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Have you ever noticed that your dog isn’t always the best at letting you know how they’re feeling, health-wise? Sure, that wagging tail tells you they’re happy, but what does it mean when they start sleeping longer, or not at all? What if they seem less interested in their food, or more interested in water?
These are the kinds of questions your vet can answer at your dog’s annual vet visits. Plus, routine vet care is the best method for preventing health problems in your dog before they arise. To help you and your dog get the most out of your next annual visit, we’re answering some common questions about checkups.
Our friends at Banfield Pet Hospital recommend partnering with your veterinarian to determine how often you should bring your pet in for comprehensive exams. If you haven’t had a chance to speak with your vet, making time for an annual checkup is a great place to start. Yearly visits help mark milestones in your dog’s growth while monitoring ongoing concerns or spotting new developments. If you haven’t seen your vet in over a year, why not schedule an appointment?
Yearly visits are a great opportunity to make a plan for your pet’s health — while spotting any problems before they get more serious. Plus, you may realize you had questions about your pet’s health, but didn’t know how or who to ask.
It’s also important for you and your pet to get comfortable with your veterinarian. Taking your dog to the vet when there are no pressing health concerns gives them a better chance of seeing the vet as a safe and familiar place to visit. (In the event of a sudden or severe change in your pet’s health, be sure to contact your veterinarian immediately, rather than waiting for your next scheduled checkup.)
Cost is a common concern when it comes to vet visits. You may be wondering, “How much is a vet visit?” Unfortunately, there’s no standard answer. Vet visit cost generally depends on your veterinarian, your location and what type of services they offer during your pet’s checkup, which can include a physical exam, routine bloodwork and vaccinations, and chatting about how your pup is doing and whether you’ve noticed any changes in them. A 2019-2020 survey found that dog owners paid $212 on average for yearly routine vet visits1; many vet offices charge a standard exam fee of $40–$60 with additional costs for other services and diagnostics.2
Some pet health providers, like Banfield, offer annual preventive care packages with payment plans so pet owners have the option to budget the cost over the course of the next 12 months. As with most questions related to your visit, asking your vet is the most direct way to find out.
Right now, IAMS is helping dog owners skip the cost of their yearly checkups altogether. All you have to do is buy two qualifying bags of IAMS dog food; then, redeem your receipts here and IAMS will pay for the cost of your annual checkup. Your dog gets to eat veterinarian-recommended food and you get to save money. Win-win!
Nutrition and exercise are two of your most valuable tools to keep your pet on track between vet visits. In addition to examining your pet, your veterinarian can advise on how much exercise your pet needs and the right diet for them.
In general, the best nutritional option for your pet is a consistent, balanced and veterinarian-approved diet that meets their individual nutritional requirements and is appropriate for their life stage. No one formula is ideal for all pets, and your pet’s diet may need to change over time based on their lifestyle, life stage and medical history. That’s why IAMS offers a variety of diets to fit your dog’s unique needs — all designed to help promote healthy digestion, healthy skin and coat, and healthy energy for your best friend.
Hopefully you’ve followed our tips for helping you and your veterinarian bring out your dog’s unique best by making good use of their annual visit. During the checkup, your vet will probably give you advice on things to watch out for as your dog grows, as well as some practical advice for keeping them healthy in the meantime. Follow their guidance and, above all, keep loving on your furry family member.
1 Pet Industry Market Size, Trends & Ownership Statistics. (2021, March 24). Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://americanpetproducts.org/industry-trends-and-stats
2 Banfield Price Estimator. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.banfield.com/Services/price-estimator
In the past, veterinarians recommended diets for senior dogs largely based on the nutritional management of diseases common to the aging process. Research, however, has shown that special nutrition can help manage body-condition problems in aging dogs, such as obesity and loss of muscle mass. Senior dogs also benefit from special nutrition to help maintain bone and joint health.
Learn more about how you can help your senior dog manage common health issues associated with aging.
Senior dogs tend to gain weight, despite consuming fewer calories, due to changes in their metabolic rate. Therefore, they can benefit from eating a diet with reduced fat levels and lower caloric density than adult maintenance foods.
Recent IAMS™ research in dogs also indicates that L-carnitine — a vitamin-like compound made in the body from the amino acids found in red meats, fish, chicken and milk — can help reduce weight in overweight dogs by escorting fat into cellular mitochondria where it is turned into energy.
Protein is the building block of muscle tissues. It is important for maintenance of muscle tissues, muscle strength and mobility. Recent research conducted by The IAMS Company has shown that senior dogs that eat a higher-protein diet better maintain muscle protein stores. By providing optimal protein levels from muscle maintenance, we can help senior dogs continue being physically active.
This research is contrary to conventional opinion that senior dog foods should contain lower protein levels than adult maintenance formulas to avoid progressive decrease in kidney function. However, senior dogs fed a high-protein diet had stable renal function and a lower death rate than dogs fed a lower-protein diet.*
During the aging process, cartilage between joints often begins deteriorating. Nutritional management can help maintain healthy bones and joints and mobility in dogs in several ways:
Some pet-food manufacturers have endorsed reduced levels of calcium and phosphorus based on the belief that excesses of these minerals are harmful to the kidneys. However, research has shown that no damaging accumulation of calcium or phosphorus was found in the kidneys of older dogs fed diets containing maintenance levels of calcium and phosphorus for four years.*
* Finco, DR. “Effects of aging and dietary protein intake of uninephrectomized geriatric dogs.” American Journal of Veterinary Research; Vol. 55, No. 9. Sept. 1994.
