First vet visit - Article on Pets.ca

First Visit to the Veterinarian

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. Your veterinarian will also probably offer you the chance to get some ‘non-core’ vaccines. These vaccines are only recommended for pets that are at a higher risk for uncommon diseases, like pets that will be travelling or will be staying in a boarding kennel. Lyme disease and bordetella are two vaccines that are considered ‘non-core’ for dogs.

Your pet will need to get booster vaccines over the next couple of months. This means that your kitten or puppy will be given the same vaccine multiple times. The reason that this is done is because the vaccine needs to be given after the immunity that the pet got from its mother wears off. The pet can only build up an immune response to a vaccine after the immunity from the mother wears off. We can’t let the pet go too long without a vaccine after the immunity from the mother wears off, because then the pet has no protection from disease. We never know when the mother’s immunity will wear off, therefore we give the pet multiple vaccinations to make sure we catch the pet at the proper time to build immunity.

Your vet will also give your pet a dewormer. A dewormer does exactly what it sounds like; it kills worms that live in your pet’s intestines. You may think that your pet does not have worms; how could it? It rarely goes outside. Actually, it is almost a guarantee that your new puppy or kitten will have worms. They get these worms from their mother either before they are even born or in the milk when they nurse. Your veterinarian will probably give your pet an injection, tablet, or paste and will send you home with a second dose to give later.

Don’t forget about the physical exam! Your veterinarian will be looking for all of the potential problems that can be found in any animal, such as lumps, itchy ears, or painful legs. Your veterinarian will be carefully looking for problems that are more common in puppies and kittens. Some pets are born with certain problems, such as a hole in the roof of their mouth (cleft palate) or a heart murmur. Your veterinarian will pay very close attention to the physical exam in order to catch any problems early on, when they are less severe and easier to fix. There are other things that will probably be done on your first visit, such as blood work. Your new kitten will probably have a blood test for feline leukemia and feline infectious peritonitis. Your new puppy will probably get medication to prevent heartworm disease. But the three main things that will happen at your veterinary clinic will be vaccines, dewormers, and physical exam.

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