Once a year for most healthy adults, and twice a year once they reach their senior years. Puppies and kittens come in every few weeks during their first months, while growth and immunity are still moving fast.

Twelve months is a long stretch in dog and cat years. A routine physical exam for dogs and cats catches the slow changes, dental disease setting in, changes in labwork trend,, a few pounds gained or lost, while they are still simple to address. Cats especially hide discomfort well, and a yearly veterinary wellness visit is the best time to catch an illness in it’s early stages. This is the backbone of our preventive and wellness care program.

Everything that can be assessed with hands, eyes, ears, and a stethoscope, in a deliberate order so nothing gets skipped. The nose-to-tail examination is the part of the visit no lab result can replace.

Dr. Guan reads body language as she goes. A dog who flinches when a hip flexes, a cat who will not let her mouth be opened, a subtle head tilt: these are findings that sometimesredirect the appointment. Eleven years in practice plus Fear Free and Feline Friendly training means the exam works with your pet rather than the reverse.

Sometimes, and it depends on age, breed, medical history, and physical exam findings. We do not run panels reflexively.

Wellness bloodwork can be helpful in many situations, including:

• Establishing a baseline for a young pet for future reference
• Screening a senior pet for kidney, liver, or thyroid abnormalities before they become symptomatic.
• Monitoring a pet on long-term medication

We often get labwork results back within 24-48 hours, and our in-house laboratory can perform several diagnostic panels right away, in case immediate results are necessary.

The examination fee is straightforward, a cost estimate is offered for additional diagnostics and treatments, including vaccinations.. You should never be surprised by the invoice.A healthy three-year-old dog due for one vaccineis a different appointment than a twelve-year-old cat needing senior lab work. If you carry pet insurance, most policies treat preventive pet care differently from illness claims, pleasecheck whether your plan includes wellness coverage. We are happy to provide itemized estimates and discuss the reasoning behind any recommended tests.

Young pets come in every three to four weeks until roughly sixteen weeks of age. We stay on track with vaccination schedule, monitor their growth, and help you through any challenges of raising a puppy or a kitten.

A puppy and kitten wellness visit covers the essentials of a young pet, including:

• Vaccine series based on age and lifestyle
• Growth, weight, and body condition tracking
• Screening for heart murmurs, hernias, or retained baby teeth
• Planning for  spay or neuter surgery
• Coaching on diet, house training, socialization, and handling

We also use these first appointments to teach your pet that the clinic is not a frightening place. A puppy or kitten who gets treats and gentle handling at eight weeks is a happier and calmer patient at eight years.

We often recommend wellness visits every six months for senior pets, and screening becomes more active. 

Senior pet wellness screening focuses more on lab work, weight trends, behavior at home, and mobility. We also ask question such as how they handle stairs, have their water intake changed, are they sleeping normally. Those answers often matter more than any single piece of data, and they shape the geriatric care plan we build with you.

Pets are remarkably good at hiding illness, especially in the early stages., Chronic kidney disease, a new heart murmur, a small thyroid nodule, dental disease under the gumline, a small skin mass; none announce themselves at home.

Just as importantly, regular visits give us a clear picture of what is normal for your pet. When we already know your dog’s usual heart sounds or your cat’s typical weight pattern, we have a meaningful baseline if something changes. That continuity of care is central to how Thistle Veterinary Clinic was designed—and it is why the preventive health screening we do today can make such a difference in the years ahead.

Slowly, and on theirterms. Dr. Michelle Guan is a Fear Free Certified and Certified Feline Friendly veterinarian, and the whole team is trained to read fear, anxiety, and stress signals and adjust in the moment.

In practice that may look like:

• Letting a nervous dog settle on the floor instead of onto a table
• Examining a cat inside her carrier where she feels safe
• Breaking the exam into pieces, or splitting it across two visits
• Pre-visit anti-anxiety medication when it genuinely helps
• Stopping when a petl has had enough

Forcing a frightened animal through an exam leads to inaccurate exam findings and worse stressnext time. We would rather take two appointments and keep the trust.

Plan on roughly 30 minutes for a standard adult visit, and longer for a first appointment, a senior workup, or a multi-pet household. We schedule appointments thoughtfully so neither you nor your pet feels rushed. If your pet needs extra time, we take it, and make sure your questions are answered adequately.

Because you get the same veterinarian, the same small team, and a medical record that genuinely carries forward.

• Dr. Guan owns the practice and is the only veterinarian, so your pet’s history lives with the person examining them
• Dual Fear Free and Feline Friendly certification, applied to every visit
• Eleven-plus years in small animal general practice, plus internship training
• A small team who knows you and your pet by name.
• In-house and reference laboratory, digital radiography, and ultrasound, to get you answers the best way we can.
• Decisions made with you, not for you

Our veterinary services all run on the same principle: quality ahead of speed or volume.