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Wellness testing has become the standard in veterinary medicine. Screening for the early signs of disease is recommended for almost all dogs and cats but especially so for seniors.
Is Wellness Testing for Dogs and Cats Good Medicine?
Recently, an article in Veterinary Medicine raised the question: Is wellness testing good medicine? My answer to that is resounding “YES”.
In all honesty, I really don’t even see the need for debate here. Wellness testing usually involves a blood screen, a fecal examination and perhaps some urine testing. And, of course, perhaps just as important as the actual testing is the completion of a thorough physical examination for your pet. These are all pretty innocuous, non-invasive tests. They cause your pet no pain, other than perhaps the small prick of a needle stick – no more than a bee sting in equivalence.
Though the Veterinary Medicine article mentions the dangers of invasive testing such as liver biopsies and bone marrow aspirates, I don’t know of any veterinarian that would recommend these tests as part of a routine wellness examination. They might be recommended if the wellness testing uncovered health issues, but isn’t that the whole point of doing the wellness screen?
In answer to the mention of performing additional blood testing or imaging studies, to some extent these would be guided by the results of the physical examination and the routine testing protocol. Imaging studies could be anything from a radiograph (an xray) to look for arthritis to an echocardiogram (an ultrasound study of the heart) to look for heart disease. It seems to me that if your pet is showing evidence that he may be suffering from arthritis or heart disease, those are important things to know about. So, in my opinion, the cost for performing these procedures, whatever the expense, is not wasted money, particularly when you consider the consequence (i.e. your dog suffering without your knowledge from the pain of arthritis or your cat dying suddently from a catastrophic “heart attack”.)
Is the Cost of Wellness Testing for Your Pet Wasted if the Results Are Normal?
No, not in my opinion. What is the going price for “peace of mind”, for knowing that your pet is as healthy as you can reasonably be expected to keep him? That’s a question you’ll need to answer for yourself but I know what the answer is when it comes to my pets.
In addition, wellness testing provides a reference with which to compare later tests. Though we have developed a range of values for various tests that we consider normal, for some tests that range is fairly wide. And some animals don’t read the text books and may have values slightly outside of the normal reference range as well. By knowing what your pet’s values are while he is healthy and happy, it becomes much easier to determine whether slightly abnormal values are significant or not when he is sick. It also becomes possible to watch the trend in your pet’s values.
For instance, if your pet starts out with a blood urea nitrogen (BUN) of 10 when he is healthy at one year old but at 5 years old, the value starts to creep up to 20 and then to 30 six months later, these values may still fall within the normal range but for your cat, they represent a three-fold increase in that value. These trends can be significant and you won’t see them if you don’t look for them. In this case, steps as simple as changing your cat to a wet food and purchasing a water fountain to encourage your cat to drink more water can be helpful in controlling the changes taking place in your cat.
That’s just one example and I could give many others. But I think you get the picture.
The Cost of Wellness Testing for Your Dog or Cat
These wellness tests do come with a price tag. That’s true. And I understand that there may be situations in which your finances simply will not allow you to pursue this type of testing. However, as responsible pet owners, we carry an obligation to our pets to keep them as healthy as we can and to avoid as much suffering and pain as possible. Wellness testing is one of the ways in which to do that.
Will your veterinarian make money when you elect to do wellness testing for your dog or cat? Of course we will! Is that a good reason for your veterinarian not to recommend it or for you not to pursue it? You decide.
Photo Courtesy of Tomi Tapio/Flickr.com
About Lorie Huston, DVM
Lorie Huston is a veterinarian, pet health and pet care expert, professional writer, blogger, social media and blogging consultant, and SEO strategist.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I think there is a cost factor you did not mention. Some of these things are cheaper to treat when caught early. That helps balance the cost of regular testing.
Yes, you’re absolutely right, Sheltie Times. Good point! Thank you for adding that
Veterinary medicine has undergone a great change in the last 15 years. We have moved away from just “giving shots” to a much more comprehensive wellness plan. In my practice, a patient’s lifestyle is discussed at length and not all animals get the same vaccination protocol. What we focus on more is annual blood panels, parasite testing, and urine screening, especially on patients over 5-6 year of age. You have to remember, our pets age more rapidly than we do. If we get examined and blood tested annually by our physician, what about the four-legged members of the family?
Dr. Bill
http://www.animalhospitalcharlotte.com
Absolutely correct, Dr. Bill. Thanks for adding your thoughts to the discussion.
It’s “peace of mind” not “piece of mind” in your article on Wellness testing
You’re absolutely right. Thanks for pointing out the typo. It’s been changed