Dating back to the Middle Ages, dogs quickly earned the name of man’s best friend because of their sweet auras and emotionally intelligent behavior toward humans. Dogs, and their equally beloved equals, cats, keep humans busy, help them find a sense of comfort in a harsh world and become their new best friend. Thus, the need for veterinarian checkups proves crucial to keep these pets healthy and thriving for years to come.
”I definitely believe it is very important to take your pet to the vet because, not to be morbid, my dog probably died because we did not take him to the vet enough. We just never knew what was wrong with him when he died. So, it is so important for pet owners to take their pets to get regular checkups because they will never know if there is something wrong with them if they do not take them in until it is too late,” junior Morgan Lackey said.
For new pet owners or individuals researching proper adoption strategies, understanding why veterinary care matters becomes an essential requirement for young or senior pets. Yearly, nearly 52% of owners in Washington, D.C. claimed to skip necessary veterinary care for their animals, which puts those lives at risk for potential severe illnesses. While reasoning varied across those individuals who refused to provide proper care for their pets, the majority claimed that the cost built a barrier against vet visits.
Although various families can not afford veterinary care due to the expensive cost of the checkups — $70 to $174 for dogs and $53 to $124 for cats — assuring a family’s financial stability before adoption should stand out to adoption agencies so that these animals do not suffer in the long run. Since pet care can quickly become expensive, resources such as dog and cat insurance or CareCredit can serve as an extraordinary tool for those who can not immediately afford medical bills. Understanding the true cost of pet ownership at an early age allows future caretakers to avoid making difficult decisions down the road and helps establish a loving home for their cuddle buddies.
”I have had trouble bringing my pet to the vet because it can be so expensive if you do not have insurance for them. But there was one time we had to take a stray dog to the emergency vet. [When we took him], they did not give the proper service to the dog and barely even cared if the dog lived or died because it was a stray. It was absolutely diabolical,” Lackey said.
Visits to the vet, which a great deal of dogs and cats dread, permit veterinarians to examine the companions to ensure that no illness or disease currently infects them. These professionals also check for potential heart issues, administer any booster shots, look for fleas or ticks and take a handful of other preventative measures. Certain veterinarians also perform blood tests such as complete blood count (CBC) or a chemistry panel test to check for feline leukemia and immunodeficiency virus (FIV) in cats.
Routine checkups hold greater importance because, while a pet may seem healthy, underlying diseases do not display obvious signs in animals at early stages. Due to this pet trait, animals also tend to hide their initial pain, leaving owners to believe that their furry friends do not feel sick. This misleading trait puts dogs and cats in uncomfortable situations when their illness catches up to them physically. Now, with advanced veterinary care, doctors can tend to animals in a significantly quicker manner with X-ray machines and other strategies
Overall, the importance of annual checkups for one’s furry friend grows as they age, especially if they have experienced major health issues in the past. In metro-Atlanta specifically, vet care has increased in accessibility with over 150 animal hospitals and clinics surrounding the area. As dog and cat populations increase, understanding the fundamental act of yearly vet checkups rises in significance for the thriving life of the pet and their owner.
