Pet Preventive & Wellness Care in Burleson, TX

What Happens During a Wellness Exam

A wellness visit starts with a physical exam. We check your pet’s eyes, ears, mouth, skin, heart, lungs, abdomen, joints, and weight. We’ll also ask about appetite, energy, drinking, and bathroom habits because the changes you notice at home matter.

Based on the exam and your pet’s history, our team may recommend vaccinations, parasite prevention, bloodwork, urinalysis, or fecal testing. We’ll explain each recommendation and answer your questions. Please bring records from any previous clinic and allow about 30 minutes for the visit.

At V.E.T. Care Hospital , we provide wellness exams for dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, reptiles, and small mammals.

Common Questions About Wellness Care

It’s natural to have questions about wellness visits: how often your pet needs an exam, which tests may be recommended, and whether a pet that seems healthy still needs to come in. We’ve answered some of the questions we hear most often below. If you’re unsure what your pet is due for, call us and we’ll check their record.

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How often does my pet need a wellness exam?

Most healthy adult dogs and cats should have a wellness exam once a year. Puppies and kittens need several visits during their first months for their vaccine series, while senior pets may benefit from exams every six months. For exotic pets, the schedule depends on the species and their health; our team can recommend a plan for yours.

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What does pet parasite control actually involve?

Parasite control covers fleas, ticks, and heartworm, and the right approach depends on your pet's species and lifestyle. In Texas, year-round heartworm prevention is standard because mosquitoes stay active most of the year. We check a fecal sample for intestinal parasites during routine visits and recommend a preventive that matches your animal.

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Does a healthy pet really need bloodwork?

Baseline bloodwork tells us what normal looks like for your specific animal, which makes future changes far easier to spot. Our in-house laboratory and imaging equipment often returns results during the same visit. Kidney, liver, and thyroid problems in particular can develop well before an animal acts sick.

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Do you provide wellness exams for exotic pets?

Birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, reptiles, and other small pets benefit from routine exams. Because many exotic animals hide signs of illness, these visits can help us spot changes early. An exotic pet wellness visit includes a physical exam, weight check, and discussion of diet and habitat.

Why Early Detection Changes the Outcome

Pets can seem healthy even when a condition is developing. A cat with early kidney disease or a dog with a new heart murmur may show few signs at home. Parasites, including heartworms, can also go unnoticed.

Routine exams and recommended screening tests give us a chance to find concerns earlier, when there may be more options for care. Regular visits also help us track what’s normal for your pet and recognize changes over time.

Wellness Care Through Every Life Stage

Prevention looks different for a 12-week-old kitten than it does for a 14-year-old dog.

Puppies and kittens need a series of visits for vaccinations, deworming, and a discussion about the right time to spay or neuter. Our Puppy and Kitten Bundles help guide you through that first year. Healthy adult dogs and cats generally need an annual wellness exam.

As pets get older, we may recommend visits every six months to monitor changes more closely. Explore our full list of veterinary services to see how our team can care for your pet at every stage of life.

Young pets

Puppy and kitten visits include a vaccination series, deworming, growth checks, and planning for spaying or neutering. These visits are typically scheduled a few weeks apart during their first months.

Senior pets

For senior pets, we often recommend exams every six months, along with weight checks, pain assessments, and bloodwork when appropriate. These visits help us spot gradual changes in kidney function, thyroid health, and mobility.

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