Wellness Consult

What is a wellness consult?

A wellness consult is a medical examination or check-up of an animal that is apparently healthy, as opposed to an examination of an ill animal. The focus of a wellness visit is to maintain optimal health.

Why should you do wellness consult for your cat?

Cats can't tell you how they are feeling or if they are in pain, and as a result disease may be present before you are aware of it. If a disease can be detected before a cat shows signs of illness, we can often take steps to manage or correct the problem. This way we can try to prevent irreversible damage.

This way we can help give the best care possible for your beloved cat.

When is a wellness consult advised to be done?

Wellness consults should be done on a regular basis, and many cat owners combine wellness consult with their annual visit to the vet for their cat’s physical examination and vaccinations.

We may recommend more frequent testing depending on your cat’s age or specific health concerns. Monitoring your cat's health status on a regular basis makes it easier for us to detect minor changes that signal the onset of disease.

 We are following the current advise for wellness testing from the American Association for Feline Practitioners. For healthy cats with no other clinical symptoms or disease we advise the following guidelines:

What is involved in a wellness examination?

The physical examination is the most important part of the wellness screening. We will monitor the weight and body condition score, check the dental status, auscultate the heart and lungs, palpate the abdomen, check the ears and eyes, check the skin, palpate the joints etc.

We will advise how extensive the other blood and urine testing should be, based on the age and findings in the physical examination.

In younger cats without noticeable health complaints, relatively simple testing may be adequate. In middle-aged cats, more comprehensive testing may be beneficial. For cats with known health conditions, specific tests may be needed to monitor their health condition as it changes over time to adjust therapy to continue keeping them as healthy as possible for as long as possible.

Summary

Wellness consults are a simple and effective way of monitoring your cat's health. Early detection and correction of medical problems help to ensure that your cat will have a long, healthy and active life.