October is National Pet Wellness Month

October is a month dedicated to raise awareness about disease prevention, the aging process and the importance of twice-yearly wellness exams for household pets. Dogs age seven times faster than humans, so disease or any major health conditions can occur in a short amount of time. Many vets stress the importance of “twice a year for life” wellness exams.

Getting a pet exam twice a year gives your vet a much greater chance of discovering and treating conditions before they become life-threatening.

By working together you and your vet can improve your pet’s quality of life, and help your pet enjoy a healthy life for as long as possible.

If visiting the vet twice a year is difficult to schedule, check with your dog walker or pet sitter, many pet sitters and dog walkers offer vet pet taxi services during your visit or at other times during the day.

Some have service areas as wide as Alexandria, Arlington, Woodbridge, Manasses and Reston.

These are the wellness check points for pets of various ages, ask your vet in advance of appointments to ensure your pet will receive all of these at his or her upcoming visit:

Adult dogs (1-6 years)

• Immunizations

• Parasite check

• Heartworm check

• Dental health

• Blood panel (CBC)

• Chemistry panel

• Urinalysis

Additional exams for senior dogs (7+ years)

• Osteoarthritis check

• Chest radiograph

• Thyroid check

Adult cats (1-6 years)

• Immunizations

• Parasite check

• Heartworm check

• Dental health

• Blood panel (CBC)

• Chemistry panel

• Urinalysis

Additional exams for senior cats (7+ years)

• Osteoarthritis check

• Renal disease screen

• Thyroid check

• Blood pressure check

Becky O’Neil is a pet expert and owner of Becky’s Pet Care located in Alexandria, VA, a professional dog walkers and pet sitters company in Northern Virginia.