As a full-service animal hospital, our team at World of Animals at Bethayres, Inc. provide the full scope of healthcare to our patients; from surgery to dental care. However, the complete physical examination may be the most crucial of these services, because of the importance of preventative care.  These examinations at once allow us to identify risks for future health problems and health problems which already exists.  If your pet does have some kind of health issue, whether disease, injury, or any other condition, it will only get progressively worse with time.  Therefore, it is critical to find problems before they have a chance to fulfill this progression.Our team recommends that your pet receives a comprehensive physical examination on his or her very first visit with us (www.HealthyPetCheckup.org), so that we can establish a standard by which to measure all changes in his or her health, and identify any problems which could be present. Afterwards, we recommend following up with continued examinations on an annual basis, so that your pet’s health can be monitored, and any issues can be found and stopped early. For older pets, and those with certain medical conditions, more than one check-up per year may be necessary. The examination involves looking the animal over from head-to-toe, feeling for lumps and bumps both inside and outside of the body, checking for tooth or gum disease, checking ears, limbs, skin, and eyes, and listening to the heart and lungs for problems. Sometimes a rectal examination is performed as well. Some eye problems require a closer look using an ophthalmoscope. Ear canals may need to be examined with an otoscope.The examination involves looking the animal over from head-to-toe, feeling for bumps and lumps both inside and outside the body; checking ears with an otoscope to see down in the canal; checking eyes with an ophthalmoscope; checking for tooth or gum disease, and listening to the heart and lungs for any sign of illness.A comprehensive examination entails that one of our veterinarians inspects your pet from head to tail.  The doctor will check the status of the eyes, ears, skin, and limbs, feel for any lumps or bumps, examine the mouth to make sure that there is no tooth or gum disease present, and use a stethoscope to listen for any abnormalities of the heart or lungs.  In some cases, the possible presence of eye or ear problems may warrant scrutiny with an ophthalmoscope or otoscope, respectively.