Your dog seems fine. They eat their meals, chase the ball in the yard, and greet you at the door every evening with the same tail-wagging enthusiasm. Yet the changes that matter most to their long-term health rarely show up in the moments you notice them most. A slight increase in thirst, a small shift in weight, a whisper of a heart murmur are the quiet signals that only a thorough physical exam can catch, often long before your pet shows any outward sign of trouble.
At Oakland Park Animal Hospital, we have spent nearly four decades getting to know the pets and people of this community, and that history shapes how we approach every wellness exam. Since 1987, Dr. Spencer Ratnoff and our team have built a practice where your pet is not a file number but a familiar face, and where we bring that same personalized attention to every service we offer.
A wellness exam is a comprehensive, head-to-tail evaluation designed to catch problems before they become emergencies. During a typical visit, our veterinary team checks your pet’s heart and lungs, evaluates joints and mobility, examines eyes, ears, and teeth, and discusses nutrition, weight, and behavior with you directly. We often recommend bloodwork and other diagnostics alongside the physical exam, giving us a fuller picture of what is happening inside your pet’s body.
The value of these visits goes beyond the appointment itself. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, a growing share of pet owners are declining recommended preventive care, and the most commonly declined services include diagnostic procedures and preventive care like vaccinations, often due to cost concerns rather than a lack of concern for their pet’s health. That trend matters because skipped wellness exams tend to shift costs later, not eliminate them. A condition caught during a routine visit is frequently far less expensive to manage than the same condition caught in an emergency once it has progressed.
Most healthy adult dogs and cats benefit from one wellness exam per year, while senior pets, kittens, and puppies typically need more frequent visits. Puppies and kittens grow and change rapidly, so their vaccination schedules and developmental milestones require closer monitoring in their first year.
Senior pets, meanwhile, face a different set of risks. Aging bodies develop arthritis, dental disease, and organ changes gradually, and semi-annual exams give us the chance to catch those shifts while they are still manageable. We built our senior pet care program around this exact need, pairing more frequent physical exams with tailored pain management and mobility support for pets in their golden years.
Every wellness exam here follows a consistent, thorough process, though the details of the conversation are always shaped by your pet’s unique history and your questions.
Depending on your pet’s age, breed, and health background, your visit may include the following:
We walk you through each of these findings in plain language, because we believe you deserve to understand what we are seeing and why it matters. If bloodwork or imaging reveals something worth a closer look, our advanced diagnostics capabilities let us investigate further without sending you elsewhere.
Yes. Birds, reptiles, and small mammals have different physiology than dogs and cats, and routine wellness exams for these pets require a veterinary team trained specifically in exotic species care. We know this firsthand, as our exotic pet care program has become one of the services families travel farthest to access.
If you share your home with a chinchilla, a bearded dragon, or a parrot, a wellness exam is just as important for catching subtle changes in behavior or appetite that could otherwise go unnoticed until they become serious.
Wellness exams for pets are one of the simplest, most effective ways to protect your companion’s long-term health. Whether your pet is a new puppy, a senior dog slowing down, or an exotic companion with specialized needs, our team has spent decades learning to read the subtle signs that matter and explain them in a way that helps you make decisions. We also partner with Cherry and CareCredit so families can finance larger procedures, like dental work or surgery, in a way that fits their circumstances.
If your pet is due for a checkup, or if it’s been longer than you would like since their last visit, we encourage you to reach out and get something on the calendar. You can book a consultation with our team today, and we will work with you to find a time that fits your schedule and a care plan that fits your pet.
Schedule a visit with our compassionate team and let’s partner in your pet’s lifelong well-being.
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