If you have not owned a pet before, you need to register with a veterinary practice. Your choice could be based on the suggestions of friends, local advertising, or Internet searches for practices in your area.
(Check out Scouting for Your Dog’s Veterinarian)
First Puppy Check
Take your puppy for his first veterinary check as soon as is convenient. Unless he is already fully vaccinated, carry him into the practice, wearing a collar and lead in case he jumps out of your arms, and keep him off the floor. Alternatively, put him in a pet carrier. There are likely to be other owners with animals in the waiting room and it can be noisy, so give your puppy lots of reassurance.
Don’t make vet visits traumatic for your dog. Reassure him always.
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Vets enjoy meeting puppies, and you are likely to receive a warm welcome. The vet will ask you for details of your puppy’s early life: his date of birth, the size of the litter, how your pup compared with his littermates; where and how the pups were reared; what worming and flea treatments were carried out; and the results of any screening tests for the breed. IF your puppy has been vaccinated, show the vet the certificate.
The vet will scan your puppy to check he has been microchipped (implanting a microchip under the skin between your puppy’s shoulders – a procedure rather like giving a vaccination – ensures that he can always be identified; scanning the chip reveals a unique number against which any contact information you have provided is recorded in a central database), weigh him, and make detailed examination, including checking his ears with an auroscope and listening to his heart. If a vaccination is required, it will be given now. You may need to make some follow-up appointments to complete the vaccination course and to allow the vet to monitor your puppy’s progress.
Before you leave, the vet should offer advice on diet, worm and flea control, neutering, socializing and training, and traveling in the car. Don’t hesitate to ask if you need any further information.
Follow-Up Check-Up
The veterinary practice may suggest that you take your puppy for a further check-up when he is four or five months old, to ensure that he is growing and developing well, both physically and socially. This will also give you the chance to build on the advice given at the first puppy appointment. At such a follow-up check, the vet will look for any puppy teeth that weren’t shed as the adult versions came through. This is important, as the baby teeth may need to be removed to allow the adult teeth to take up the right position within the mouth and ensure the correct bite.
Questions about Neutering
If you plan to have your dog neutered, as the majority of owners decide to do, an early puppy health check is a good opportunity to ask for advice. Your vet will explain what the procedure involves for either a dog or a bitch and suggest when neutering is best carried out. Vet opinions differ as to the ideal time for dogs to be neutered, with the recommended age ranging from a few weeks to a few months.
Don’t hesitate to ask questions, then make an informed decision.
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Most commonly, the operation is performed after puberty. Many owners worry about the after-effects of neutering and any concerns you may have can also be discussed with the vet at your puppy’s health check.
Home Checks
From early puppyhood, accustom your pet to routine checks in which you, his vet and groomer/caretaker examine each part of his body. Noticing the slightest change could allow early diagnosis of a health problem, and potentially a better outcome.
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