We put your pet’s health first.

What is a wellness exam?

A wellness exam is a comprehensive “head to tail” physical examination of your healthy pet. This regularly scheduled visit focuses on maintaining your pet’s health through preventative care. 

How often should my pet have a wellness exam?

Puppies and kittens should have their first veterinary visit between six weeks to nine weeks of age and continue every three to four weeks until the age of four to six months. After that, your pet should have a yearly examination until they are around seven. When your pet is a senior, they should have a wellness exam every six months.

Why should my pet have a wellness exam?

Preventive health care is the key to providing a long and healthy life for your pet. The wellness examination helps to detect potentially life-threatening illness in early stages so that intervention is possible and we can slow the progression of long-term medical conditions. In fact, research shows that working with your veterinarian to maintain a preventative healthcare plan can extend your pet’s life.

Your veterinarian will formulate a specific preventive care plan to cater to each of your animals individually to help them live a happier, healthier life.

Your pet’s preventive care program should include:

• Complete medical history and conversation regarding your concerns, diet, exercise, behavior, elimination patterns, training questions, proud pet parent moments, etc.
• Vital signs – Vital signs will be checked (weight, temperature, pulse, and respiration).
• Comprehensive physical examination – “head to tail” hands-on exam implementing fear free techniques to make your pet’s examination as comfortable as possible.
• Vaccinations – In discussion with your veterinarian and review of vaccination history, age, lifestyle, and risks we will formulate a protocol specifically for your pet.
• Oral care plan for dental hygiene. Your veterinarian will assess the teeth looking for tartar, broken or missing teeth, and halitosis (bad breath). Based upon the oral examination, your veterinarian will discuss tooth brushing, COHAT dentistry, and oral dental chews for at-home care.
• Parasite Testing – Fecal testing should be performed every 6-12 months in adult dogs and cats. New puppies and new pets to the household should always be tested.  Bring a fresh fecal sample with you to the wellness exam to discuss with your veterinarian when it is appropriate to test.  We follow the guideline for parasite control written by the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) in order to keep you and your pets safe from parasitic infections. Link https://capcvet.org/guidelines/general-guidelines/
• Heartworm and tick screening – Mosquitos and ticks may transmit diseases through their bite and it is important to check for these. Routine screening is recommended once annually, a simple blood test in the hospital gives results in just 10 minutes.
• Heartworm and intestinal parasite prevention – The larvae are transmitted through a mosquito bite and over time grow into worms that can cause serious, even life-threatening, heart and respiratory illness. Heartworms and other intestinal parasites are preventable through the use of year-round preventatives available at The Goodland Pet Hospital. Heartworm prevention also treats intestinal parasites that are zoonotic – meaning transmit to humans.  Young children are especially at risk for intestinal parasites.  Households will children of any age should absolutely keep their pets on heartworm prevention.  At The Goodland Pet Hospital, we recommend that all pets in the Santa Barbara County, including Goleta, be on heartworm prevention.  For further information, please visit the American Heartworm Society. Link https://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources
• Flea and tick prevention – The Goodland Pet Hospital carries many safe and effective oral and topical options for the treatment and prevention of flea and tick infestation all year round.

Senior Pet Comprehensive Wellness Care

• Blood and urine screening – Another part of a senior wellness exam includes checking the blood and urine to screen for early changes in the biochemistry profile, complete blood count, thyroid, and urinalysis. Once over the age of seven, routine annual screening is recommended for early detection of illness.
• Chest and abdominal radiographs – Your veterinarian may recommend taking chest or abdominal x-rays to assess the size and appearance of the internal organs. These tests can help identify an underlying disease. Early detection and treatment of many conditions are often less costly than waiting until it becomes more advanced.