Whilst a new puppy or kitten joining the family is always a joyful and exciting experience it can also be a busy and potentially stressful time. There are worm and flea control products to give, microchip registration details to be sorted out and your first vet visit with the new addition amongst other things to arrange and fit in.
At that important first vet visit with their new owner we will concentrate on carefully examining your new pet for signs of congenital problems as well as assess their general health. If present, congenital problems such as hernias and heart murmurs are often detected at the first visit although some problems may take a little while to become obvious. We will also look for signs of infectious diseases (which are quite common at this age) and give advice on feeding and settling your new addition into a sensible and safe routine.
We will also advise on and start a worm and flea control program as well as administer any vaccinations required and set up an ongoing vaccination protocol. We will also arrange to send you timely reminders as further vaccinations become due. We will also attempt to answer any questions you may have about caring for your new pet; feel free to bring a written list to avoid forgetting anything! You may like to ask for advice on toilet training and socialization amongst other things.
Since there will be a lot of information flowing at this visit we will usually sent you home with some literature for you to read and review later at your leisure. At subsequent visits for booster vaccinations we will give you further timely advice and remind you to check that you have updated your pet’s microchip registry with your personal details. We can scan and check your pet’s microchip number at any visit. You can also telephone us between visits and our nurses will be able to answer many of your questions.
Other things to consider in the first weeks of new ownership are such things as registering your pet with your local council and looking into taking out pet insurance. After checking with your local council you may want to organize sterilizing your new addition to take advantage of discounted registration fees. In fact you may find your council mandates compulsory sterilization. We do recommend sterilization (desexing) for the majority of our patients and can arrange an appointment at an appropriate time.
We also recommend pet insurance as it takes away a lot of the worry and stress if you know that the costs of future unexpected and potentially expensive veterinary treatments can be at least partly reimbursed. Like all insurance products there are many policies on offer and selecting the one that suits you and your pet best will take some research.
Hopefully with everything else under control you will have plenty of quality time left over to enjoy the playful company of the furry addition to your now enriched life! Remember there are many studies that prove a pet is good for your health and for the development of any non-furry children you may have.