Expert Care for Your Furry Best Friend
Adopting a puppy or kitten is a lot of work, and our team at Coldwater Animal Hospital wants to ensure we help you provide the best care for your new furry friend. Getting a new puppy or kitten requires a lot of special care and it is a time of important developmental growth for your pet.
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Puppy Care
Puppies require a lot of exams to ensure the health and safety of your pet. These exams will be used to track the growth of your animal, and to give them an overall examination while also checking for signs of illness or parasites. It is recommended that puppies have a wellness exam by their veterinarian every month until they are at least 16 weeks old. These exams allow your veterinarian to confirm the health of your puppy, administer required vaccinations, and answer all of your questions about behavior, health, and training for your new pet.
Vaccinations are a very important way to prevent future illnesses and diseases in your puppy. It is recommended that dogs do not come into contact with other pets outside of your household until they are fully vaccinated. This prevents them from exposure to possibly life-threatening diseases.
There are certain vaccinations that are recommended to all new puppies. These include a vaccine for DA2P-P, leptospirosis, and rabies. Regardless of the dog’s environment or lifestyle, these vaccines are recommended to ensure the health and safety of your puppy.
Some vaccines are only recommended for your puppy based on their lifestyle and environment. These include vaccines for canine influenza and bordetella.
Kitten Care
Adopting a new kitten is a lot of responsibility. It is recommended that kittens receive a wellness examination by your veterinarian at least once a month until they reach 16 weeks old. These examinations are used to track your kitten’s growth and to ensure the health and safety of your pet. Your veterinarian will check your animal for any signs of illness or parasites. These appointments will also be used to administer any necessary vaccinations for your kitten. This is also a great time for the vet to answer any of your questions and to recommend different behavior guidelines or treatments.
Vaccinations are an important way to protect your kitten from future diseases or illnesses that could be life-threatening. We recommend keeping your kitten away from other pets outside of the household until they are fully vaccinated to prevent exposure to diseases.
There are some vaccines that are recommended for all kittens. These include the vaccinations for distemper, rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and rabies.
Other vaccinations are only recommended based on your pet’s environment and lifestyle. These vaccines include feline immunodeficiency virus, feline infectious peritonitis, and feline leukemia.
We advise anyone with a multi-cat household to take the following things into consideration when adopting a kitten.
- The kitten should receive the feline leukemia vaccine if they are going to be interacting with other cats
- Kittens need to be introduced to other cats or pets very slowly to prevent aggression between the animals. We recommend keeping your kitten separate from other cats, and allowing them to smell one another through a door without seeing each other. Over time, the kitten should be slowly introduced to the other cats. If possible, keep your kitten in a carrier when it first meets your other cats.
