How often should you take your pet to the vet?

A healthy pet is a happy pet in the same way that we feel our happiest when we are healthy. The difference is pets aren’t able to talk to us (although we all wish they could) so a trip to their favourite vet for regular medical check-ins is important to make sure their health is still puuurfect.

The question still remains, how often should you be taking your pet to visit the vet? This number is not a simple once or twice a year, it all depends on the type of pet you have, the maintenance they require, and their age. While grooming can be done more regularly, and from the comfort of your home – a vet visit should be spaced out according to age and healthcare needs.

To help you stay on track with your pet’s wellness, here is when and how often to take your pet to the vet:

Up to 1-year-old

When you adopt a kitten or a puppy, they’re usually about four months old. During the first year of their life, they’ll need regular visits to the vet to receive their routine vaccinations and for a regular check-up every three to four weeks to ensure their health and development are on track.

Early adulthood

After 1 year, your cat or dog generally only needs to do a vet check on an annual basis for a physical examination to ensure their wellness and health are in check. Additionally, if needed, booster vaccination shots are given during these visits. Extra visits to the vet, though, should be kept in mind and taken when your pet appears to be ill, in pain, or injured – even if it falls outside of the annual visit – to ensure your pet is in good health before infection settles in wounds or their illness gets worse.

Senior years

Much like people, as our pets age, they require more care and attention. Vets recommend increasing the annual visit to a bi-annual visit – i.e., twice a year after your pet turns about 7 years old. This will help you ensure your cat or dog’s joint or physical health remains in good condition as they age. Tests more likely to be taken at these visits include blood and urine tests to check on the health of your furry friend’s internal organs as well as physical tests to ensure their coat, paws, and joints are in good shape and to spot any abnormalities before they worsen.

Vet visits can be pricey, especially when unplanned or unaccounted for. This is why it’s important to invest in your pet’s wellness as you would your own through comprehensive health insurance.

Oneplan Pet Insurance offers a range of plans to choose from to suit your pet's health care needs. Their plans include the Pet Accident Only Plan, Pet Hospital Plan and 3 comprehensive plans, namely the Primary, Classic, and Super Plans. All these plans are packed full of valuable benefits you can use and are budget-friendly, starting at R80pm.

A nifty little tool and value-add for pet parents is their Oneplan Pet Wellness tracker found in the Oneplan App, which helps remind parents of those important annual vet checkups during the life cycle of your pet’s policy with them, making sure you don’t miss a vaccination or dewormer and making it easy to know exactly when is the recommended time to check your furry best friend’s health.

Oneplan Pet Parents also enjoy extra savings they can use towards making their premiums more affordable when they shop monthly in their exclusive online premium Pet Store – accessing up to 25% discount* storewide on premium pet food brands like Hill’s, Royal Canin, Eukanuba, Acana, and more.

For more information about Oneplan’s PAWESOME pet insurance for South African pets, you can click here. To learn more about Oneplan’s pet insurance prices & plans, you can click here, and to get a quote or sign up online, you can click here.

This post was sponsored by Oneplan Pet Insurance and produced by Adspace Studio.