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Wellness Care and Exams

Wellness exams to keep your pet healthy with routine checkups, early detection, and preventive care.

Wellness Exams and Preventive Care

Routine wellness exams are an important part of keeping your pet healthy. We provide wellness exams and preventive care to monitor your pet’s health, catch issues early, and keep vaccines and preventatives up to date.

Even if your pet seems healthy, regular checkups help identify changes before they become more serious problems.

Why Wellness Exams Matter?

Pets age faster than people, and health changes can happen quickly without obvious signs. Regular exams allow us to:

  • Track your pet’s health over time

  • Identify issues like dental disease, arthritis, or weight changes early

  • Stay ahead of parasites and preventable illnesses

  • Provide guidance on nutrition, behavior, and daily care

These visits also help your pet stay comfortable with routine handling and exams.

What’s Included in a Wellness Visit?

Each visit is based on your pet’s age and needs, but typically includes:

  • Full physical exam (eyes, ears, teeth, skin, heart, lungs, and joints)

  • Weight and body condition evaluation

  • Vaccination review and updates

  • Parasite and heartworm screening as needed

  • Dental health assessment

  • Discussion of diet, activity, and behavior

  • Bloodwork or diagnostics when appropriate

How Often Should Pets Be Seen?

  • Puppies and kittens: multiple visits during the first year

  • Adult pets (1–7 years): every 6–12 months

  • Senior pets (7+ years): every 6 months

We’ll recommend a schedule based on your pet’s age, health, and lifestyle.

Regular wellness care helps prevent problems and keeps your pet on track as they age. If you’re due for a checkup or have questions about your pet’s health, we’re here to help.

Plaistow-Kingston Animal Medical Center FAQs

There is no question too big or too small for our veterinary team.

Cats may stop using their litter box for many reasons, including behavioral issues like disliking odors in multi-cat homes or signaling that the box needs cleaning. Medical causes can include bladder infections, crystals, kidney stones, or chronic diarrhea. Senior cats may also struggle with boxes that are too high due to joint pain. If your cat suddenly avoids the box or cries out when trying to use it, it could signal a serious problem such as a urinary blockage and should be evaluated right away. The caring team at Plaistow-Kingston Animal Medical Center is here to diagnose the cause and help your cat get back to feeling comfortable and healthy.

Plaistow-Kingston Animal Medical Center must be sure your pet is healthy enough to receive vaccinations. Vaccinating a sick patient could make their condition worse or even be life-threatening! Depending upon your pet's overall health, your veterinarian may recommend splitting annual vaccinations into two visits to lessen the possibility of complications.

As with humans, preventative medicine and early detection are keys to health and longevity. Our pets age at a far faster rate than we do. Taking your dog or cat for an annual physical examination here at Plaistow-Kingston Animal Medical Center is the equivalent of you seeing your doctor or dentist every 5-7 years. Only a full physical examination by a veterinarian can accurately assess the health of your pet and identify potential problems. If you have a senior pet (6+ years), we recommend exams twice a year for optimal care and health.

It's usually hard to tell by yourself at home, so please call us and describe what you're seeing. Signs of illness can include a significant decrease in appetite or activity level, vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, sneezing, limping, itching or losing hair, or eyes looking abnormal. Signs of emergencies can include trouble breathing, trauma, bleeding, stumbling, seizing, difficulty delivering puppies or kittens, and many eye problems. Call Plaistow-Kingston Animal Medical Center immediately (603-642-9700) if you see any of these symptoms.

NH and MA state law (along with many other states) now requires that all cats and dogs be current on rabies vaccinations. If an animal is not known to be vaccinated against the disease and bites someone, NH and MA state law require a mandatory 15-day quarantine period. Additionally, if an animal is unvaccinated and bites someone, the state may require your animal to be euthanized and tested for rabies, and the owner can be held liable for any personal injury claims stemming from the bite. All good reasons to have your pet vaccinated against rabies! For your convenience, we offer both 1 & 3-year rabies vaccinations. For all other vaccines, Plaistow-Kingston Animal Medical Center recommends vaccinating your pet once a year (especially if they go outside at all) to ensure they remain healthy should they become exposed to any disease preventable through current vaccinations. For more specific protocols, please consult with one of our veterinarians.

Call Plaistow-Kingston Animal Medical Center hospital to receive a recorded message for the emergency hospitals we refer to. We typically refer to the Intown Veterinary Group.