Congratulations on your new puppy or kitten! The team at Animal Medical Clinic looks forward to helping you with this experience. Our goal is to develop a health plan for this youngster, and to offer you the best possible care at every stage of your new pet’s life. During our puppy and kitten visits, we will educate you on such important topics as:
- Vaccines required to prevent disease, according to your pet’s risk
- Parasite control and prevention
- Diet and feeding schedules
- Home dental care
- Bathing your pet
- House training, litter training and obedience training
- Socialization
- Spaying and neutering
- Microchips
- What to do in case of emergency
- Pet health insurance
- Traveling with your pet
- Licensing your pet
- Breed predispositions to disease
In the meantime, here are a few tips on how to care for your new puppy and kitten until we have the pleasure of meeting him or her.
Vaccinations
- Puppies and Kittens will need vaccinations every 3-4 weeks until they’re at least 16 weeks of age.
- Certain core vaccines are needed for all puppies and kittens. Others are recommended based on risk.
Nutrition
- Ask your veterinarian about the best diet for your puppy or kitten.
- Provide the nutrients necessary for development with quality food specifically made for puppies and kittens.
- No table scraps – they can lead to serious health problems, including obesity and pancreatitis.
Behavior
For kittens
- For good litter habits, provide one litter box per cat, plus one to spare.
- Developing appropriate cat scratching behaviors is important to establish boundaries.
For puppies
- Crate training can help with house breaking
- Socialization is very important for puppies age 8-20 weeks. They need to be exposed to other dogs, people, children, etc.
Identification
- Puppies and kittens are curious explores, but not always the best navigators in unfamiliar settings.
- Provide an ID tag and think about having your puppy or kitten microchipped.
Training and safety
- Curiosity and the tendency to chew can lead to serious risks.
- Remove toxic plants, meds, and foods.
- Provide chew-safe toys.
- Use electrical cord protectors.
- Good training builds the foundation for a well socialized puppy or kitten.
- Start looking into your pet health insurance right away. This will maximize your coverage by avoiding pre-existing exclusions. We will provide a handout for you to help you navigate the best options.
Complete Physical Exams
- We will do a complete physical exam to check for internal and external parasites and overall wellbeing. Our doctors will give specific advice tailored to your individual puppy or kitten.
- Things can change quickly with puppies and kittens, so our doctors will give them a good checkup with each visit.
Call to schedule your puppy or kitten visit today