Regular preventive veterinary care is one of the most impactful investments in companion animal welfare, detecting and addressing health problems before they cause significant suffering.
Preventive veterinary care is fundamentally welfare care — it prevents the suffering of conditions that would otherwise develop undetected into significant welfare problems. Annual examinations catch dental disease before it causes pain, organ dysfunction before it causes disease, and weight problems before they cause metabolic consequences. Vaccination prevents diseases that cause prolonged suffering when they occur. The economic case for preventive care is often favorable even from a pure cost perspective. But the welfare case is stronger — the suffering prevented through regular veterinary care is real and significant, and the barrier of cost to preventive care disproportionately affects animals owned by people on lower incomes.