How to prepare for your first vet visit

The clinic where I work gives more time for a puppie’s first vet visit then for any other appointment. The reason for this is we know you will have a lot of questions about raising your new puppy, and even if you don’t, there is a lot of information we want to give to you. I hope this post helps you to prepare for what to expect, and also gives you a starting point of what questions to ask at your first appointment. I believe this post can also be helpful if you have recently adopted an older dog or simply want to know more about the vaccines and treatments your vet has recommended.

When you call to schedule an appointment for your new pet, the first thing we will ask you to do is bring the records from the rescue or breeder where you obtained your puppy. This is so we can determine which vaccines or treatments have already been given, or if there are any medical issues we need to monitor.

We will also ask you to bring a fecal (poop) sample to this first appointment. I know it’s not pleasant, but it is necessary to be sure your pet does not have any gastrointestinal parasites. Now you may be thinking ‘I got my puppy from a great breeder, why would my puppy have parasites?’ And hopefully they won’t. But sometimes the parasites are living in the environment, or if the dam (mother) is a carrier for a parasite she can spread it to her puppies. And we want to treat your puppy before they develop diarrhea, and before you find a worm coming out with their poop.

When you first arrive to the clinic you will be greeted by your new veterinary team. This includes the front desk employees (they are going to help you schedule appointments and find out if your pet needs to be seen so please be nice to them, they’re very important), the technicians (like human nurses they are responsible for keeping the clinic running smoothly; they are also wizards who can place catheters in 2 pound kittens) and your veterinarian.

At my clinic, please don’t be surprised if someone steals your puppy away after you arrive. Don’t worry, we’re just giving everyone a chance to meet him and for us to get our puppy “fix”. No matter how many times we joke about keeping them, I’ve never actually seen it happen.

Eventually we’ll bring your puppy back and remember to introduce ourselves. And then I will get in to the meat of the appointment. I’ll start by examining your puppy. This includes checking their eyes, ears and teeth for any abnormalities. We’ll make sure they don’t have an over or under bite that might affect their future chewing. We’ll listen carefully to the heart and lungs as there are some types of congenital heart defects we would want to detect early. But some heart murmurs won’t show up till later so each visit your vet will continue to listen and check the heart.

I then palpate the abdomen checking for abnormalities. I will also check the underbelly to be sure there isn’t a hernia where the umbilical cord was located, as this is something we would need to monitor and eventually repair with surgery. We will check a weight and temperature so we can monitor your puppies growth and be sure they don’t have a fever. And lastly I will perform an orthopedic exam to be sure the bones and joints seem to be developing appropriately.

I have been practicing for ten years and this exam doesn’t take me very long. But I still end up using the entire hour of these puppy visits because there are so many things I want to go over with new owners, and they also usually have questions. One thing we will discuss are vaccines. I will go over the core vaccines (those that every dog should receive) as well as non-core vaccines, which tend to be determined by the location where you live and your lifestyle.

The core vaccines are usually the DAP vaccine and rabies vaccine. DAP stands for distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus. Canine distemper virus can cause respiratory, neurologic and gastrointestinal signs. Canine adenovirus type 1 can cause an infectious hepatitis (liver infection). And parvo virus can cause a deadly hemorrhagic (bloody) diarrhea. These viruses can live on surfaces for months and be fatal in young animals. Most adult dogs have some immunity, and typically mothers will pass this immunity down to their puppies. This immunity can start to leave the puppies around 6 weeks of age which is typically when we start vaccinating with DAP. We then give boosters every 3-4 until the puppy reaches about 14 weeks of age. So it doesn’t matter if your 10 week old puppy already received 2 boosters from the breeder. We still need to give another booster or your puppy is at risk for contracting deadly viruses.

Rabies vaccine is the other core vaccine, and is often a legal requirement depending on your state laws. This virus can infect any mammal and is nearly 100% fatal. I usually give this vaccine when puppies are around 16 weeks of age.

There are also several non-core vaccines. Bordetella/Parainfluenza is the vaccine given to prevent “kennel cough”. It will be required by any boarding or daycare facility, but I recommend it for any dog who will be around other dogs for even short periods of time. It’s spread between dogs very easily and can cause a dry hacking cough that can keep you and your pet up through the night. The vaccine isn’t guaranteed to prevent infection, but will make the symptoms much more mild.

The leptospirosis vaccine may be recommended depending on where you live and your lifestyle. It’s a bacteria spread through the urine of wild animals such as foxes, raccoons, and rats. It can survive on moist surfaces or in water for months. I recommend it for most of my patients since we have a lot of foxes in this area. Our pet dogs can contract this bacteria through their mouths or through cuts in their paws on wet surfaces. It can cause fatal kidney or liver disease, and it can also be spread to the humans in the household.

Lyme disease is a tick borne disease caused by the bacteria Borelia burgdorfia. Lyme disease is now endemic in many areas of the northeast and midwest so your veterinarian may recommend this vaccine for your pet. Especially if you live in a wooded area or plan to take your dog hiking or camping in the woods. Monthly tick prevention is not 100% effective and this vaccine can provide extra protection from a disease that is becoming more and more prevalent.

The last non-core vaccine we carry is the canine influenza vaccine. Canine influenza can cause a range of mild respiratory signs to sometimes severe pneumonia. I recommend this vaccine if you will be boarding your dog frequently or taking them to a doggy  daycare.

There are also some other non-core vaccines available that your vet may recommend. For instance there is a rattlesnake vaccine which may be recommended for some dogs in the southwest.

Once an appropriate vaccine schedule is determined, including what vaccines and when we will be giving them, I then shift the conversation to discussing preventative medications. This includes heartworm and flea/tick prevention. Heartworm disease is a nemotodal worm infection caused by Dirofilaria immitis. A female mosquito which bites an infected canine can will ingest the first larval stage, mature it within their own bodies to the stage 3 larva and then spread it to a new host when they bite another dog. Without preventative measures this larval stage will then mature into a full nemotode worm inside the pulmonary arteries of the heart. Heartworm disease can cause chronic damage to the heart and be fatal to your pet.

A monthly heartworm preventative works by killing the stage 3 larva which the mosquito has infected your pet with, before it has a chance to mature to the next stage of the worms life cycle. There are numerous products available which are typically flavored chewables you give to your pet once per month. If your pet becomes positive for heartworm the treatment is a month of antibiotics, 3 expensive injections of a medication which can kill the worm, and strict exercise restriction and steroids to try to prevent your pet from having a fatal reaction as the worm dies. The monthly chewable is a lot easier and cheaper.

Flea and tick prevention is going to be recommended for dogs in most parts of the U.S. There are a lot of great options available currently including monthly chewables, monthly topical liquids or collars your dog wears. Many of these products are prescription only which means your veterinarian will need to fill or ok these prescriptions. Some products are over the counter like the Seresto collar. Because I have small children I personally use one of the monthly chewable products because they are extremely easy to use and I don’t have to worry about my kids licking anything topical.

The last thing I tryto discuss with owners is spaying or neutering their pets. If you get your new dog or cat from a rescue they will often already be spayed or neutered. This is because one of the primary focuses of shelters and rescues is population control. The unfortunate truth is that there are more dogs and cats in the world, then there are good homes to place them. So they make sure this new puppy they have allowed you to rescue will not be the future mom or dad to another litter of puppies.

If you get your puppy from a breeder this decision will often be left up to you. Your vet will discuss the pros and cons of  spaying or neutering your pet and what the ideal age may be.

By this point in the appointment I have either only answered half of my clients questions or completely overwhelmed them. Sometimes we discuss training and who I recommend they use in my area. While I have way above average knowledge on animal behavior, someone who specilizes in training and behavior is the best person to teach your puppy.

I do recommend training and socialization for all puppies. Up until about 16 weeks of age our puppies are like little sponges. They can be very easy to teach at a young age, but this is also the ideal time to socialize them. You’ll want your puppy to be exposed to a wide array of people and another animals. Socialization means exposing them to other dogs, people (of different ages, genders and races) and different objects (umbrella, shopping cart, bike, skate board etc). You probably won’t be able to expose your puppy to everything, but good socialization means they are less likely to freak out when they see or meet something new.

We also discuss ways to get your pet used to grooming in the future. Cleaning your dogs ears regularly and getting them used to having their feet touched will make it easier for your vet or groomer to examine their feet and ears or trim their nails. And then of course we also discuss what their grooming needs will be. This of course depends on dog and hair type. But we discuss monthly nail trims, weekly ear cleanings and how frequently to bath or groom your pet. Usually once a month is a good starting point.

And almost every new owner has questions about how to house train their puppy.

I am a firm believer in crate training. The crate should be a safe and positive place for your pet to go. If it is not used as punishment most dogs, unless they suffer from extreme separation anxiety, will see it as their personal space. Growing up, my families dog would go to the crate when the smoke detector went off because that’s where he felt safe.

At night your puppy should be sleeping in a crate large enough for them to stand and turn around, but no larger. Dogs do not like to urinate where they sleep, so if they are in a smaller space they will let you know when they need to go outside. Take your puppy to the same place outside every time, so they will get used to the scents and visual cues of that location. When they go to the bathroom make it a big celebration and give them a treat. Eventually your puppy will know to go to the bathroom in that location because that is where they get praise and a tasty reward.

If you think your puppy should have to go potty, but for some reason won’t, there’s a good chance they are just distracted. Take them inside and put them in their crate for about 5 minutes. This isn’t a punishment and you shouldn’t be upset with your dog. Imagine if you were only 12 weeks old and experiencing all the world has to offer! After about 5 minutes take them straight back outside. In fact carry them if you don’t want to clean up an accident on the floor. If they still don’t go to the bathroom they probably didn’t actually need to.

But I’m sure every puppy owner has experienced the frustration of taking your dog outside only to have them immediately urinate on the carpet after you get in the house. They aren’t trying to be “bad”. There’s just a good chance they were distracted while outside, and once they were in the comfort of their own home they remembered ‘Oh I need to potty’.

I also do not believe in punishing your puppy when they have an accident in the house. If you catch your puppy starting to urinate then it’s ok to clap your hands loudly and yell no. You should never hit your puppy, but you can then lift them up and take them outside. There’s a good chance you made enough noise to stop them in the act of urinating on the floor. They may not immediately go to the bathroom outside but just take the steps mentioned above. Put them in the crate for 5 minutes and then try again. You were lucky to catch them before they made a big mess on the carpet.

But if you walk in the room to an accident on the floor ,and your puppy chewing on their toy, please don’t react in any way. This was not your puppies fault. We always need to blame ourselves first. We missed our puppies cues, we forgot to take them out regularly, or we took our eyes off of our puppy while we were distracted. That’s ok, we’re human. And they are still learning. The best thing you can do is clean up the accident and try to be more prepared for next time. Take your puppy outside immediately after they wake up, eat or drink, and every couple of hours regularly. The more you reward and praise going to the bathroom outside, the harder they will work to hold their pee and poop until they are out there.

I love new puppy visits. They’re fluffy and soft and sweet. The owners are usually still in the honeymoom phase of having a puppy and are so excited to show off their new love. But puppies are hard work, so my goal is always to give them the knowledge and tools to raise happy and healthy puppies. This can’t be accomplished within just a 60 minute veterinary visit, but I think it’s a great way to start.

I hope this post can be helpful for you as well. Even if you have had dogs before, it’s great to have a reminder on what to expect with a puppy or with a new veterinarian. I hope you can use this post to help you ask the right questions and feel comfortable with the decisions you make for your new family member.