Just for Kids: Your Puppy’s First Visit to the Veterinarian

When you bring your puppy home, you will want to play with him before anything else. But then as soon as possible you should take him on his first visit to his new veterinarian. In fact, as soon as you know when you are going to pick up your puppy, have your mom schedule an appointment. This is the first and best step in caring for your puppy's health.

When You Arrive

When you first arrive at the veterinarian's office with your new puppy, there will be some paperwork to fill out. Your parents will be asked about information concerning them, such as their address, telephone number and work place. This information is needed to develop a medical record for your pup.

The clinic will also need information about your pet. His name, age, sex, where you got him and what medical care he has already received. There may be questions about behavior and house breaking.

Next you will be led into the exam room where the technician will weigh your puppy and may take his temperature and listen to his heart with a stethoscope. You may have been asked to bring in a sample of his poop. This sample can be given to the technician for testing.

After this, the veterinarian will begin to examine your puppy. He or she will begin by asking a variety of questions. These may include:

The veterinarian may then talk to you about behavior, training and feeding. The doctor will be glad to answer your questions if you have any and tell you what to expect as your puppy ages. If your puppy is a purebred, there may be things you will need to know about the breed. The veterinarian will also discuss spaying or neutering your puppy and let you know when it should be done.

The Physical Exam

After talking about your puppy, the exam will begin. The veterinarian will check the following:

The veterinarian will check everything to make sure your puppy is normal and healthy.

Vaccinations

Puppies should be vaccinated beginning at six to eight weeks of age and every three to four weeks until 16 to 20 weeks of age. The puppy's breeder may have given the first vaccination, so the veterinarian will need to know about this so the next dose can be given at the appropriate time.

Your puppy will be given one vaccination that includes vaccines for several different diseases. These usually include distemper, adenovirus, parvovirus and parainfluenza. When the puppy has reached at least 12 weeks of age, he can receive a rabies vaccination.

Parasite Protection

The veterinarian will also give a dewormer because nearly all puppies are born with roundworms. At least two doses of dewormer are recommended three weeks apart.

Your veterinarian will talk to you about parasite prevention, like heartworm, flea and tick prevention. There are several medicines young puppies can have and your veterinarian will tell you what to use.

At the end of the visit, your veterinarian will let you know when you should bring your puppy back for additional vaccinations. Usually, this is three to four weeks later. This continues until your puppy is 16 to 20 weeks of age. At that point, he will get vaccines every year.

The puppy will probably visit the veterinarian to be neutered (or spayed if she is a girl) when he is about four to six months of age. Then, he will have a check-up every year until he reaches seven years of age.

By taking your puppy to the veterinarian regularly, he should grow up to be strong and healthy just like you.