Wellness Exams & Vaccinations
Preventive care for dogs, cats, and pocket pets in Overland Park, Leawood, Olathe, Lenexa, Shawnee, and the surrounding Johnson County area.
Why Are Wellness Exams So Important?
Routine wellness exams are the single most important thing you can do for your pet's long-term health. They give us a chance to catch problems early—often before your pet shows any symptoms at all—and to make sure vaccinations, parasite prevention, and nutrition are all on track. Most health conditions are easier, less expensive, and more successfully treated when they're caught early. As Benjamin Franklin famously said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
We recommend annual wellness exams for all pets. Puppies and kittens need a series of visits during their first year to build immunity and establish a baseline for their health. Senior dogs and cats benefit from twice-yearly visits, since age-related conditions can develop and progress quickly. If you notice changes in your pet's behavior, appetite, or energy level between visits, don't wait—call us to schedule an appointment.
Wellness & Vaccination Services
Thorough Wellness Exams
A thorough nose-to-tail physical exam covering weight, body condition, eyes, ears, teeth, heart, lungs, abdomen, joints, skin, and coat. We take the time to talk with you about what we find, answer your questions, and discuss any changes you've noticed at home. Your observations are an important part of the picture.
Core Vaccinations
Core vaccines protect against the most serious and common infectious diseases for which all animals are at risk, no matter their lifestyle. For dogs, this includes Rabies, Distemper, Parvovirus, Adenovirus, and Leptospirosis. For cats, it includes Rabies, Feline Distemper (Panleukopenia), Calicivirus, and Herpesvirus.
Lifestyle Vaccinations
Not every pet needs every vaccine! We tailor recommendations based on your pet's age, health, daily life, and expected exposure risks. Dogs who visit dog parks, boarding facilities, or grooming salons may benefit from Bordetella and canine Influenza vaccines. Pets with significant tick exposure and who travel to the northeast US may need Lyme disease protection.
Puppy & Kitten Wellness
New pets need a series of vaccine boosters during their first few months of life to build proper immunity. We schedule these visits to also cover deworming, fecal testing, nutrition counseling, spay/neuter timing, behavioral guidance, and anything else that comes up. Starting off right makes all the difference.
Senior Pet Wellness
Older pets have a different set of health concerns than our younger patients, and completing a thorough exam allows us to notice the insidious changes that can preclude significant issues. Catching age-related changes early gives us the best chance to manage them effectively and keep your pet comfortable for as long as possible.
Annual Bloodwork & Screening
We recommend annual heartworm testing for dogs and baseline bloodwork for adult and senior pets. Blood panels can reveal early signs of organ dysfunction, infection, anemia, and other conditions that aren't visible on a physical exam. For senior pets, annual screening is one of the most valuable preventive tools available.
How Does Preventive Care Keep Your Pet Healthy?
Pets age faster than people, and a lot can change in a year. A condition that's manageable when caught early can become serious, painful, and expensive if it goes undetected. Wellness exams give us a regular opportunity to assess your pet's health trajectory, adjust their care as they age, and address small concerns before they become big ones.
Vaccinations, meanwhile, are one of the most effective tools in all of veterinary medicine. The diseases we vaccinate against—Parvo, Distemper, Rabies, Leptospirosis, and others—are serious, often fatal, and entirely preventable. Keeping your pet up to date on vaccines is a simple, proven way to protect them.
What Does Preventive Care Look Like at Different Life Stages?
This is especially true as pets get older. A senior dog with early-stage kidney disease caught on routine bloodwork can often be managed for years with a diet change and monitoring. That same dog, undiagnosed for another year or two, may present in kidney failure—a much harder, more painful, and more expensive situation. The annual exam is what catches the difference. We recommend senior wellness panels for dogs and cats starting around age seven, and twice-yearly exams for pets over ten.
For puppies and kittens, the first year is when we build the foundation. A typical puppy visits us three to four times between eight and sixteen weeks of age for vaccine boosters, deworming, fecal checks, and a conversation about nutrition, behavior, and spay or neuter timing. Kittens follow a similar schedule. These visits aren't just about shots—they're a chance to catch congenital issues, establish a baseline, and answer the hundred questions that come with a new pet. We want you to feel confident about what you're doing at home between visits, and we're happy to spend the time it takes to get there.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Kris Pippin, DVM and Dr. Jill Baird, DVM—April 2026