Beattie Pet Hospital - Stoney Creek
Puppy & Kitten Wellness
Puppy & Kitten Care
Help us keep your pet healthy by bringing him or her in for regular exams and vaccinations. Dogs and cats (and other pets) age far faster than people, so significant changes in your pet’s health can happen in a short time. Wellness programs allow us to diagnose diseases and conditions early, when they’re easier to treat or manage.
Often, we can help prevent diseases entirely, just by ensuring that your pet has received appropriate vaccinations and preventives. We recommend that healthy adult dogs and cats visit us once a year. Puppies, kittens, senior pets, and pets with health issues or illnesses need more frequent checkups.
We’ll work with you to create a wellness program, including a vaccination and prevention protocol, for your pet. Call us today to schedule your pet’s wellness exam.
Pet Vaccinations
The first step in a new puppy and kitten care is to schedule a thorough wellness examination at our animal hospital. This allows our Stoney Creek veterinarian to run blood and fecal laboratory tests to look for any signs of a lurking disease or parasitic infestation that might require immediate treatment. It’s also a good time to begin preventative medications that can keep such infestations at bay for life.
Pet vaccinations are another critical step in safeguarding your puppy or kitten against devastating diseases. We always inoculate against rabies when we administer pet vaccinations.
We then advise owners on a schedule for recurring booster shots to maintain the proper degree of immunization for the rest of the pet’s life.
Puppies and kittens need their core vaccines and boosters to help prevent serious diseases.
Boosters must be done four weeks to six weeks apart. Past six weeks, the vaccine process must be started over as boosters will not take effect.
Core pet vaccinations include protection against canine hepatitis, parvo, and distemper (for puppies), and protection against feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus, and panleukopenia (for kittens).
Puppies and kittens also usually have roundworms, which are internal parasites that can cause vomiting and diarrhea. They can be passed on to humans and other animals in your home. It is recommended to deworm, even if your pet is not showing any symptoms to prevent any surprise issues.
See the following chart for when your new pet is due for their required vaccines.
Puppy Vaccines
8 Weeks
Vaccines: Wellness Checkup & 1st DA2PP
12 Weeks
Vaccines: Wellness Checkup, 2nd DA2PP & Lepto
Optional: Bordetella and/or Lyme
16 Weeks
Vaccines: Wellness Checkup, Final DA2PP & Lepto, Rabies
Optional: Bordetella and/or Lyme
Kitten Vaccines
8 Weeks
Vaccines: Wellness Checkup & 1st FVRCP
12 Weeks
Vaccines: Wellness Checkup, 2nd FVRCP
Recommended: Feline Leukemia
16 Weeks
Vaccines: Wellness Checkup, Final FVRCP & Rabies
Recommended: Feline Leukemia
What if your new addition is a little bit older but still needs vaccines?
It’s just as important to get your new cat or dog vaccinated! If your cat or dog is over 12 weeks, please see the following chart. As with the younger chart, these vaccines are to be done four to six weeks apart.
For more information on what these vaccines are for, click here.
Dogs
Vaccines: Wellness Checkup, 1st DA2PP & Lepto, Rabies
Optional: Bordetella and/or Lyme
Vaccines: Wellness Checkup, Final DA2PP & Lepto
Optional: Bordetella and/or Lyme
Cats
Vaccines: Wellness Checkup & 1st FVRCP
Optional: Feline Leukemia
Vaccines: Wellness Checkup, Final FVRCP & Rabies
Optional: Feline Leukemia
Dental Care
Dental care is another important issue in puppy and kitten care.
These animals have baby teeth and permanent teeth just as we do, and the eventual development and alignment of the permanent teeth are influenced by the behavior of the baby teeth. Sometimes baby teeth are not properly pushed out and replaced; the retained baby teeth can vie for position in the mouth alongside growing permanent teeth, interfering with healthy dental development.
Our animal hospital can check to make sure that the baby teeth are growing straight and giving way to permanent teeth in a healthy manner, while also making sure that the oral cavity and gums are healthy. Regular dental checkups and cleanings every year will help maintain dental health. Pet owners should also learn how to brush their pet’s teeth and examine the mouth for signs of possible tooth or gum problems.
Spay/Neuter
Our animal hospital recommends that you spay or neuter your puppy or kitten. These sterilization procedures help protect against certain types of cancers as well as prevent unanticipated pregnancies. They also prevent the behavioral disturbances that accompany heat cycles, which in turn could keep your pet from getting into dangerous situations.
Dietary Needs
Puppies and kittens have different dietary needs than their adult forms will eventually require. Their high metabolism during this rapid growth phase calls for large amounts of protein, and they may require different portion sizes as well. We can advise pet owners on what kind of puppy or kitten food to purchase and how much to give their new pet.
Careful dietary and nutritional practices help to ensure that a puppy or kitten gets the right mix of essential nutrients without risking obesity. Some of the foods currently available even help reduce the buildup of dental plaque, a cause of tooth and gum infections.
