Your pet seems healthy and fit as a fiddle. So why spend time and energy (plus money) bothering to bring them to the vet clinic for an annual visit? I mean, didn’t you do that last year (or a few years ago)?
Annual wellness checkups may seem like a waste of time when your pet doesn’t seem sick, but physicians view regular checkups as a gateway to better, longer living. Why? These visits help your 
veterinarian recommend preventative care that will save your pet-and your wallet-huge strain in the future.
Animals are in special need of annual wellness checkups because they are innately programmed to hide signs of pain or illness. Most animals will only show signs they are sick when the disease is advanced. No matter how involved or astute you are as a pet owner, most people will not be able to read the early signs of sickness.
Regular physical exams from a trained veterinarian will screen patients for a wide range of issues, including predisposition to cancer. These screenings lead to earlier diagnosis, better preventative recommendations and breeding fewer animals with susceptibility to cancers and other illnesses or genetic predispositions.
Annual wellness checkups can keep your pet out of a lot of pain and maybe even save their life, but checkups also end up saving a lot of money. Consider dog breeds that often have hip dysplasia, a common issue that may eventually have to be addressed with surgery that costs thousands of dollars. If your vet discovers early signs of this condition, he or she can recommend glucosamine supplements that will drastically reduce the problem and either delay or prevent the need for surgery.
Wellness checkups will also include checks for parasites such as heartworms, which put animals at serious risk if left untreated. Vaccinations are crucial to animal health, even for indoor-only pets. Dogs and cats need different vaccinations at different times in their lives, so annual checkups are an easy way to stay on top of what your pet needs when.
