You can call me paranoid or whatever, but I for years I have taken my dogs in once a year (twice a year when they got old) for a physical which included heart worm test and complete blood panel, total going over and every couple of years a chest x-ray.
Honey was "right at a year old" when we adopted her Dec. 7, 2002, making her getting close to 9 years old. She had heartworms when we adopted her and we had her treated but she has been negative ever since, her chest x-rays "beautiful". I took her in Thursday morning and once again, her chest x-rays were beauitufl, picture perfect according to my vet. But she did hae a little problem this time. Her liver is slightly enlarged and her liver enzymes were slightly elevated. He doesn't think it is anything to worry about, but he wants to "nip a possible problme" in the bud, so to speak.
He prescribed that Science Diet liver food for for her for a month and prescritption of l some meds for her liver. Also giving her milk thistle. I take her back in a month to get liver checked again and we will go from there. She may be almost 9 yers old, but she acts more like she is 9 months old. My vet said he wished more people would bring their dogs in for a yearly check where so manyt hings could be caught and treated early. Said to many times folks wait until their dogs are sick before brining them and sometimes it is to late, to much damage has been done to liver or kidneys, etc. Or it involves very expesive long term treatment to heal the dog.
Rickey knows that due to my vision problems I can't drive any more and hubby is on the road so much of the time. He told me that if jerry isn't home when it is time to do Honey's next test, he will come here and take the blood. How is that for a great vet!