What are the first health examinations of a puppy?

During his first year, the puppy must have several visits to the veterinarian, all of them being fundamental for his future life. Let’s take a look at the periodicity of the first health exams that the puppy absolutely needs, and let’s see how useful they are.

8-week-old puppy: first visit

When the puppy is 2 months old, he can be adopted by a family as soon as he is weaned. Earlier is not recommended at all. This is the time to schedule his very first visit to the vet.
The animal is examined, its health condition is checked, a certificate is given to the owner as well as a provisional identification certificate.

The owner must allow time for this consultation as it is quite long. He must also have listed all the questions that seem essential to him in order to obtain the answers of the canine health specialist on various subjects such as food, vaccination, identification, frequency of outings for the well-being of the dog, deworming, essential accessories for the maintenance of the dog, his education, the development of his puppy over time according to his breed…

Some breeders even think of anticipating and already inquire about the sterilization of their dog, its benefits for the animal, its cost, its coverage by health insurances, although their little companion is not yet old enough to be sterilized.

This first consultation must be done in the best conditions so that the puppy will not be afraid to come back to the veterinarian afterwards.
A few treats can help him wait without stress in the waiting room where he will probably not be the only little patient waiting his turn. But if his owner is calm, the puppy is likely to be too.

It is important to know that any puppy found must consult the veterinarian even if he seems to be less than 2 months old. Also, before any transfer of a puppy this consultation is mandatory.

3 months old puppy

beginning of the health prevention plan
This is generally the age of the first vaccination since in most cases the health prevention plan starts when the puppy is 3 months old. A vaccination booklet is then given to the owner as soon as the animal receives its first vaccination injection during this visit. In this case, the veterinarian will draw up a personalized vaccination schedule that the pet’s owner will only have to follow in order not to forget anything. In this way, his little protégé will be perfectly safe from many serious and contagious diseases such as :

Kennel cough,

Rabies,

Leptospirosis,

The hepatitis of Rubarth,

The disease of square,

Parvovirosis,

Piroplasmosis…

All these vaccines are not done at the age of 3 months of course and some require 2 booster shots at 1 month interval or a second injection after 21 days. Then, booster shots will be necessary every year, always according to the personalized vaccination calendar.
This is also the time to start the fight against digestive parasites and external parasites or ectoparasites like ticks and fleas. Also, depending on the breed of the puppy, the veterinarian prescribes the deworming medication that is best suited to the animal.
Of course, a nutritional evaluation is performed, and the puppy undergoes a clinical examination. The veterinarian gives a health check-up to the owner of the animal.

At 4 months of age, the puppy receives the second vaccination injection or booster as per the schedule set up by the practitioner at the time of the first vaccination. The veterinarian uses this visit to make sure everything is going well. They check the animal’s development, weight, stature, teeth, eyes, etc. They give the best advice to the owner on hygiene care, good habits to follow to respect the dog’s balanced diet, or the importance of daily physical activity.

Puppy 6 to 10 months old

sterilization to be planned
The animal has grown up and is now a teenager or, depending on the breed, a young adult. We’re not really in the pediatric surveillance business anymore, but the fact remains that to crown the end of his first year, the young dog still needs to see the veterinarian because it’s a crucial time of life for the animal. Indeed, it is between 6 and 10 months that the signs of puberty appear depending on the breed.
The owner must therefore decide on the future because a decision must be made regarding the sterilization of his dog. Note that if it is a bitch, this operation can even be considered between the 5th and 6th month. It remains to be seen if the owner wishes to have offspring or not. The sterilization of a dog is an important subject that you should not hesitate to discuss with your veterinarian.

After the first year

Throughout the dog’s life, it is important to schedule one or two control visits per year. This way, a disease can be diagnosed early, which multiplies the chances of recovery.