I can't really help but pull an OT ackkthually here - a lot of misinformation is being passed around the last few pages and I want to clarify for pet people/future pet people. YES your adult pet needs to go at least once a year, no questions asked. It doesn't matter if a 3 year rabies or distemper isn't due, your pet needs a physical exam, bloodwork (a simple CBC and a heartworm test is enough, we're not talking huge panels here) and a fecal test.
Just because a vaccine isn't due, does not mean you forego an annual.
At 7 years your pet is considered a senior, and it's then recommended for you to come every 6 months for a brief exam (usually about $10-20usd less than an annual physical) and a senior blood panel. The idea for yearly bloodwork and why it's so important to do them consistently as young adults is so that you can form a baseline for their values and have them on record. That way, when shit gets wonky in older age as it always does, we can stop the wonkification early when we see those values change slightly when we're doing them more frequently. This doesn't matter if you have a dog or a cat, indoor/outdoor, or which breed, it works the same way.
Vets shouldn't be renewing your prescription for monthly heartworm prevention without a yearly exam, either. There are VERY few places in the US that do not have an outrageous number of heartworm cases per clinic, I encourage any pet owners that haven't spoken to their vet already to look at
this map and check your area. It will either be deadly or horrifically painful for your pet and heartwrenching for you to go through the treatments to kill them.
And the fact some people seem to forget about needing a fecal check yearly makes me laugh, considering there are a few intestinal parasites they can pass to us, and they don't always just stay in our intestines
I get tired of seeing hickneck huns reeeee about Twinkie's nails and weight when they constantly spew out ret.arded "facts" about veterinary care to prove how much of a better pEt PaReNt they are. If you are that ignorant, it means you're not taking care of your pets, either, you simple bitch.
If you are too lazy or can't afford to take your pet to the vet under the real adult proper terms, you're an asshole that doesn't rate having a pet.