A wellness exam is the only time most pets see us in a calm year. It is also the appointment where most problems get caught — a heart murmur that wasn't there last year, a thyroid level drifting in a cat who has lost half a pound, a lump that wasn't a lump six months ago, a dental tartar progression that has crossed the line from observe-it to address-it.
We schedule thirty minutes for a wellness exam. We do not double-book. The doctor doing the exam is not racing through a backlog. The technician taking the patient history is allowed to ask follow-up questions. If the visit needs to run forty minutes because there is something to discuss, the visit runs forty minutes.
For most healthy adult pets, that one annual exam is the entire medical relationship for the year. We take that seriously. Almost everything we end up treating, we find at wellness — and the earlier we find it, the more options the patient has.
What's included in a wellness visit.
- Head-to-tail exam
- Performed by the DVM, not the technician. Includes oral exam, ophthalmic exam, cardiac and pulmonary auscultation, abdominal palpation, lymph-node check, musculoskeletal assessment, and skin/coat exam.
- Weight & body condition
- Recorded at every visit, with a 9-point body-condition-score and a muscle-condition assessment for senior patients. Trends matter more than single numbers.
- Dental assessment
- Visual grading of dental disease and recommendation for cleaning if indicated. We do not over-recommend dental work; we under-recommend it slightly, and we tell you why.
- Vaccination review
- Lifestyle-tailored protocol review. Your indoor cat doesn't need everything a puppy needs. Core versus elective vaccines reviewed annually.
- Parasite prevention
- Conversation about heartworm prevention, flea and tick control, and intestinal parasite screening based on your pet's exposure profile.
- Diet & weight
- Honest conversation about body weight, diet composition, and treats. We are matter-of-fact and unjudgmental. Most overweight pets are loved correctly and overfed slightly.
- Bloodwork
- Recommended annually after age seven; baseline once around age three. Senior panels include CBC, chemistry, T4 thyroid, electrolytes, and urinalysis. Results back within hours, most often same-day.
- Written visit summary
- Emailed to you the same day. Includes findings, recommendations, vaccine record, and any follow-up plan. We do not rely on you remembering what we said.
What does a wellness visit cost?
The office visit is $95. Vaccines, if elected, are $28 to $72 each depending on the vaccine. Bloodwork, if elected, runs $145 to $220 depending on the panel. A typical adult wellness visit with full vaccines and senior bloodwork runs $285 to $365. A wellness visit on a healthy 3-year-old indoor cat with only the rabies booster due runs about $135. We give a written estimate before any procedure and we do not charge for diagnostics you did not approve.
If those numbers are not workable for your household, the Adult Pet Plan ($45/month) covers two wellness exams, annual vaccines, annual bloodwork, and nail trims. See /wellness-plans for full comparison.
"The exam is the appointment. Everything else is downstream of catching the thing in the exam."
Lifestyle-tailored vaccines, not a one-size protocol.
Vaccines fall into two categories: core (vaccines every dog or every cat should have, regardless of lifestyle) and lifestyle (vaccines we recommend if your pet's exposure pattern warrants them). For dogs the core vaccines are distemper-parvo-adenovirus and rabies. Lifestyle-elective vaccines include Bordetella (kennel cough — for boarded or daycare dogs), Leptospirosis (for dogs who drink from puddles, hike with you, or live near wildlife), Lyme (for tick-exposed dogs), and canine influenza (for dogs who travel or attend high-density grooming or boarding facilities). For cats the core vaccines are FVRCP and rabies. FeLV is a lifestyle vaccine for cats with outdoor exposure or multi-cat households.
We do not recommend every vaccine for every patient. We re-evaluate the protocol every wellness visit because your pet's lifestyle changes. Indoor-only kitten becomes a screened-porch cat at age four. Sedentary house dog starts hiking the South Mountain Reservation at age six. These are the conversations we want to have.
The Fear Free difference, at this visit.
Half our patients are cats, and half of those cats have opinions about the carrier and the exam table. We have a separate cat lobby and a cat-only ward in the back of the building so feline patients are never in line of sight of a barking dog. We use Feliway pheromone in every exam room. We will pre-prescribe gabapentin (cats) or trazodone (dogs) for patients who arrive anxious — give one dose at home two hours before the visit, give a second dose if the visit is more than four hours away. Pre-medicated visits are quieter, faster, and gentler.
For dogs, we use Adaptil pheromone, lots of treats, and (when appropriate) the floor. Some big-dog wellness exams happen with the dog on a mat on the floor while the doctor sits cross-legged. Most dogs prefer this. So do we.
Wellness visit FAQ.
What if my cat hates the carrier?
Most cats do. We're a Cat Friendly Practice — separate cat lobby, cat-only ward, pheromone diffusers in every exam room. We can pre-prescribe gabapentin to give the morning of the visit; it makes the carrier easier and the exam easier. Ask at booking.
How long should I expect the visit to take?
Thirty minutes for a routine wellness exam, longer if we end up doing extra diagnostics. We don't double-book exams, so we don't rush. Plan to be in the building about 45 minutes including check-in and checkout.
Do I need bloodwork every year?
We recommend annual bloodwork beginning at age seven. Before that, a single baseline panel around age three is useful for establishing your pet's individual normals. Bloodwork is not required to perform a wellness exam.
Can I get a senior wellness package?
Yes — the Senior Pet Plan at $65/month covers twice-yearly exams, senior bloodwork twice yearly, annual chest x-rays, and blood-pressure monitoring. See /wellness-plans.