There are so many places to to find new pets ranging from private breeders to pet stores, backyard pets (barn cats, etc), shelters, and internet sites. Wherever you find your new companion, it is always a good idea to make sure they have had a recent exam by a veterinarian. You might be saying, why would I want to do that when it looks perfectly healthy? Well, I would like to share the stories of 3 relatively newly acquired pets by different households. Patient number one is a healthy, male kitten that was adopted by the owner from a barn in the Midwest. The kitten is having an exam prior to having surgery for routine castration. The people have had the cat for over a month. This cat ended up having fleas. Fortunately in our dry climate, the fleas did not become a huge problem. However, they do have another pet, so now they have to treat all the pets in the household. Patient 2 is an adult cat that was adopted from a shelter several months ago. The owner has several other cats and dogs besides this one. The cat was presented for a possible behavioral or health issue when it was discovered that this cat was infested with ear mites. Not sure whether the ear mites began with this cat or someone else, but now the owner will have to treat all of the cats and potentially the dogs as well. They live in a small area together, so concern of not treating one and having it keep spreading is a big concern. Patient 3, is a dog that was adopted a few months ago (circumstances of adoption not known). The dog is a young adult and has been scratching a lot recently. It turns out the dog has lice. As one of the other 2 dogs in the household has a lice infestation as well, it is hard to say whether the new dog brought the lice into the household or whether it might have been picked up from another dog or wild canid in the neighborhood. However, all three dogs in the household will need to be treated and possiby shaved to try and get the lice under control.
Would an initial exam have prevented these outbreaks? Maybe/ maybe not. At this point in time, we will never know. However, if one quick exam when the pets were first adopted could have prevented the spread of lice, fleas or ear mites, it would be worth the cost of an exam and the meds in my opinion. From the perspective of the pets, dealing with the itchiness and discomfort they have been experiencing is certainly less than pleasant.