Pet wellness exams in Lebanon, NJ
The foundation of everything else we do: a full exam while your pet is healthy, backed by internal medicine and oncology if anything needs a closer look.
The visit that finds problems while they are small
The wellness exam is where your veterinarian examines your dog or cat when nothing is wrong, records what normal looks like for that individual animal, and plans the vaccines, parasite prevention and screening that keep it that way. When we do find something at a later visit, that record of normal is what tells us how much has changed and how quickly.
South Branch is a full-service hospital on Route 31 South in Lebanon. Because we also offer internal medicine and on-site oncology, our wellness exams are backed by a level of diagnostic depth a routine visit does not usually have access to. If an exam turns up something that needs a closer look, it can very often be worked up here, by the same team, rather than referred out.
South Branch provides complete wellness care for dogs and cats in Lebanon and Clinton Township: annual and twice-yearly senior exams, lifestyle-matched vaccines, heartworm, tick-borne disease and fecal screening, annual wellness blood work, and house-call wellness visits, with internal medicine and oncology on site for anything the exam finds.
- Full nose-to-tail exam with weight, dental grade and lumps recorded year over year
- Annual wellness blood work, 4Dx heartworm and tick-borne disease test and fecal exam, collected at the visit and sent to our reference laboratory
- Vaccines matched to your pet's lifestyle, given after the exam
- House calls for routine exams, vaccines and sample collection at home
- Internal medicine and on-site oncology if the exam finds something
Why preventive care is not optional
How often the American Heartworm Society says every dog should be tested for heartworm.
American Heartworm SocietyHow long heartworm preventive should be given. Mosquito season in New Jersey is not predictable enough to skip months.
American Heartworm SocietyHeartworm disease has been diagnosed in every US state, including New Jersey.
American Heartworm SocietyOf US dogs and cats respectively were overweight or obese in the most recent national survey. Weight is checked at every wellness exam.
Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, 2022Most dogs and cats already show signs of periodontal disease. The wellness exam is where it is graded and tracked.
American Veterinary Medical AssociationOur recommended interval between wellness exams: yearly for healthy adults, every six months for seniors.
South Branch recommendationWhat sets our wellness care apart
Depth behind the exam
In-house laboratory, digital radiology and ultrasound, plus internal medicine and oncology, so findings are worked up here.
Lifestyle-matched vaccines
A dog who hikes Round Valley and Spruce Run has different tick and lepto risk than one who walks the block. We vaccinate accordingly.
Fear Free handling
Our team uses low-stress handling throughout the hospital.
Wellness at home
House calls for anxious pets, multi-pet households and owners who find travel difficult.
When to bring your pet in sooner
The wellness exam is the scheduled visit. These are the changes at home that mean you should not wait for it.
An early sign of kidney disease, diabetes or thyroid disease. Worth a visit and blood work before the next scheduled exam.
Gain or loss of more than a few percent between visits usually has a medical cause.
Often a sign of dental pain or infection. Book a visit rather than waiting for the next wellness exam.
Most are benign. All should be measured, and many should be sampled.
Often early arthritis, which is very manageable when caught early.
Can signal heart or lung disease. Call the same day.
Do not wait for the next wellness exam.
Pets mask pain. A behavior change is often the only clue.
What to expect at a wellness exam
History and your questions
What has changed since the last visit: appetite, thirst, energy, bathroom habits, lumps, limping, itching, behavior.
Nose-to-tail physical exam
Eyes, ears, mouth and teeth, heart and lungs, abdomen, skin and lumps, lymph nodes, joints and gait, weight and body condition.
Screening and vaccines
Annual wellness blood work, the heartworm and tick-borne disease blood test and a fecal exam, plus any vaccines that are due, given after the exam.
Plan and estimate
A clear explanation of what was found, what is recommended and why, with an itemized estimate before anything beyond the exam is done.
We recommend wellness blood work every year. It gives us a baseline of what is normal for your pet and catches problems earlier, such as kidney disease, thyroid disease, diabetes, Cushing's disease, infections and liver disease, and it is collected alongside the heartworm, tick-borne disease and fecal tests. At the wellness visit we take samples for a 4Dx blood test on dogs, which screens for heartworm plus Lyme, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis in one small sample, and a fecal exam on dogs and cats for roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, giardia and other intestinal parasites, several of which can pass to people. Routine samples go to an outside reference laboratory; when a pet is sick or the case is urgent, we run tests in-house. A current fecal test is also what allows us to prescribe your pet's monthly preventive. Because tick and mosquito activity follows the weather rather than the calendar, we recommend year-round flea, tick and heartworm prevention. Read more about heartworm and parasite screening and vaccinations.
Wellness care by species and life stage
Dogs Annual exam from age 1
Adult dogs are examined yearly, with wellness blood work, a 4Dx heartworm and tick-borne disease test, a fecal exam, weight and dental grading, and vaccines matched to lifestyle. Dogs who hike, board or visit daycare have different vaccine and parasite needs from dogs who stay close to home.
Cats Annual exam, indoor or outdoor
Cats hide illness until it is advanced, which makes the yearly exam more important, not less. Dental disease, kidney disease, hyperthyroidism and obesity are all common in cats and all are found earlier at a routine exam and yearly blood work than at home. Rabies vaccination is recommended for indoor cats too.
A visit every three to four weeks for the vaccine and deworming series, with a check of growth, nutrition and socialization at each one, then a visit around six months to plan spay or neuter.
One wellness exam a year, with wellness blood work, the annual parasite screen and vaccines as they fall due. This is when a baseline of normal weight, dental grade and blood values is built.
Every six months, usually with blood work and urinalysis. Kidney, thyroid, heart and joint disease progress quickly in older pets and are far easier to manage when caught at a routine visit.
Giant breeds reach senior status earlier, around five or six. Brachycephalic dogs and cats need closer attention to breathing, weight and dental crowding at every exam.
House calls for routine care
Routine exams in your home
For pets who are anxious in the car or the clinic, for households with several animals, or for owners who find travel difficult, South Branch offers house calls. A wellness exam, vaccines and blood and stool collection can all be done at home, with anything that needs the hospital's equipment scheduled as a follow-up.
Pain and comfort in older pets
Arthritis and comfort in older dogs and cats get proper attention at the wellness visit rather than being written off as slowing down.
What you can do at home
The wellness exam is once or twice a year. These six habits are what make the other 363 days count.
Keep a stable weight
Weigh your pet monthly if you can, and learn to feel for ribs and a waist. Weight is the most common preventable health problem we see and it affects joints, heart and lifespan.
Brush teeth, or the next best thing
Daily brushing with a pet-safe toothpaste is the standard. Dental chews with the VOHC seal, dental diets or water additives are the fallback for pets who will not tolerate a brush.
Stay on prevention all year
Give flea, tick and heartworm preventive every month, all twelve months. A warm week in February is enough to bring ticks out in Hunterdon County.
Bring a stool sample
A fresh sample (within 24 hours, refrigerated is fine) means it can go to the lab with the rest of your pet's samples, without a second trip.
Know your pet's normal
Note how much they eat and drink, how often they urinate, and how far they walk comfortably. Changes in these are the earliest signs of most chronic disease.
Film anything odd
A ten-second phone video of a cough, a limp or a strange episode at home is usually more useful to your veterinarian than a description.
The veterinarians at South Branch
Every veterinarian on our team sees dogs and cats for wellness exams. You are welcome to request a particular doctor when you book.
Dr. Elizabeth Pope
Dr. Meredith Schepp
Dr. Emily Denning
Dr. Jamie Ulassin
Dr. Victoria Blake
Wellness care close to home
South Branch Veterinary Services is at 1127 Route 31 South, Lebanon, NJ 08833, a short drive from Clinton, Annandale, High Bridge, Glen Gardner, Califon, Whitehouse Station, Readington, Hampton and Flemington.
Monday - Thursday: 8AM - 7PM
Friday: 8AM - 5PM
Saturday: 8AM - 12PM (medication pick-up)
Wellness exam questions
How much does a wellness exam cost?
The exam fee covers your veterinarian's examination and consultation. The total depends on what your pet is due for: vaccines, the annual heartworm and tick screen, a fecal test, and annual wellness blood work. You will get an itemized estimate before anything beyond the exam is done. Call or text (908) 735-9998 if you would like a sense of the likely cost ahead of your visit.
Does my indoor cat really need a yearly exam?
Yes. Indoor cats still develop dental disease, kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, obesity and arthritis, and cats hide all of them until they are advanced. The annual exam and yearly blood work are often the only way these are found early. Rabies vaccination is also recommended for indoor cats, since bats do get into houses.
Why do you recommend blood work every year if my pet seems healthy?
Because much of what it finds does not show on the outside at first. Yearly wellness blood work gives us a baseline of what is normal for your pet and catches problems earlier, such as kidney disease, endocrine diseases like thyroid disease, diabetes and Cushing's disease, infections and liver disease, often before your pet shows any sign at home. It is collected at the same visit as the heartworm, tick-borne disease and fecal tests.
What should I bring to the appointment?
A fresh stool sample if you can, a list of any medications and supplements your pet takes including the flea, tick and heartworm products you use, the brand and amount of food they eat, and records from previous veterinarians if this is your first visit with us. A short phone video of anything you have noticed at home is often more useful than a description.
Is a wellness exam the same as a vaccine appointment?
Vaccines are given during a wellness exam, but the exam is the point. A vaccine visit without an examination misses the lump, the heart murmur or the sore tooth that the vaccine has nothing to do with. Our veterinarians examine your pet before administering any vaccine.
My pet seems perfectly healthy. Can I skip a year?
We would rather you did not, particularly for pets over seven. The value of a wellness exam is highest exactly when your pet seems fine, because that is when a problem is small enough to fix easily. It is also when we record the normal weight, blood values and dental grade that let us recognize an abnormal one later.
Which vaccines does my pet actually need?
Core vaccines, rabies and the distemper-parvovirus combination for dogs and rabies and FVRCP for cats, are recommended for every pet, and rabies vaccination is required for dog licensing in New Jersey. Lifestyle vaccines such as Lyme, leptospirosis, Bordetella, canine influenza and feline leukemia depend on where your pet goes and what they are exposed to. Your veterinarian will build a schedule for your individual pet rather than a standard list.
Can the wellness exam be done at home?
Yes. Ask about a house call when you book. Routine exams, vaccines and blood and stool collection can all be done in your home.
What if the exam finds something?
That is the point of the exam. Most findings are minor and are handled the same day. Where a problem needs further work-up, South Branch has an in-house laboratory, digital radiology and ultrasound, and internal medicine and on-site oncology, so your pet can usually be investigated here by the team that already knows them.
Care that works together
Part of the Symbios network
A family of 6 neighborhood animal hospitals across New Jersey, every one 100% independently and family owned. Each is rooted in its own community and run by its own doctors and front desk team, with colleagues across the family comparing notes behind the scenes. Specialists, extended weekend hours, and shared records are all just down the road.
The personal touch of your neighborhood hospital, with a whole family of doctors behind it.
Ready to book a wellness exam?
Call or text us, or book online through the client portal. New clients are always welcome; let us know it is your first visit and we will allow extra time.