ScreeningsThe right tests at the right age
Screening isn't about running every test on every pet. It's about running the few that matter for your pet's age, before symptoms show up.
What should be checked at each stage?
| Life stage | What we screen and why |
|---|---|
| Puppies & kittens | Fecal parasite checks (nearly universal in Miami's climate), baseline exam findings, and heartworm prevention started early because South Florida mosquitoes don't take winters off. |
| Adults | Annual heartworm testing, parasite screening, and baseline bloodwork so that "normal for your pet" is on file before anything changes it. |
| Seniors (7+, sooner for large breeds) | Twice-yearly exams with blood panels and urine testing, watching kidneys, liver, thyroid and blood sugar, the systems that fail quietly first. |
What's the free urine screening about?
Kidney disease is one of the most common and most silent conditions in older pets, and the earliest clue is often simply urine that's too dilute. That test, a urine specific gravity check, is free with qualifying senior wellness visits here. It costs us little and it has caught kidney disease early enough to change the story many times. That trade will never not be worth it.
Why screen a pet who seems perfectly fine?
Because "seems fine" is a survival skill: animals hide illness until they can't. Screening finds the kidney trend two years before the crisis and the diabetes before the collapse. Early answers are cheaper, kinder, and give you choices instead of emergencies.
Does my pet need every test, every time?
No, and we won't pretend otherwise. You'll get a recommendation matched to age, breed and lifestyle, with prices, and we'll tell you plainly which tests are essential versus nice-to-have. Estimates before treatment. Always.
Estimates before treatment. Always.