A yearly check finds the things a pet hides
Dogs and cats mask pain and illness well into the middle of it. A twenty-minute examination once a year is how most of what we treat gets found early enough to be cheap to fix.
12things checked in a standard consult
What happens
Weight and body condition
We weigh every pet on the same scales each visit and score body condition by hand. A trend across three years says more than a single number, so the chart is on your record before the vet walks in.
Heart and chest
Two minutes with a stethoscope on both sides. Murmurs, arrhythmias and the crackle of early airway disease are all audible long before an owner sees a symptom at home.
Mouth and teeth
Every tooth gets a grade against the chart on our dental page. Grade two is the point where a clean still fixes it and grade four usually means an extraction.
Skin, coat, ears and eyes
Ear canals with an otoscope, eyes for lens changes and pressure, and a run through the coat for lumps. Anything new gets measured and photographed so the next visit has something to compare against.
Abdomen and joints
The vet palpates the abdomen for organ size and pain, then moves each joint through its range. Early hip and elbow changes show up here years before a limp does.
Only on this page
What twelve minutes of examination actually covers
This is the checklist the vet works through in a standard consult, and the single thing each step is looking for. It is on your pet's record afterwards with a result beside every line.
| Step | What it rules in or out |
|---|---|
| Weight against last visit | Loss over 5 per cent with no diet change |
| Body condition score | Fat cover trending up before it is visible |
| Temperature | Low-grade infection and pain |
| Heart, both sides | Murmur grade, rate and rhythm |
| Lung fields | Airway disease, fluid, early collapse |
| Mucous membranes | Anaemia, circulation, dehydration |
| Lymph nodes, five sites | Reactive nodes and early lymphoma |
| Abdominal palpation | Organ size, masses, pain response |
| Full dental grade | The stage at which treatment changes |
| Ears with an otoscope | Yeast, mites, chronic canal change |
| Eyes and lens | Cataract, pressure, tear film |
| Joints through range | Arthritis, cruciate laxity, hip change |
A result outside normal on any line becomes a plan before you leave, or a booking if it needs a test we run in the lab.
Where you can get this
6 of our six hospitals, because the equipment and the people it needs live in those buildings.
What it costs
From $89consult
Wellness plan members pay nothing for two checks a year.
All consult feesQuestions we get asked
How long does a health check take?
Twenty minutes with the vet. Book thirty if your pet is nervous or if you have a list of things you want looked at, and say so when you book.
My dog seems completely well. Is it worth it?
A well dog is the point. Dental disease, early kidney change, heart murmurs and skin masses are all found in animals whose owners came in expecting to hear that everything was fine.
Can I bring two pets to one appointment?
Book a slot each. Two animals in twenty minutes means one of them gets ten, and the second one is usually the one we find something on.
Do you send a written summary?
Yes. The twelve-line checklist with a result beside each item goes to your email within the hour, along with anything we recommended.
What if you find something?
You get the options and the cost of each before anything is booked. Nothing gets done on the day beyond the examination unless you ask for it.
Book health checks
Available at Fremantle, Subiaco, Joondalup, Midland, Canning Vale, Rockingham.