Annual visits are short. A bit of prep turns 15 minutes into a meaningful health review.
Bring this with you
- A list of any changes since the last visit — appetite, sleep, behavior, weight
- The brand and amount of food you're currently feeding
- Any supplements or medications, including flea and tick
- A fresh stool sample if requested
Ask about
- Vaccine schedule for the coming year
- Dental exam and cleaning needs
- Weight trend vs ideal
- Senior-care baseline tests if your pet is over seven
What senior baseline testing actually covers
For pets over seven, ask specifically about a senior panel — bloodwork covering kidney and liver values, a urinalysis, and often blood pressure. None of this is about finding something wrong; it's about having a healthy baseline on file, so if something does change next year, your vet has last year's numbers to compare against instead of starting from zero.
After the visit
Before you leave the car park, jot down anything you were told to watch for, any dose changes, and the date of the next reminder — vaccine booster, follow-up bloodwork, or a re-check on a lump the vet wants to monitor. Set a phone reminder on the spot; a mental note rarely survives a busy month.
Take notes — you'll forget half of what was said before you reach the parking lot.
