Pet wellness exams in Flemington, NJ
The one visit that has nothing to do with something being wrong, and the one that finds problems while they are still small.
The visit that finds problems while they are small
A wellness exam is how the doctors at Clover Hill Animal Hospital get to know your dog or cat while they are healthy, so that when something changes we notice it early and have a baseline to compare against. Most of the conditions we manage well in older pets, from early kidney disease to dental disease to arthritis, were first picked up at a routine exam, often before the pet showed any sign at home.
Wellness is the center of how we practice, not a box to tick between sick visits. Every doctor on our team sees dogs and cats for routine care, and you are welcome to request a particular doctor when you book.
Clover Hill provides complete wellness care for dogs and cats in Flemington: annual and twice-yearly senior exams, tailored vaccines, heartworm, tick-borne disease and fecal screening, annual wellness blood work, and nutrition and dental guidance, with home wellness exams and feline-only exam rooms for pets who find the clinic hard.
- 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, never before
- Feline-only exam rooms and Fear Free handling
- Home wellness exams available for anxious or elderly pets
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.
Clover Hill recommendationWhat sets our wellness care apart
Lifestyle-matched vaccines
Core vaccines for every pet; Lyme, lepto, Bordetella, influenza and FeLV only where the exposure is real.
Annual wellness blood work
A yearly baseline that catches kidney, thyroid and liver disease, diabetes and infections earlier.
Cat-friendly by design
Separate feline-only exam rooms and Fear Free protocols, so cats are calm enough to examine properly.
Wellness exams at home
For pets who find the car or the waiting room harder than the exam itself, we come to you.
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. See puppy and kitten care.
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. See senior pet care.
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.
Two things most hospitals in the area do not offer
Home wellness exams
For dogs and cats who are anxious, elderly, or simply easier to handle at home, we offer home wellness exams, where we come to you for the routine visit.
Separate feline-only exam rooms
Our feline-only exam rooms keep cats away from the sight, sound and smell of dogs, which makes a real difference to how calm a cat is when we examine them. The whole team uses low-stress handling.
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 Clover Hill
Every veterinarian on our team sees dogs and cats for wellness exams. You are welcome to request a particular doctor when you book.
Dr. Christy Artuso
Dr. Chelsey Smentkowski
Dr. Ann Ascher
Dr. Jamie Abato
Wellness care close to home
Clover Hill Animal Hospital is at 240 US 202, Flemington, NJ 08822, a short drive from Ringoes, Three Bridges, Readington, Hillsborough, Neshanic Station, Stockton, Lambertville, East Amwell and Delaware Township.
Monday–Thursday: 8AM–7PM
Friday: 8AM–5PM
Saturday: 8AM–12PM (medication pick-up)
Weekend appointments for our clients are seen Saturday and Sunday, 8 AM to 4 PM, at our sister hospital Hunterdon Hills Animal Hospital in Whitehouse Station. Call our regular number to book one.
Wellness exam questions
How much does a pet wellness exam cost?
The exam fee covers your veterinarian's examination and consultation. What varies is what your pet needs on the day: vaccines that are due, the annual heartworm and tick screen, a fecal test, and annual wellness blood work. We give you an itemized estimate before anything beyond the exam is done. Call or text us at (908) 806-4525 and we can talk through what your pet is likely to need.
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 you see my pet on a weekend?
Saturday and Sunday appointments for Clover Hill clients are seen at Hunterdon Hills Animal Hospital in Whitehouse Station, 8 AM to 4 PM. Call our regular number and our team will schedule it, and your records come straight back to Clover Hill.
Can the wellness exam be done at home?
Yes. Ask about a home wellness exam when you book. It suits anxious pets, elderly pets and multi-pet households.
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. If you are new to Clover Hill, tell us and we will allow extra time to go through your pet's history.