Annual preventative appointments. An overview of an annual preventative visit for cats and for dogs has several similarities, the greatest differences being in the species specific vaccines or medications administered. The gold standard of preventative annual visits for both cats and dogs include the following a well documented and accurate patient history obtained by the veterinary assistant, a physical exam of the patient by the veterinarian, both CBC and chemistry bloodwork screenings, intestinal parasite screening and discussing prevention, heartworm blood screening dog only and discussing prevention, checking for fleas and discussing prevention boosters of vaccinations administered depending on the species and lifestyle of the patient and prescription or purchase of monthly flea and heartworm prevention. Now, let's explore the details of each of these elements of the annual preventative visit in the next lessons.