A Secret Benefit of Regular Wellness Exams

Do you take your dog for regular wellness exams? Or do you wait until something is wrong?


Wellness exams are often an underappreciated part of preventive health care.

But why go to a vet when there is obviously nothing wrong?

The obvious reason is that by the time there is something OBVIOUSLY wrong unless it's a result of acute trauma, it's been going on quietly for quite some time. And the longer a problem remains unchecked, the more damage it can cause.

Starting with obesity, dental disease, chronic and degenerative disease, diabetes, kidney and liver disease ... all these things would have been better taken care of at early stages.

Do you think you could detect these things yourself?

You'd be a rare exception.

Whether or not they act on it, everybody heard of these benefits of wellness exams. While these are paramount, it's not the benefit I want to highlight today.

Regular wellness exams help you build a relationship with your vet.

I have experienced the difference such a relationship can make. My friends who have been through major medical challenges with their dogs could attest to that too.

With my girls' medical challenges, I am at the vet way more often than that. I can see how the relationship evolves with each visit.

Our vets become more invested in our dogs over time.


Don't vets care about all their patients? Of course, they do. But trying to distance themselves emotionally is an act self-preservation. I always thought that for a vet, the greatest frustration was being unable to help a patient. Then one of my veterinary friends enlightened me. The greatest frustration is having a patient who could be helped easily, but the owners don't care enough to treat.

I have watched vets let their guard down seeing we care deeply for the health of our dogs.

"Caring is contagious," says hubby. He's witnessed this in other professional fields too.

I imagine being able to do everything possible for a patient brings satisfaction.

I think that sometimes it might actually be exciting to get to go all out, try things that are rarely attempted and see good results ...

I do make our vets work hard.

And they don't seem mind. I think they might secretly enjoy it, at least overall if not at each given moment.

At the other side of the equation, I learn about them, how they think and how they work.

And most importantly, we learn how to best work together.

They know my dogs by their names. In fact, I think they allowed my dog's names being written in their hearts. They care more because they see how much I care.

Next time you're considering skipping your dog's regular wellness exam, think about it.

It is NOT that costly and it IS priceless.

Have you noticed your relationship with your vet deepen with every visit?


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A Reflection on a Year of Working with Our New Vet  
Emailing With Your Vet And The Miracle Of Web-based Medical Records
A Word On Second Opinions
Finding Dr. Wonderful And Your Mutt's Mayo Clinic: Getting Started
Making Tough Medical Decisions For Your Dog
Anybody Can Complain But How about Educating Instead? #vetmedcommunicationfail
Has Your Dog's Physical Therapist Taken Dog Training Classes? 

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