Puppy & Kitten Care
Bringing home a new puppy or kitten is an exciting time for your family. Our veterinarians can help you start your new puppy or kitten off right.
Start on the right path
We have a full list of everything your puppy or kitten will need, and we’ll also use this time to discuss your pet’s health needs, vaccine schedule, and a discussion on diet and lifestyle.
Puppy Visits
Our goal is to make your puppy’s first visit a great one. Please bring them hungry because we will have treats to offer, or you can bring your own. Bringing their own food is also a good idea, so they don’t get too many rich treats. What to expect at your visit:
Exam: We will be checking for heart murmurs, umbilical hernias, dental abnormalities, ocular issues, parasites, ear infections, upper respiratory infections, joint abnormalities, and behavior issues.
Stool Tests: To check for Roundworms, Hookworms, Whipworms, and Coccidia. Tapeworms can be hard to find on our test, so please let us know if you see worms that look like a grain of rice. Please try to bring a fresh stool sample to your visit.
Dewormer: The CDC recommends deworming puppies every 3 weeks.
Vaccines: We will discuss our different vaccination programs to fit individual puppy needs.
Microchip: We recommend microchipping all puppies. We use Home Again Microchips. This can be done anytime or at the time of spay/neuter.
Heartworm Prevention: This medication needs to be given once a month for your puppy’s entire life as heartworm is spread by mosquitos. Your doctor will discuss the different options.
Flea and Tick Control: Different options will be discussed, depending on the pet’s needs.
Training: Puppy handling, training recommendations, and socialization will be discussed.
Spay and Neutering: We will discuss and decide when it would be best to get your dog spayed/neutered.
Kitten Visits
New kittens are balls of cuteness and we love to see them and play with them.
Your first visit with us includes going over kitten behavior, discussing litterboxes, food, vaccine schedule, deworming and checking for parasites, and discussing their prevention, and discussing whether you want to microchip or not.
The first visit includes:
1. Exam
2. Routine dewormer (the CDC recommends kittens be dewormed every 2-3 weeks until they are 16 weeks of age.
3. PLEASE TRY AND BRING A FRESH STOOL SAMPLE FROM THE LITTERBOX. PUT IT IN THE FRIDGE AND GET IT TO US WITHIN 24 HOURS. YOU CAN BRING THIS SAMPLE IN BEFORE YOUR APPOINTMENT IF YOU WOULD LIKE, SO WE HAVE RESULTS AT YOUR APPOINTMENT.
4. FELV/FIV test: If your kitten hasn’t already had one.
5. We will go over any vaccines your kitten has already had and discuss a plan that fits your kitten’s lifestyle. You will receive a kitten folder that includes various handouts on kitten care.
6. Discuss spay/neuter timing
7. Discuss heartworm/flea prevention