Health screening of your dog is a crucial aspect of a complete healthcare routine that you must abide by. Similar to people, dogs can develop several health issues, which can be related to trauma, age, poison, infections, and others. Deciding the cause of these conditions is only sometimes straightforward, but they may loom nonetheless.
According to the best animal emergency hospital in Kitchener and Waterloo, the most satisfactory action is facilitating prevention and periodic pet examinations with the veterinarian. Irrespective of whether it’s your dog’s first vet visit or a standard annual exam, you may think of arriving endowed with the proficiency of essential tests a vet should conduct regarding your dog’s health and age.
Tests for Puppies
Give your puppy the best health by conducting these tests at their preliminary visit to the vet:
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Physical assessment
This examination is crucial to corroborate a healthy baseline for your adorable puppy, as a puppy visit isn’t a mere shot injected. The most crucial yet bypassed examination is a physical examination. A vital test at any age, the physical test will cover inspecting your puppy from his nose to tail, verifying his underlying symptoms, assessing their body condition, feeling his lymph nodes, listening to his heart, and examining his ears, eyes, and teeth along with any joint or bone anomalies.
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Heartworm test
If a puppy is over 6 months of age, it’s recommended to go through a heartworm antigen test, as heartworms can spread via your puppy’s bloodstream due to an infected mosquito bite and cause damage to his little heart & lungs. Veterinarians typically perform the heartworm test in several vet centers in Waterloo in addition to a panel of tick-borne illnesses, including Ehrlichia, Lyme disease, and Anaplasma.
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Blood tests
Your vet in Waterloo will conduct a pre-anesthetic assessment before your puppy is neutered or spayed. These include anemia, sufficient white blood cells, and normal liver & kidney function. The blood tests must be conducted to ensure your cute furry pet can have general anesthesia as safely as possible.
Tests for Adult Dogs
Usually, an adult dog must have yearly wellness visits where physical tests will still be a vital aspect, along with the following tests:
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Tick-borne and heartworm disease tests
Tests for heartworm and tick-borne diseases are recommended to be conducted together, mainly in areas like Waterloo, where ticks are prevalent. On the other hand, heartworm infection is a severe medical condition that is hassle-free to prevent and difficult to cure if left untreated.
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Fecal test
Vets suggest you to carry a sample of your dog’s poop to the clinic. Detection and treating intestinal parasites protects your dog and humans, as some intentional parasites can affect them too!
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Urinalysis
This examination should be conducted in your dog’s puppy stage as it helps detect several things, including urinary tract infection, potential stones in the urine, and loss of focusing ability. 
Tests for Senior Dogs
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Complete blood count and chemistry profile
Your vet might suggest a complete yearly or bi-yearly bloodwork analysis to detect any underlying organ dysfunction and to contain a whole blood cell count. Many senior dogs might be on treatments, so assessing their results is vital to ensure they’re not going through any adverse side effects. Older dogs will gradually have subtle changes that have transformed drastically year over year. This leads to discovering why the dog has those changes and lets the vets discover diseases much earlier.
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Blood pressure test
A blood pressure test is recommended in dogs between the ages of 8 and 10 based on their breed and symptoms. Hypertension might impact your dog’s kidneys, heart, nervous system, and eyes.
Ensuring your dog’s top-notch health is crucial as your pet ages. Therefore, attending a daily organized pet health screening is essential.
