Taking your beloved pal for regular checkups at your local veterinarian is an important part of being an animal owner, but how often should I take my dog to the vet?
Most vets recommend taking a healthy dog for a check-up at least once a year. Personally, I prefer to take my girl every six months or so, first and foremost to make sure she is healthy and secondly for my own peace of mind.
At perfectpuppypal.com, we are not qualified veterinarians or animal nutritionists. The information that we provide is general and educational information only and is not a substitute for professional advice.
Why a trip to the vets is important
As with all of us, a regular trip to the doctor is generally recommended at least once a year, so the same is true for your four-legged friend. If your fur baby is still a puppy, elderly, or has some underlying health problems then every 3-6 months is a good time frame to get them checked out.
The vet should give your animal an all over checkup which includes a detailed look into their ears, eyes, and gums as well as checking how healthy the heart and lungs are in your beloved pet. Additionally, your veterinarian may wish to carry out more detailed exams just to check for other health issues.
The age of your dog
As your pup passes through different stages in life then the frequency of your visits to the vet also change. There are said to be three different stages to your dog’s life which are;
- Puppy (birth until a year old)
- Adult (a year old until about 7 years of age)
- Senior (over 7 years of age)
In the early stages of your dog’s life as a puppy, visits to the vet will be quite frequent. At this early stage of development, it’s recommended that you visit your vet every three to four weeks for about the first four months. During these visits, the vet will administer all necessary vaccinations and check on the general health and development of your pup.
As a healthy adult dog, experts say that you should pay a visit to the vet annually. On their first visit as an adult the vet may wish to give some booster vaccines (although this depends on your animal’s lifestyle), so check with your vet if needed or not. As long as your dog is fit and healthy then all subsequent visits should just be a straightforward head to tail examination.
As your four-legged friend enters the more senior years of their life, it is advised that you take them to see the vet every six months. During these visits, as well as performing the normal head to tail examination, your vet may wish to run additional tests such as blood work, ultrasounds, and x-rays. These tests will enable your vet to better see changes in your dog’s health as they enter the later stages of life and will help when diagnosing future issues.
Emergencies
If you find yourselves in an emergency situation then always call or visit your vet. If it is out of working hours then there are always emergency vets available 24/7 no matter where you live.
What is an emergency situation?
As the owner you will know your dog better than anyone else, so you will also know if they are not normal and not behaving as they usually would. In an ideal world, just your dog’s regular checkups would be the only time that you need to visit the vet. But as we all know, emergencies can happen, so it’s important to be ready just in case.
Things to look out for in your pup when a trip to the vets is a MUST;
- Gums are pale
- Is unable to stand or has collapsed suddenly
- Struggling to breathe
- Suffering a seizure
- Is unable to wake up
- You believe they have ingested something toxic
- They vomit blood or have blood in their stool
- They’ve had an accident, ex: been hit by a car or are showing signs of pain
- They’ve had diarrhea or have been vomiting for more than 24 hours
- They haven’t eaten or drunk anything for over 24 hours
Pet insurance
What are the benefits of having insurance for your bundle of joy? Well, the can be many depending on the level of coverage you decide to purchase for your pal and the savings can potentially become immense in the future.
Routine checkups at the vet are not cheap but should not break the bank either, but if your pup has an accident or needs emergency surgery then these costs can mount up extremely quickly. Depending on the situation an emergency can cost you anything from a few hundred dollars up to several thousand! Without insurance, this can put a serious dent in your wallet, to say the least.
Personally, I am a fan of having insurance for my girl. There are many different plans available so be careful when choosing what is best for your situation. Generally, the more you pay the better the coverage is, and for a fee of around 40-50 dollars a month for an average plan you can expect the insurers to cover at least 70-80 percent of your vet bills. For better plans, you could pay up to 150 dollars a month but then you can be reimbursed sometimes 100 percent of your expenses.
To vet or not to vet
I believe it’s very important to take your beloved pet for checkups at the vets at regular intervals depending on what stage in life they are at. From an early age, it is essential to have a good relationship between yourself, your vet, and of course your furry little friend.
Preventative measures taken by yourself with your dog from as early as possible can certainly help to improve their quality of life and also to prolong it for as long as possible.
If you would like to share your experiences when visiting the vet with your dog then please feel free to leave a comment below.