Inviting a new puppy or kitten into your home is exciting and challenging. As a new owner, you want your puppy or kitten to have a healthy and happy start. The veterinarians of Lake Animal Hospital are here to assist you with all your new companion’s health care needs. If you have adopted your pet from a local shelter or rescue, we offer a free exam for your adopted pet’s first wellness visit.
Please bring any prior veterinary, rescue, or breeder records and pet health information to the first appointment.
Make a Healthy Start
Make sure to schedule an initial veterinary visit for your new pet within a few days of them joining your family. Your puppy or kitten’s lifetime of wellness starts with its first comprehensive physical exam.
The first appointment is a good time to discuss nutrition, immunizations, intestinal parasite screenings, and other preventive health care concerns. Puppies and kittens should have monthly exams between the ages of 8-16 weeks. These visits are important because they give our veterinarians an opportunity to assess your pet's overall health as they grow.
Vaccinations
The immunity puppies and kittens receive from their mother only lasts for a few weeks. It is very important that your new puppy or kitten begin their vaccination series by 8 weeks of age. The series of vaccine boosters that puppies and kittens receive allows them to build immunity against life-threatening diseases.
Intestinal Parasite Testing
We recommend that all puppies and kittens are tested for intestinal parasites. Parasite infections are very common in youngsters. These infectious parasites steal nutrients that are essential for your pet’s growth and cause discomfort and disease.
We will ask that you bring a sample of your new pet’s feces to the first appointment. Some parasites that infect pets can also infect humans.
Spaying or Neutering
Spaying or neutering your new puppy or kitten is an option to be discussed with your veterinarian during early pet wellness checks. An altered pet will have fewer health problems, a better temperament, and won’t contribute to pet overpopulation.
We recommend that you consider spaying or neutering your pet by a year of age for positive health and behavior benefits.
Microchipping
Each year, thousands of pets go missing, and many don’t ever make it home. A microchip is a permanent and reliable identification that can’t get lost, stolen, or damaged. A microchip is the size of a grain of rice, safe and simple, inserted at any regular appointment. Microchips can significantly increase the chance that your beloved pet will return safely.
Learn more about the benefits of microchipping at HomeAgain
