When your pet is diagnosed with a specific health issue, we want to resolve it—so your pet can go back to living his or her best life.
Rechecks are often the best and only way to manage the problem.
Common issues such as skin infections, ear infections, and urinary tract infections are usually resolved with the right prescription medications. But did you know there can be many different types of these health issues?
That’s where recheck visits come in to save the day.
Why Recheck?
Compliance is an essential part of medicine, for pets and for people. Compliance means following your doctor’s or veterinarian’s instructions. It means doing the best thing for you and your pet.
Sometimes life gets in the way of compliance. But compliance is the only way to be in the best of health and happiness! And rechecks are an essential part of compliance.
Say Yes to Rechecks
We schedule recheck visits a certain number of days following your pet’s procedure or diagnosis. It’s easy to set up that crucial recheck when you check out from the original visit.
For surgery or dental work, a recheck visit entails a simple look at the surgery site or in the mouth. This ensures your pet is healing properly. Recheck visits after surgical procedures and dentistry are free! They are considered part of the original procedure. We simply want to make sure your pet is recovering well.
Rechecks after diagnosis are even more crucial.
Rechecks Mean Resolution—Peace of Mind
Say your pet’s ear is really bothering him. It could be an ear infection. But what kind of ear infection? There are many different types! Your pet’s ear could be harboring yucky yeast or bacteria, or both. Your pet’s ear could be teeming with any number of different strains of bacteria. Ear infections can be mild or severe, itchy, or extremely painful. Your pet’s ears may smell bad, or be red and inflamed.
How can we know how to help if we don’t know the exact nature of the issue? We can determine an exact diagnosis based on the physical exam, reported symptoms, and an ear cytology test, which is a gentle swab of the problem ear examined under a microscope. Dr. Grinstead carefully reviews all the information, makes an expert diagnosis, and prescribes specific ear medication with specific instructions tailored to your pet’s exact issue.
When you follow the instructions exactly, you are in compliance to help your pet’s ear infection resolve and your pet feel better. Hopefully, your pet’s ear stops bothering him after several doses of the medication. And you have continued to administer the medication for the recommended seven or 10 or 14 days because you are a great pet parent who knows the importance of compliance! Now comes the recheck.
The recheck is how we know your pet’s ear infection is truly resolved. A follow-up ear cytology will prove the medication has worked…or it hasn’t. Perhaps microscopic bacteria are still present and further treatment is necessary. Pet parents know pets can seem better, and symptoms can even disappear, yet their pets are still uncomfortable and hiding it.
Even if the diagnosis isn’t an ear infection but allergies, rechecks are still an important part of the treatment process to get that issue resolved the best we can. Pet parents know managing both one-off and chronic issues is essential to great health and happiness. Take advantage of the recheck visit to do that.
Rechecks offer a resolution. They give you peace of mind that your pet is getting better or truly healed.
Regular rechecks, as part of awesome pet parenting, got Sweet Pea back to her happy, furry self!
Now imagine the recheck is for a diagnosis of a urinary tract infection. Urinary tract infections can be even more complicated, and they are definitely difficult to see! Urine, examined under a microscope, will reveal which bacteria or crystals are causing your pet’s problem.
Antibiotics usually help knock out symptoms in as little as 24 to 48 hours. After a few days of treatment, your pet’s symptoms—such as straining to urinate, bloody urine, going in and out of the litter box—have likely improved.
Yet even after the full run of medicine, your pet could feel better and still have urinary bacteria or crystals lurking and waiting to explode back on the scene. We must recheck your pet’s urine to make sure the medication has worked, especially since different antibiotics treat different kinds of infections.
A follow-up urinalysis is the only way to do that.
The recheck is how we know what’s what and do what’s best for your pet. Hopefully, there will be nothing more to do! Because your pet’s issue has been truly resolved. And you are the great pet parent who has done something—the right thing, the recheck—for your fur baby.
A Note About What Rechecks Are Not
Recheck visits are not an attempt to diagnose more issues or get more money. In fact, we hope the recheck gives your pet a clean bill of health! Rechecks are simply the best medicine—what is best for your pet.
We are your other family doctor. We practice the best care and compassion. We promise rechecks matter.
We understand it can be inconvenient to get back to the vet for a recheck. And yes, rechecks are another cost. But it is crucial to follow through. It would be worse to have the issue come roaring back, which means more visits and more treatment, more worry, and more expense—plus more time your fur baby doesn’t feel well and isn’t his best self.
Rechecks are a crucial part of compliance. In a way, they are also essential to wellness and preventative medicine, which is the best kind of medicine. In our experience, rechecks actually save pet parents a lot of stress and money.
We know you want what’s best for your pet. We’re here to make sure you get it. Rechecks are part of the best care. So rest easy and get that recheck on the calendar!
