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Maybe you have been planning to get one for a while. You’ve thought about whether you’ll go to a breeder or the pound, and have set up your home for its arrival. Or maybe you unexpectedly come home one day with a new puppy or kitten. Surprise! No matter how this new critter comes into your life, it’s here to stay. Now what do you do?
           
You’ve brought your adorable little puppy or kitten home. It’s exciting to watch it explore its new home and start playing. Then there are the frustrating moments like puddles of pee on the carpet, chewed up books and pillows, and barking all night long. You will take care of those problems as the weeks go by, but there is one step that you have to take first. The first step that you need to take when you own any new puppy or kitten is to take it to a veterinary clinic. We all know that we should take our new pet in soon after we get it, but why? The puppy was healthy when we got it, so what’s the rush? The kitten is so little, why does it need to go in for a check-up so soon?

When you stand in the veterinary exam room with your new kitten or puppy on your first visit, what should you expect? All you can think about is that your little pet is so nervous, and you hope that the whole exam goes without any problems. Your veterinarian will do his or her best to make sure that your new pet is as healthy as possible. There will be a physical exam, followed by vaccines and deworming. Why do veterinarians do these things?

The first and most important reason to take your pet to the veterinarian is that your new pet needs to get vaccinations. Vaccinations work by introducing a dead bacteria or virus to the body. Because the vaccine is dead, the bacteria and viruses cannot actually cause disease or harm the body. But the body does not know the vaccine is dead, and builds up an immune response. This way, vaccines give the body protection against future infection, so the body will respond quickly and effectively against the bacteria and viruses.There are a certain set of ‘core’ vaccines that all puppies and kittens get. These core vaccines will help protect your new pet from some very common and potentially fatal diseases.
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