Kitten
and
Puppy
Tips
First off, congratulations!!
Getting a new puppy or kitten is an exciting event for the whole family and it is important to plan ahead and be aware of the responsibilities that go with raising a pet.
Deciding between a cat or a dog may be as simple as species preference, preexisting housing conditions or time commitments. Other things to consider:
Puppies require a significant time commitment both with obedience as well as potty-training. The effort you put in while your pet is young often pays huge dividends when they are older with a well-behaved, confident, and friendly adult cat or dog. Young puppies should be taken to puppy kindergarten for socialization and instruction on potty-training. This typically is a 4-week course and often requires a bit of at home work/socialization. It's great fun introducing your new puppy to the world and watching the little one interact with everything!
Consider your housing situation: some dogs need larger exercise and home environments while some breeds are more prone to barking.
You will be the most important aspect of developing your dog's personality! Keep in mind, some dogs that were originally bred for certain purposes may retain those traits or may require more training to reduce those traits compared to other dogs.
Cats tend to be self-reliant - they often require little training on your part and typically make themselves right at home.
Please don't hesitate to contact us to ask about your very important addition to your family.
Pick your pet below to learn more
about what your first visit will involve!
Puppies
and
Dogs
Let's chat! We'll start by gathering a history so be ready to answer the following questions:
-
What food is your dog eating? We recommend breed-appropriate puppy food and that you follow the feeding recommendations on the bag of food.
-
How are your puppy's bathroom habits? Are you working on potty-training? Please be sure to bring in a fresh stool sample.
-
What is your dog's activity level, playfulness, etc? Puppies sleep a great deal of the day but when awake they should be playful, curious and very interactive.
Let's take a look! We will perform a comprehensive exam and will address any health concerns including:
-
The risk your puppy has of being exposed to parasites and what we recommend for protection.
-
The core vaccinations we recommend for all dogs, (rabies, canine distemper, and leptospirosis) and we will tailor a vaccination plan for your puppy based on risk factors.
-
The timing of your dogs neuter or spay, if still required, along with other elective procedures such as microchipping.
Once you get your new dog we'll be looking forward to meeting the new addition to the family and getting you all off to a healthy start!
Kittens
and
Cats
What's new? We start by gathering a history about your cat so be be prepared to answer the following questions for us:
-
What food is your cat eating? We recommend kitten food for all cats under 6-8 months of age and both canned and dry food for all ages. Always leave fresh water out for your cat.
-
How is the litterbox usage? Please remember to bring in a fresh stool sample. Generally cats know to use the litterbox but it's important to clean it daily.
-
How playful/active is your cat?
What's going on? We will perform a comprehensive exam and address any health concerns.
-
We recommend that all cats remain indoors and will discuss the benefits as well as the risks of the choice of having an indoor only or an indoor/outdoor cat.
-
We will recommend vaccinations specifically tailored for your cat including the core vaccines, rabies and feline distemper
-
Often we will recommend that we know or test the feline leukemia virus / feline immunodeficiency virus status of your new cat.
-
If your cat has not yet been neutered or spayed, we will discuss the timing of this as well as other elective procedures including microchipping.
A new kitten or cat exam is exciting for everyone, and we're always looking to make their experience as comfortable as possible!
The internet has both good and bad information - here are links to reliable websites: