What Your Vet Wishes You Knew.. Wellness Exam vs. Comprehensive Exam

When calling to schedule a "wellness exam," we have noticed that most clients have many patient concerns that need to be addressed when the appointment arrives. We want to describe what is a wellness exam versus a comprehensive exam. A wellness exam for a pet is a routine check up for a pet who just needs a regular check up and maybe vaccines updated. A wellness exam means your pet is feeling good and you have no concerns to discuss with the veterinarian. A wellness exam also means the appointment is scheduled for a shorter amount of time than a comprehensive exam because less time is expected when there are no patient concerns to be addressed.

A comprehensive exam is an appointment with the doctor to address any patient concerns or questions you may have. A comprehensive exam is for a sick pet or a pet with any symptoms such as, but not limited to, limping, ear issues, stomach issues or dermatology issues. A comprehensive exam usually means it is scheduled for a longer block of time with the doctor so that you and the next clients can have more time for the doctor to discuss the possible causes of the issues and run any diagnostics that may need to be done. It is important to mention patient concerns when scheduling an appointment for a pet because it helps the flow of the doctor's schedule for the day and helps you and your pet get the time you deserve while you are here. To have adequate time to talk about your pet's concerns with your veterinarian, tell the receptionist what needs to be addressed at the appointment when scheduling. Our goal is to answer all your pet-related questions and giving the receptionists a little info at the phone call can help us so much with that.