Puppy and Kitten Vet Care in Woodside, NY

• A full examination, from nose to tail

  The same nose-to-tail examination every animal gets at any age — eyes, ears, mouth, heart, lungs, abdomen and joints — with particular attention at this young age to hernias, retained baby teeth, and joints that are still actively developing, none of which show up on a scale or a simple checklist alone without a hands-on look, which is why this visit is never rushed to fit a shorter slot.

• A weight, and a growth conversation

  Puppies and kittens are weighed at every visit and the number is set as the very first point on a growth chart that later visits then build on, since a single weight on its own means relatively little but a curve across several visits shows clearly whether growth is tracking normally for the size your animal is heading toward as an adult.

• A parasite check and the first prevention dose

  A look for fleas and other visible signs, plus prevention prescribed to the current actual weight rather than an adult estimate guessed in advance, because a young animal's correct amount genuinely changes every few weeks as it grows. See /parasite-prevention.html for why this is revisited at almost every single visit in the first year rather than set once and forgotten about until the next reminder.

• The first vaccination, if one is due

  Given only after the brief health check that happens before any vaccination at all, and then recorded on a card that shows exactly what was given and precisely when the next one falls due, so the whole course stays properly on track even if life gets genuinely busy between one visit and the next. That card is worth keeping somewhere you will actually find it again.

• Thirty minutes that are actually yours

  Set aside specifically for the ordinary questions that come with any new animal — feeding amounts and schedule, house training, what normal play and normal biting actually look like at this age, and when something you have noticed is worth a call rather than simply a wait. Nothing about this half hour is billed separately or rushed to fit a shorter slot.

• How much and how often to feed

  The honest answer changes considerably as your animal grows, which is exactly why we discuss amount and frequency again at each visit rather than simply giving one fixed figure for the whole first year. Body condition, not a chart figure alone, is genuinely what tells us whether the current amount being fed is actually right for this particular animal at this particular stage of its growth.

• What normal puppy or kitten behaviour looks like

  Mouthing, boundless bursts of energy, sleeping in sudden long stretches, and a kitten treating your ankle as a perfectly legitimate hunting target are all entirely typical rather than a sign that something is wrong. We would much rather you ask us directly and be told plainly it is normal than have you worry about it alone at home for a month.

• When a symptom is worth a call rather than a wait

  Vomiting or diarrhoea that lasts more than a day, not eating at all for more than twenty-four hours, or a young animal that suddenly seems flat or unusually unresponsive are all genuine reasons to call the practice rather than simply watch and wait, particularly at this young age where a small animal's reserves are considerably smaller than an adult's would be.

• Introducing a new animal to existing pets

  A slower, more deliberately structured introduction than most people plan for in advance genuinely pays off over the following months in a way that is easy to underestimate beforehand. It is a common enough question that we would honestly rather talk it through properly at the visit itself than have you work it out alone from whatever you find in a search online.

• What actually happens if you have already missed a visit

  Life gets in the way sometimes, for all sorts of ordinary reasons, and a gap in the schedule is not by itself a reason to avoid simply coming back in. Call the practice, tell us plainly what has and has not been done so far, and we will work out the real current position together rather than treating a late start as some kind of lost cause.

This is general information, not veterinary advice. This page describes a service. It is general information and it is not veterinary advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan for any particular animal, because no page can examine your pet. If your animal is unwell, injured or behaving unusually, speak to a licensed veterinarian who can actually see it. In an emergency contact your own veterinarian or a 24-hour emergency animal hospital immediately.