Congratulations on your new family member!
We would love the opportunity to become your trusted family veterinarian. The first few months are a critical period in your puppy’s or kitten’s development, and we can give you the support and tools necessary to help him or her grow into a well-mannered, healthy adult.
It is important to schedule your puppy or kitten’s first visit as soon as possible, so that we may get them started on a preventative care program to protect them from disease.
At the first visit, we will perform a physical exam and a microscopic fecal exam, and administer vaccines and dewormers as appropriate. We will go over basic puppy or kitten training, housebreaking or litter box training, socialization, nutrition and preventive care schedule. We answer all of your questions, and discuss any concerns that you may have.
At check out, we will schedule your puppy or kitten’s next visit. Puppies and kittens need to be vaccinated every 3 weeks until they are around 4-5 months old.
Why Do Puppies Need To Be Vaccinated Every Three Weeks?
While she is pregnant, the mother dog or mother cat passes some of her antibodies on to her puppies or kittens, so they will be protected from certain viruses at birth. However, over time, these antibodies start to wear off. Between the ages of 8 weeks and 20 weeks, the mother’s antibodies will be completely eliminated from the puppy’s system.
In order to ensure that the puppy or kitten remains protected against these infections, we provide them with their vaccines. However, in order to be effective, the vaccines must be given at a very specific point during puppy’s or kitten’s development. They must be given once the maternal antibodies have worn off, which can occur anytime between the ages of 8 weeks and 20 weeks. So, to be sure that the puppy is never left unprotected, we vaccinate him every 3 weeks from the time that he is 8 weeks old until he is 5 months (or 20 weeks) old.
