When our Star of Texas Veterinary Hospital team reports that your pet’s screening test results are normal, you may not think much about them. However, normal diagnostic testing results can be just as valuable as abnormal ones because normal results reveal critical information. Normal wellness screening results can help:

  • Establish your pet’s baseline values — Serial screening test results establish your pet’s normal values, no matter whether they fall within the accepted normal value range.
  • Detect early stage disease — If your pet’s normal results change over time, an early stage disease process may be occurring.
  • Guide wellness care — Changes in your pet’s regular screening results guide our team’s recommendations regarding your furry pal’s diet, exercise, grooming, and more.
  • Verify that preventive care is effective — While vaccines and parasite preventive products are highly effective, no preventive measure guarantees 100% efficacy. Normal results mean that your pet’s preventive care measures are doing their job to keep them healthy.
  • Provide peace of mind — Knowing the effort you put into ensuring that your pet remains healthy is incredibly valuable. 

Our Star of Texas Veterinary Hospital team believes all pets are extraordinary in their own way, but sometimes, learning that they are normal is just as wonderful. Read our team’s three examples to learn how finding out your pet is normal can be fantastic.

Example #1: Your pet has minimal dental disease

The last time your pet cuddled up close, you were horrified by their breath odor. Taking a peek in their mouth, you spotted bright-red gums and brown and yellow buildup on their teeth. If your pet has these dental disease signs, you know you need to schedule your pet’s professional dental cleaning and double down on at-home care.

After your furry pal’s professional dental cleaning, you did your best to preserve their minty fresh breath and sparkling smile by patiently teaching your pet to accept daily toothbrushing with the reward of poultry-flavored toothpaste. You gave your furry pal treats and chews bearing the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC’s) seal of acceptance. In addition, you threw away the antlers, hooves, and bones your pet loved to chew, and provided your four-legged friend with healthy alternatives.

At your pet’s next wellness visit, you waited with anticipation while Dr. Alexander conducted her exam. As she peered inside your furry pal’s mouth, she exclaimed with delight over the normal appearance inside. Pink, healthy gums and shiny white teeth, with minimal tartar accumulation were the results of your sweet pet’s tolerance and all your hard work. You breathed a sigh of relief knowing that your efforts paid off to help your four-legged friend maintain good oral health.

Example #2: Your pet receives normal parasite screening results

At your pet’s wellness visit, our Star of Texas Veterinary Hospital team will conduct a fecal exam and vector-borne screening tests. A fecal exam identifies intestinal parasites, such as roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms. Vector-borne illnesses are those mosquitoes and ticks transmit and can include heartworm disease, Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis. These parasitic infections can result in serious illness that can ultimately prove fatal to extremely young, weak, or untreated pets.

When your pet’s parasite screening results are normal, no infection is present. This information verifies that you are administering your pet’s parasite prevention correctly and that the medicine is effective. When our team confirms that your pet is parasite-free, your furry pal can attend daycare and have playdates with other pets. In addition, you know you can snuggle on the sofa with your pet without fear of contracting intestinal parasites.

Example #3: Your pet’s body condition score is five on a nine-point scale

After your pet had reached their adult size, they continued to grow, eventually reaching a body condition score of eight on a nine-point scale, indicating that your furry pal was carrying too much weight and had an increased risk for developing numerous health problems such as chronic skin and urinary infections and cancer.

Determined to help your pet reach and maintain their ideal weight, you began a carefully calculated diet and exercise regimen. Over time, you noticed a visible difference in your pet’s body conformation as they lost weight. At their next wellness visit, you and your pet were rewarded with the wonderful news! Your four-legged friend’s body condition score was five on a nine-point scale, which is ideal. 

With the news that your pet’s weight and body condition score were normal, you were able to rest easy, knowing that your furry pal had reduced their risk of developing serious health problems. Being told your pet was normal was the best news for which you could have hoped.

No matter how normal your pet appears, when they need their annual wellness visit, schedule their appointment with our Star of Texas Veterinary Hospital team.