Babies

To ensure proper growth and care from the outset for your pet, we suggest that every puppy or kitten be seen at our facilities as soon as possible after birthing. This is important even if the breeder has signed off on the pet. Quite often, we find that breeders have overlooked or missed certain items that would be of grave importance to both pet and owner. In addition, most good breeders will take back pets that have insurmountable problems, such as congenital defects. We can assess your pet to determine if this would be necessary.

There are a number of issues that need to be addressed immediately with both puppies and kittens, some of which fall under the heading of vaccinations. Essentially, what every pet owner should know is that puppies and kittens need to be seen as soon as possible; we will guide you from there.

One of the first things we'll do for baby kittens, for instance, is to test for feline leukemia and AIDS, especially if the kitten has been a stray. Both of these tests should be done prior to vaccination so that we can tailor the vaccinations to the needs of the pet.

Pets can and should be put on a de-wormer as early as three weeks old and we will start the vaccine series at the initial visit, with boosters to follow every three weeks.

Another good idea for the health of your pet is to give a flea preventative, which we will recommend. This is especially important for the young ones since fleas can cause anemia in both puppies and kittens. Just as important as flea preventative, if not slightly more so, is the heartworm preventative. We will start that at about six weeks of age.

Again, bring your new pets in as soon as possible so that we can make sure they are in good health. Early care will help ensure the longevity of your pet.