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ÔWellness checks' should be more frequent
By Dr. Marty Becker
Universal Press Syndicate
Your veterinarian may need to see your pet more often than once a year, especially if your dog or cat is very young or getting old. Here's why one traditional vet visit per year may not be enough:
Pets age faster. While "one year equals seven" really doesn't compute, the lifetime of a cat or dog is much shorter than ours. This means that age-related issues come up faster and, with many of these, early detection is key to treatment.
Pets hide illnesses. In nature, the sick and weak are preyed upon, so animals instinctively hide their illnesses. Many times, caring pet owners bring in their cat because the animal didn't want to eat breakfast this morning. But it's too late: The pet's kidneys are shot, with too much damage done to save them.
Pets can't talk. Although surveys reveal that most of us talk to our pets, they still can't talk back. Veterinarians are trained to find out what's wrong from animals who can't say what hurts or where.
Veterinarians are "it." People have health-care teams (doctors, dentists, optometrists, chiropractors, psychologists, etc.), but for the four-legged family member, the veterinarian wears every health-care hat.
If we take two pets from the same litter and send them to two different families, one pet could live much longer than the other. How?
The pet who gets a higher level of preventive health care and cutting-edge treatment can have years added to his life, while his littermate's health is being neglected.
That's why veterinarians now recommend more frequent wellness visits, for your pet's health and your peace of mind.
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