Puppy & Kitten Veterinary Care
At our Apple Valley animal hospital, our veterinarians provide advice, guidance, and the highest standard of veterinary care for your puppy or kitten during their first critical year of life.
Care for Puppies & Kittens
It's an exciting day when a new puppy or kitten comes home! Your cute and cuddly new family member can't help but make anyone who interacts with them smile.
As fun as this time is, new pet parents also need to take care of some serious health care business during a new pet's first year of life.
Your new vet can create a custom preventive health plan to meet your pet's specific needs during that first year, and provide you with plenty of guidance and support along the way.
Your Pet’s First Appointment
Ideally, puppies should have their first veterinary appointment at about 6 weeks old, and kittens around 8 weeks.
During this initial visit, the vet will give your pet a complete physical examination to gain insight into their overall health, check for external parasites, and look for symptoms of congenital defects.
Deworming medications for hookworms or roundworms will be administered, and the first round of kitten or puppy vaccinations will be provided.
More About Vaccines & Prevention
Finally, for kittens, we will complete a blood test to check for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus.
Follow-up Appointments
Between the ages of 6 and 16 weeks, puppies and kittens should attend 3 to 4 veterinary appointments. These visits give our vets a chance to check up on your pet's general health and to provide vaccines on schedule.
Puppy & Kitten Packages
Bringing home a new puppy or kitten comes with a lot of new responsibilities.
To help you navigate your puppy or kitten's first year, our team will provide plenty of guidance, support, and helpful information.
Our Kitten Packages and Puppy Packages contain everything you'll need to know about your pet’s early development, including:
- A vaccination and medical care schedule
- Information on spaying and neutering your pet
- Information on common medical problems such as heartworm disease, feline leukemia, and zoonosis
- Tips for how to socialize your puppy or kitten with animals and people, including pets already living in your home
- Basic puppy training guidelines
- Nutrition information
Our vets will be happy to answer any questions you may have, and put any concerns or worries to rest. We want to make sure that you and your puppy or kitten have everything you need to begin a wonderful life together!
