[kjc]

I usually ask for a general health check exam, the same thing they do before giving vaccines, and to address any concerns I may have. I make a list to take to the vet. I also request fecal exams, Heartworm, and Lymes tests, to be sure the HW preventatives are working, and as I do not vaccinate against Lymes disease, I feel it's important to check to make sure they don't have it. This is what I request be done, in addition to what my vet thinks should also be done, for each individual pet, taking into account that pet's age, activity level, and history.

After the hands on exam, I expect the vet to make recommendations if they have concerns about anything found on exam, usually they will want to run bloodwork or tests dependent on their findings, and on my ancient dog they run a senior profile bloodwork regardless, to really be able to access his health and to head off any potential problems.

This is where having a good relationship with one vet comes in handy, because the vet will tailor your pets medical care based on the pet's history, and if one keeps changing vets all the time, you lose that benefit to a degree.