2011 AAHA/AVMA Preventive Healthcare Guidelines

Full guidelines (PDF)

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) have collaborated on the publication of new health guidelines for dogs and cats. Developed in response to startling statistics that indicate visits to veterinarians are declining while preventable diseases in pets are increasing, these guidelines are designed to provide the foundation for the veterinary practice team to promote preventive veterinary medicine.

The guidelines are a tool to help ensure complete checkups by providing a springboard for veterinarians to explain to their clients the importance of each step in the preventive care checkup, without being overly prescriptive.

Development of these guidelines was supported through an educational grant from the Partnership for Preventive Pet Healthcare.

These guidelines were developed jointly by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the American Veterinary Medical
Association (AVMA) to provide information for practitioners regarding the care and treatment of their canine and feline patients. The
information contained in these guidelines should not be construed as dictating an exclusive protocol, course of treatment or procedure.
These guidelines are not intended to be an AAHA or AVMA standard of care. AAHA and AVMA hope that you find these guidelines useful.