What is Wellness Testing? An explanation from the Main West Animal Hospital

What is Wellness Testing and why do we recommend it?  It’s a question often posed to our veterinarians and staff at our animal hospital in Welland.

Simply stated- wellness testing is a series of comprehensive blood tests performed to ensure your dog or cat is in an optimal state of health and “Wellness”.   We recommend having these tests done on a yearly baisis (as we do with humans) in conjunction with an Annual Physical Examination.

Our veterinarian begins the exam by assessing your dog or cat’s eyes, ears, mouth, hair coat, muscles and bones for any sign of illness.  They will then perform a very thorough hands on exam of your pets lymph nodes, glands, and abdomen to ensure no irregularities exist.  Of course they’ll also be listening to the heart and lungs to make sure they sound clear and strong.  Unfortunately even with a very comprehensive physical exam there are a lot of diseases that can be occuring inside the body that remain hidden until later stages of the disease.

There are many Illnesses that are quite invisible during the early stages, which is the time when we want to detect and manage theses issues.   A few examples of these illnesses include:  Kidney Disease, Liver Disease, Thyroid Disease (Hypo/Hyperthyroid), Diabetes Melitus, Cushings Disease, Addisons Disease, Pancreatitis, Cancer, and Immune System Disorders.

When we perform an annual veterinary exam with wellness testing our veterinarians are ensuring that we are fullfilling our promise to do our very best to keep your pet healthy and happy.   Next week we’ll discuss what types of tests are performed with wellness bloodwork in more detail so stay tuned.  If you’d like to schedule an Annual Examination and bloodwork for your dog or cat contact our team at the Main West Animal Hospital in Welland (905)735-7877 or by email: