Vet Care for Puppies & Kittens in Hattiesburg & Wiggins
Introducing a new puppy or kitten into the household is an exciting time! It can be extremely rewarding to see your new friend grow and play, and you're sure to bring each other years of companionship.
Being a responsible 'pet parent' also means taking care of some serious health care business during your new pet's first year of life.
Your vet will develop a custom health care plan to meet your pet's specific needs during their first year, and provide you with plenty of support and guidance along the way!
Your Kitten or Puppy's First Appointment
Ideally, puppies should have their first veterinary appointment at about 6 weeks old, and kittens at around eight weeks.
During this initial visit, your pet will receive a complete physical examination to assess overall health, identify any congenital defects, and check for external parasites.
Your vet will also administer deworming medications for roundworms and hookworms, as well as the first round of puppy or kitten vaccinations.
More About Vaccines & Prevention
Finally, for kittens, we will perform a blood test to check for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus.
Follow-up Appointments
Puppies and kittens should attend 3 to 4 veterinary appointments between 6 and 16 weeks. These visits allow our vets to assess your pet's overall health and to administer vaccines on schedule.
Puppy & Kitten Information Packs
Bringing home a new puppy or kitten can bring on a lot of new responsibilities.
To help you navigate your puppy or kitten's first year, our team will provide plenty of guidance, support, and helpful information.
Our Kitten and Puppy information packs contain everything you'll need to know about your pet’s early development, including:
- A vaccination and medical care schedule
- Information on spaying and neutering
- Information on common medical problems (e.g. heartworm disease, feline leukemia, zoonosis)
- Tips for socializing your puppy or kitten with other people and/or animals
- Basic puppy-training guidelines
- Nutrition information
Our vets will happily address any questions, concerns, or worries that you may have. We want to make sure that you and your puppy or kitten have everything you need to begin a wonderful life together!