veterinary check-ups can be costly. Still, the peace of mind and long-term benefits they provide for our beloved dogs are absolutely priceless. After all, a healthy pet is a happy pet! 

So, this spring, I want to encourage you to update your dog’s health records. Are they due for vaccines and annual physical exams? Do they need a heartworm test? Have they had recent blood work? As always, your veterinarian is your best source of information about your pet’s healthcare. Just like we give our cars a spring tune-up, change the tires, wash it, etc., let’s ensure our dog’s healthcare is optimal for the season ahead!