Animal wellness in practice

Veterinary medicine may once have been viewed as a largely reactive discipline, testing only when something seemed wrong. But just as human health care has shifted toward routine screening and preventive checks, there is value in understanding pet health long before illness appears.

As point-of-care diagnostic technology has advanced, practices now have faster access to high-quality insights that previously required external processing. Modern systems can generate reliable results in minutes while seamlessly integrating with digital health records. Because these platforms are cloud-connected, results become part of a continuous health record, making it easier to track baselines, monitor trends and identify subtle changes over time. This is particularly important because each animal has its own normal baseline, and small deviations can indicate early changes in health.

What’s ‘normal’ anyway?

In human medicine, we accept that a professional athlete and an office worker can have completely different “normal” blood values. The same principle applies in veterinary practice. Without an individual baseline, it is difficult to know whether a result is typical for that patient or an early sign of change. A creatinine value that looks unremarkable in one dog may represent a meaningful upward shift in another. What’s more, if testing only happens during illness, the results we keep on file are not a true baseline. This makes it difficult to judge whether future changes are meaningful

Wellness testing gives clinicians the context they need to interpret results with confidence, rather than relying solely on population-based reference ranges.

A more proactive model of care

Connected diagnostics are helping to make this shift possible. Platforms from Zoetis such as the digital microscope Vetscan Imagyst^®, the chemistry analyser Vetscan VS2^® and the automated complete blood count (CBC) analyser Vetscan OptiCell™ connect through the Vetscan HUB™ as part of the Virtual Laboratory, bringing results together in one place – giving practices a clear view of each patient’s health. Instead of isolated data points, clinicians and pet owners can see patterns and changes that build a fuller picture of well-being. This continuity turns diagnostics from a single moment into a living health record.

Ease of use is an important part of this progress. Technology only supports care when it fits naturally into the workflow of a busy clinic. Many of these tests can also be carried out by RVNs, as tools are straightforward to set up, run and explain. The focus at Zoetis Diagnostics is on systems that are simple to operate, simple to interpret and simple to share. When testing becomes part of routine patient care rather than an additional task, it is easier for the whole team to adopt and easier for owners to understand – ultimately contributing to a better understanding of individual patient health.

The impact extends beyond clinical insight. Integrated platforms support clearer communication between veterinarians and pet owners. When data is accessible and easy to explain, conversations become more transparent and trust grows. In a profession where time is limited and expectations are rising, this clarity helps build trust and ensures that clinical decisions are grounded in shared understanding.

The journey toward wider adoption of wellness screening is still developing, but the direction is clear. By combining baseline testing, connected diagnostics and practical technology, veterinary teams can move from reacting to illness to anticipating it. In doing so, they support better outcomes for pets and a more sustainable working environment for the people who care for them.

VIDEO: In this video, Abhay Nayak, President of Global Diagnostics at Zoetis, talks about the role of connected diagnostics in supporting earlier detection and more consistent patient monitoring. .