If it's the first time that this particular veterinarian sees your dog, then you're going to want to bring as much as you can. So what does that mean? You're going to want to bring previous records (including vaccinations) from the former veterinarian, a stool sample, the latter of which is a good thing to bring whether it's a new vet or your current vet that you've seen for years. A stool sample is often something they want to look at.

Ask the office first whether they want a urine sample. You might also consider bringing a previous rabies tag if you're unsure or you don't have the rest of the records with you. And then the other thing I would bring is a list of medications. Again, if you're seeing this veterinarian currently and have been for a while, they should have a list of those medications because they're probably the ones prescribing it to you. But if you moved or you're switching veterinarians, bring a list of all current medications that your dog has taken.

We’ll check the teeth every time you come in, as we do that as part of the physical exam. And every cat is different in how often they need proper cleaning. We recommend teeth brushing at home or maybe even feeding a specific dental food based on the health of the mouth. The doctor will then make the recommendation on yes, it's time for a cleaning or, no, I think we can wait maybe six months. Let's recheck it then, so that is very dependent on the oral health of the cat.

We recommend at least once a year getting your healthy cat into the vet to check their body weight, go over their diet and nutrition, and conduct the physical exam to ensure there isn't a problem that you just can't see.

We’re initially going to see kittens right after you adopt them. And then we need to see them every three weeks until they're four months old for their vaccine series. And then when they're about six months old, they're going to be examined again, and that's the time that we do the spay or the neuter.

If there's a disease process going on, the doctor will recommend seeing your pet again. Again, we recommend exams every six months for a cat that's eight or older, but let's say the cat has a kidney problem, then we might want to see them every three or four months.

How often a cat should get a wellness exam depends on the age of the pet. If it's a kitten, we recommend them coming in very frequently up until about six months. We might even see them every three weeks for a checkup while they're getting their boosters. Once they're an adult, we recommend once a year, and then, once they become a senior, we recommend wellness exams every six months. Cats are considered seniors around the age of eight years old.

I would consider a baseline diagnostic test with a blood panel, checking their organ function, blood sugar, a complete blood cell count, and I’d look at all of the red and white cells. That's something that we recommend as a baseline, even in puppies. And then, depending on if they're on long-term medication, we might need to do that more frequently. That would be what I would consider a baseline. Depending on a puppy’s breed, we also sometimes recommend a baseline hip x-ray, looking for hip dysplasia or other orthopedic problems that might come up.