How to launch and sustain twice-a-year exams for senior pets

Q Our practice wants to implement twice-a-year exams for senior pets. How can we convince clients, and what systems should our team set up to support senior visits?

A To launch and sustain twice-a-year exams, build a framework of senior care protocols, scripting for confident exam conversations, client educational materials, and service reminders with senior-themed messages.

Shift clients’ perception of senior care. Start with the “why,” not the twice-a-year schedule. Pet owners care about longevity and comfort. Lean into human-animal bond emotions. Explain how visits assess health and improve seniors’ quality of life, for example:

“ You’ve loved [pet name] for so many years. These visits help us address small concerns before they become serious and keep [pet name] happy at home with you longer.”

“ Even if [pet name] looks healthy, changes can happen in a short amount of time. Six months for a senior pet can be like multiple years for us.”

Normalize twice-a-year exams as the standard of care. If your team treats exams every 6 months as optional, clients will, too. Have your veterinarians define canine and feline senior standards of care, including exams, vaccines, diagnostic testing, and parasite protection.

Guidelines from the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), and Feline Veterinary Medical Association (FVMA) advise twice-a-year preventive exams for senior pets.¹ FVMA recommends that cats aged 15 years and older have veterinary visits every 4 months. Download these resources to define your protocols:

• AAHA Senior Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats: https://www.aaha.org/wp-content/ uploads/globalassets/02-guidelines/2023-aaha-senior-care-guidelines-for-dogs-and-cats/ resources/2023-aaha-senior-care-guidelines-for-dogs-and-cats.pdf
• FVMA Feline Senior Care Guidelines: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/ pdf/10.1177/1098612X211021538

Update service reminders for exams. If your wellness exam system currently generates reminders every 12 months, set up separate service reminders for adult and senior wellness exams. Annual adult wellness exams are for pets aged 1 to 6 years. Senior wellness exams are for pets aged 7 years and older and are repeated every 6 months. Consider segmenting seniors by species and breed. Giant-breed dogs weighing 90 or more pounds may be considered seniors by 5 years old. Cats are considered seniors between the ages of 11 and 14 years old, reaching geriatric status at 15 years.²

When creating text and email templates for service reminders, use senior-themed messages. Share the benefits of visits every 6 months, links to preventive care plans that support affordability, and direct booking to make scheduling easy.

Here’s a sample text for the first notice: [Pet name] needs a checkup by [date]. Includes exam, vaccines, early detection screen, and assessment of any health or behavior changes to keep your senior pet thriving. Book now to get your preferred date, time, and doctor. Monthly senior preventive care plans are available. Schedule online or call 555-555-5555.

Share preappointment education in confirmations. Five days before the senior visit, share a link or client information sheet about early detection screening (Figure). This prepares clients for exam conversations and lets them come ready with questions.

Craft senior-focused health questions. Use the same structure for online health forms and in-person history-taking. Questions prompt pet owners to think about subtle changes in senior pets’ sleep patterns, house training, skin, mentation, mobility, eating and drinking, vision, and activity level.

Send online health forms 2 days before visits and ask clients to complete and submit them 24 hours before their appointment. In the comfort of their home, clients can consider any subtle changes and provide insightful answers.

Replace “wellness test” with “early detection screen.” This language communicates why testing matters and helps reduce feelings of being upsold. The emotional tone shifts from “Do you want this extra test?” to “This is how we protect your pet from hidden diseases.” Early detection taps into prevention and peace of mind.

Make the invisible visible with diagnostic testing. Senior pets often look fine until subtle changes become serious conditions. Dogs and cats may not show signs of illness until 75% of kidney function is lost.³

Have a consistent, unified team message. Say, “We advise performing an early detection screen every year for all pets over age 7. Your 8-year-old golden retriever is 55 in human years. Pets age faster than we do, so changes can happen quickly. This screen works like an internal physical exam, checking organ function and looking for hidden issues before symptoms appear. Our senior early detection screen is comprehensive and cost-effective. This screen includes a complete blood count, thyroid function test, heartworm and tick-borne disease test, intestinal parasite screen, and urinalysis to assess hydration and kidney function. Our early detection screen is $___. Shall I collect your dog’s blood and urine samples now, or do you prefer to discuss it with the doctor first?”

This script works because it does the following:

• Replaces the wiggle word of “recommend” with “advise,” which communicates that testing is medically necessary
• Uses an age analogy to show how pets age faster than people
• Explains that the screen is a bundle of tests for comprehensive assessment
• Guides the pet owner’s decision with the yes-or-yes technique, offering to collect samples now or continue the conversation with the veterinarian

Share a simple, memorable takeaway. Clients will remember a sound bite, not the entire conversation. Wrap up with a focused phrase for improved adherence, such as the following:

• “ If we can catch it early, we can treat it early.”
• “ Pets are experts at hiding discomfort, so these visits help us spot what they can’t tell us.”
• “ Exams every 6 months help us stay ahead of age-related changes.”

Close with partnership, not pressure. End the exam conversation in a way that strengthens trust and has the client feeling supported rather than judged. When clients feel you’re with them, not pushing them, they’re more likely to say yes to care. Communicate empathy, shared purpose, and respect for the pet owner’s role. Say, “You’re doing a great job caring for [pet name]. We’re here to help keep [pet name] comfortable and happy for as long as possible.”

REFERENCES

1. Dhaliwal R, Boynton E, Carrera-Justiz S, et al. 2023 AAHA Senior Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. American Animal Hospital Association. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://www.aaha.org/wp-content/uploads/globalassets/02-guidelines/2023-aaha-senior-care-guidelines-for-dogs-and-cats/resources/2023-aaha-senior-care-guidelines-for-dogs-and-cats.pdf
2. The special needs of the senior cat. Cornell Feline Health Center. Updated December 2016. Accessed April 6, 2026. https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/special-needs-senior-cat
3. Barnes C, Weir M, Ruotsalo K, Tant MS. Testing for kidney disease. VCA Animal Hospitals. Accessed April 7, 2026. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/kidney-disease-testing