How Often Should a Dog or Cat Go to the Vet? A Guide by Age

Most healthy adult dogs and cats should see the vet at least once a year for a wellness exam. Puppies and kittens need a visit every 3 to 4 weeks while they finish their vaccine series, usually until about 16 to 20 weeks of age. Senior pets do best with a checkup at least every 6 months, and pets with a chronic condition often need more frequent visits. This follows the AAHA Canine Life Stage Guidelines (2019) and the AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines (2021).

The short answer

• Puppies and kittens: every 3 to 4 weeks during the vaccine series, until roughly 16 to 20 weeks old, then a follow-up around spay or neuter time and at the first annual visit.
• Adult dogs and cats: at least once a year, even when they seem perfectly healthy.
• Senior dogs and cats: at least twice a year, with bloodwork and urine tests as part of routine screening.
• Pets with a chronic condition (kidney disease, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, thyroid disease): as often as your vet recommends, which is often every few weeks to every few months.
• Any warning sign: do not wait for the next scheduled checkup.

How often should a dog or cat go to the vet at each life stage?

Life stages are not fixed birthdays. AAHA describes a dog's senior stage as roughly the last quarter of its expected lifespan, so a giant breed becomes senior years earlier than a small terrier. Cats are more uniform, which is why the feline guidelines use fixed age bands. Our dog and cat years to human years guide explains how aging differs by size and species.

Puppy vet visit schedule

A typical puppy sees the vet first around 6 to 8 weeks of age, then every 3 to 4 weeks for vaccine boosters until the series is complete at about 16 weeks or later. The full timeline is in our puppy vaccination schedule by age.

Kitten vet schedule

Kittens follow a similar rhythm: a first visit around 6 to 8 weeks, then boosters every 3 to 4 weeks until about 16 to 20 weeks. Kitten visits usually include testing for feline leukemia and FIV, deworming, flea control and a talk about litter box habits and play. See the cat vaccination schedule by age for which vaccines are given when.

Senior dog vet visits

Twice-yearly visits matter most in the senior years because many age-related problems develop slowly and without obvious signs. Kidney disease, dental disease, arthritis, heart murmurs, lumps and changes in thyroid function are all easier to manage when they are caught early.

What happens at an annual vet checkup?

A wellness exam for a dog or cat is a nose-to-tail physical plus a conversation about how life has been at home. Most checkups include:

1. Weight and body condition score. Small weight changes are one of the earliest signs that something is off, in either direction.
2. Teeth and gums. Dental disease is very common in adult pets and often goes unnoticed at home.
3. Heart and lungs. Listening for murmurs, irregular rhythms or abnormal breathing sounds.
4. Eyes and ears. Checking for discharge, cloudiness, infection or mites.
5. Skin, coat and lymph nodes. Feeling for lumps, checking for parasites, hair loss or irritation.
6. Abdomen and joints. Palpating organs and checking mobility, especially in older or larger pets.
7. Parasite prevention. Reviewing flea, tick, heartworm and intestinal worm prevention, sometimes with a fecal test.
8. Vaccines as due. Not every vaccine is given every year; your vet follows the schedule that fits your pet's risk.
9. Lab work when indicated. Bloodwork and urinalysis are commonly recommended for mature and senior pets. Senior cats are also often screened for blood pressure, kidney function and thyroid levels.

How much does an annual vet checkup cost?

Cost varies widely by country, city and clinic, and by what is included. The most reliable way to plan is to ask your clinic for an itemized estimate before the visit and to ask which tests are routine and which are optional.

Walk in with the whole history. PetVitals keeps weight, vaccines, medications and symptoms in one place and turns them into a PDF report for your vet, with a reminder before every checkup. Download on the App Store · Get it on Google Play

When should you not wait for the annual visit?

A yearly or twice-yearly schedule is for healthy pets. Call your vet sooner if you notice:

• Not eating for more than a day (sooner for cats and very young or old pets)
• Repeated vomiting or diarrhea, or any blood in either
• Straining to urinate, especially in male cats, which can be an emergency
• Breathing that is fast, labored or open-mouthed in a cat
• Sudden weight loss or gain, or drinking and urinating much more than usual
• Limping, reluctance to jump or climb stairs, or crying out when touched
• Hiding, unusual aggression or sudden changes in behavior
• Collapse, seizures or a swollen, hard belly (these are emergencies)

Cats in particular are good at hiding illness. Our guides on signs your cat is sick and signs your dog is in pain go through the subtler changes worth watching for.

What should you bring to the vet checkup?

Your vet sees your pet for a few minutes in an unfamiliar room. Accurate information makes those minutes count. Bring:

• Vaccine and medical records, especially if you have changed clinics.
• A list of current medications and supplements, with doses.
• Diet details: brand, amount and any treats or table food.
• Notes on changes since the last visit: appetite, thirst, energy, stool, coughing, scratching, behavior. Write down dates rather than relying on memory.
• A weight history if you weigh your pet at home. A trend over months tells your vet more than a single number on the day.
• A fresh stool sample if the clinic asks for one.
• Your questions, written down so you do not forget them in the room.

This is the part PetVitals is built for. You can set a vet visit reminder so the next checkup does not slip past, log symptoms and changes as they happen, and track weight on a chart that shows the trend at a glance. Before the appointment, export everything as a PDF report you can hand to your vet or email ahead of time. Instead of trying to remember when the limping started, you walk in with dates.

Do indoor cats need to go to the vet?

Yes. Indoor cats face fewer risks from fights, traffic and some infectious diseases, but they still develop dental disease, kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes and weight problems. Cats hide discomfort well, so the annual wellness exam is often the first time a problem is noticed. Indoor cats still need core vaccines and parasite prevention appropriate to their lifestyle; your vet can adjust non-core vaccines to their lower exposure.

How do you prepare an anxious cat for the vet?

Many cats skip checkups simply because the trip is stressful for everyone. A few changes make a real difference:

1. Leave the carrier out at home. Make it a familiar resting spot with a soft blanket and occasional treats, rather than something that appears only before a vet trip.
2. Choose a carrier with a removable top. The vet can examine your cat in the bottom half without pulling them out.
3. Cover the carrier with a towel in the car and waiting room so your cat feels hidden.
4. Ask for a quiet room or a cat-only waiting area. Some clinics follow cat-friendly practices and can book quieter times.
5. Bring a familiar-smelling blanket or item.
6. Ask your vet about anti-anxiety options if your cat is very fearful. Some cats do better with medication given before the visit, prescribed by your vet.

What should you ask your vet at a checkup?

Use the visit to plan the year ahead, not only to react to problems:

• Is my pet at a healthy weight, and what should I feed and how much?
• Which vaccines are due now, and which can wait?
• What parasite prevention do you recommend where we live?
• Do my pet's teeth need a professional cleaning?
• Should we run baseline bloodwork or urine tests at this age?
• At what age should we move to twice-yearly visits?
• What changes should make me call you before the next visit?

Building a routine that sticks

The schedule itself is simple: frequent visits for young pets, once a year for healthy adults and twice a year for seniors. What usually goes wrong is the gap between visits, when months pass and the details fade. A reminder for the next checkup and a running record of weight, symptoms and medications closes that gap.

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