Well, personally for my yearly (Kodee just turned one, so his "yearly" appt will be around 16-17 mos old), I get the exam, and I know he will get his 1st heartworm test. I got him at 7 weeks old, and put him on heartworm preventative right away. He's been on it year-round since I got him. I will get his 1 year shots (just Rabies and the core vaccines, nothing else). I'll ask the vet to double-check his joints (I do this every time we go in for anything
I'm a worried mother!) If he were an indoor/outdoor dog I'd get a fecal test done to check for parasites, but he is a housedog, and is only outdoors on-leash or long-line. He doesn't eat poop or anything "forbidden" because I'm with him. So I'm not worried about worms.
After his one year check-up, I plan on doing vaccines only every 3 years (for all of the core ones and rabies). My vet wants to do yearly til he's 4 or 5, but I don't want him to get that many vaccs. JMO.
Also, once he's older, he may need his teeth cleaned every so often, so that's something that could be done in conjunction w/an annual appointment.
P.S. I forgot - how old is Chance? Is he a puppy or adult? One thing I did with my cat (before I had dogs), was just normal bloodwork once he got to the "geriatric" stage. I will do this w/Kodee once he turns 5 or 6, more than likely. I like to know that the bloodwork looks good once an animal reaches a certain age. You can catch things before they become sympomatic this way. Just my preference - I used to work for a vet, and I've seen so many health problems caught with bloodwork after an animal had symptoms. I'd like to catch stuff as early as possible. I don't mind spending the money for the extra assurance that all is well (kidneys, liver, etc). Just my 2 cents!
We go every six months and have the following done: weighing, basic physical exam, fecal, and a blood test for heartworm/lyme/ehrlichia.
In addition, we usually address matters or possible health concerns that may have come up since the last exam but didn't require immediate rush-to-the-vet treatment.
If any shots are due, we have shots done. We do the three year rabies shot and DHPP (not DHLPP), so we don't do shots very often.
He's only 13 months. His "yearly" will be when he's 18 months because of when we adopted him. Though I might go in early if we end up moving before then because I'd like a full health exam by the vet who knows him best rather than moving and getting a new vet to check him out. (Plus I'll need to get copies of his records to keep for when we settle on a new vet since we're planning on moving out of state) I'll probably get his shots because I'm only positive he has his rabies. The shelter said something about doing 4 or 5 others but I'm not totally sure if they did or not because I never got any papers about it or was really given much information. I decided not to do them at 6 months (When he was adopted) for two reasons, 1) I didn't want to get them twice within a day of each other if he did get them and 2) He was dying of Parvo, a vaccination wouldn't really help anything at that point.
And I'm trying to avoid needing teeth cleanings at all cost. I brush his teeth pretty much every night and make sure he gets chews to keep them healthy/clean. A few minutes of cleaning each night and spending a little extra on chews are nothing compared to paying to have him put under and have a full cleaning.
A forum community dedicated to all German Shepherd owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bloodlines, training, breeding, service dogs, and more!
A few minutes of cleaning each night and spending a little extra on chews are nothing compared to paying to have him put under and have a full cleaning.
