Why Rechecks Are So Important
Written by Shula Berg BVSc CertAVP(GSAS) GPAdvCert(SASTS) MRCVS
Clinically reviewed by Elizabeth McLennan-Green BVM&S CertAVP(SAM) MRCVS
When you visit the vet, they will examine your pet, prescribe treatment and often ask you to schedule a recheck appointment a few days or weeks later. Often, you may wonder if this is really necessary, especially when it means finding time to come back to the practice and, more often than not, a repeat consultation fee. Not all conditions require a re-examination, so if your vet requests this there will be a good reason. This may vary depending on the condition being treated, but can include:
Assessing if the condition is cured
The most common reason for a re-examination is to determine whether your pet is actually better. Some problems have an expected course of disease, such as kennel cough, so we may only request a recheck if your pet isn’t better in the usual timeframe. For other conditions, it can be difficult to tell if they are better or not at home, for example an eye ulcer that needs special stain applying, an ear infection that requires examination with an otoscope or cytology performing, or a urinary tract infection that needs urine testing to check for blood or bacteria. If we don’t identify that the condition is not resolved, the consequences can include ongoing pain or discomfort for your pet, increased cost overall, and sometimes even permanent damage to the affected body parts.
Some conditions have varying symptoms. For example, a dog that presents vomiting but stops the following day may have recovered, however if on repeat examination they are now dehydrated and have a painful abdomen they probably need further investigations. Often a recheck with a vet can catch problems early, whereas waiting for symptoms to show at home can make treatment much more challenging.
Deciding whether an extended course of medication is required
This is particularly important when antibiotics are being used. We should always give antibiotics for the shortest length of time required to achieve a cure, however if a longer course is required this should be continuous for them to be effective and create the least antimicrobial resistance. Finishing a short course of antibiotics, seeing that symptoms recur, then restarting treatment is much less effective. This will usually require a longer total course of treatment (as bacteria will have multiplied again while treatment was not being given) and prove more expensive.
Sometimes a condition has improved but not resolved at the time of a recheck. Your vet will know what degree of improvement is expected in a particular timeframe and be able to decide whether your pet simply needs more time, or whether treatment plans need changing. If required, medication doses may be changed or additional medications can be prescribed. The earlier it is identified that a first-line treatment is insufficient for an individual case, the sooner we can intervene to achieve a cure in a timely and economic fashion.
Recommending long-term management strategies
Many conditions we see that present as an acute problem are actually a sign of something underlying. The most common example is an ear infection due to underlying allergic skin disease. Although we can treat the ear infection, if we don’t address the skin disease the ear will continue developing infections and, eventually, develop chronic problems. The active infection is the priority and diagnosing and managing this should be the focus of the initial consultation, however at the follow-up appointment the vet will have more time to discuss other signs of skin disease and suggest further investigations or long-term management options to help control this and reduce the likelihood of recurrent infections. This is the case for many other problems that are likely to recur or persist, such as urinary tract disease (particularly in cats), lameness, diarrhoea, or pancreatitis, to name a few.
As you can see, there are several reasons that recheck appointments are important. They ensure your pet is treated appropriately, reduce suffering, and often help reduce overall costs. Conditions that are partially treated then allowed to worsen again are often much harder to resolve and risk causing more significant or even permanent harm.
If you are unsure why your vet has requested a recheck appointment, please speak to them directly. They will be able to explain what will be assessed during the recheck and provide an estimate of likely costs.
Disclaimer
Please note that the content made available on this webpage is for general information purposes only. Whilst we try to ensure that at the time of writing all material is up to date and reflects industry standards, we make no representation, warranties or guarantees that the information made available is up to date, accurate or complete. Any reliance placed by yourselves is done so at your own risk.
Page last reviewed: 13th December 2024
Next review due: 13th December 2026