When your reminder arrives about your pet’s annual wellness visit, do you feel tempted to skip it? After all, your pet appears perfectly healthy and nothing has changed since last year. But, while putting off wellness care may not seem like a big deal, screening tests and other preventive care measures are critical for your pet’s continued good health—despite every result being normal. Here are five unbeatable benefits of knowing your pet’s normal wellness screening results.

#1: Normal wellness screening results establish your pet’s health history

While normal values for blood work, urinalyses, blood pressure readings, and other screening tests are included in a reference range, not every pet reads the book about being normal. Results for the majority of healthy pets will fall in this average range, but outliers always exist.

If your pet is an “abnormal normal,” their test results are outside the standard range but considered their normal. Regular screening tests over your pet’s life will identify these values as truly normal, despite where they fall on reference ranges. Without routine screening, these outlying test results could be falsely interpreted as abnormal and lead to an unnecessary trip down a rabbit hole to find a health problem that does not exist.

#2: Normal wellness screening results help detect disease in your pet

Once your pet’s normal values baseline has been established, we can more easily spot true abnormalities, promptly identify any deviation from your pet’s norm in subsequent testing, and immediately intervene. Early identification and intervention of disease processes greatly improves treatment efficacy and success.

One common health problem that serial screening tests can detect is kidney disease. Chronic renal failure (CRF) is more common in older cats but can affect any pet and take a substantial toll on their quality of life. CRF is generally diagnosed through blood work and urinalysis changes that show elevated kidney enzymes, dilute urine, and possibly anemia. Abnormal values outside the reference range may not develop until three-quarters of kidney function is lost, but subtle changes over the course of your pet’s annual wellness screenings can indicate deteriorating kidney function before the problem is obvious. Such tiny changes can help us spot disease long before significant health issues arise, when treatment is more effective.

#3: Normal wellness screening results guide your pet’s health care

No two pets are alike, and each will thrive only with a unique, customized health care plan. With an infinite number of ways to care for your pet, including diet, exercise, vaccinations, parasite prevention, mental stimulation, grooming, and socialization, knowing how each aspect affects your furry pal’s health is complicated.

Normal screening results demonstrate the efficacy of your pet’s care. For example, if your overweight pet drops down to an ideal body condition with an upgraded diet and exercise plan, those normal physical exam results show that the new diet and activity regime is working well. Or, if your pet had a dental cleaning last year, and has minimal gingivitis signs and plaque accumulation this year, you know their new dental chews are effective.

#4: Normal wellness screening results help save you money

Investing in your pet’s wellness care not only helps protect against infectious diseases, but also saves money in the long run. Through regular wellness screening, we can spot health problems in their earliest stages when treatment is easiest and most cost-effective. Advanced diagnostic testing, nursing care, and treatments are usually much more extensive and expensive.

#5: Normal wellness screening results provide invaluable peace of mind

As guardian of your pet’s good health, knowing that your furry pal is happy and healthy because of your care is a great feeling. Normal screening results let you know that you’re doing an excellent job caring for your four-legged friend, and that you’ve made the right decisions about their health care. When your pet’s screening results are normal, you won’t lie awake at night, wondering if you’re doing all you can to ensure your pet remains by your side for years to come.

Is your pet due for their annual or semiannual wellness visit? Don’t skip this important health care measure, whether or not your pet appears perfectly healthy. Give our Palisades Veterinary Hospital team a call to schedule their wellness appointment.