You should take your dog to an animal medical center from time to time. Youll need to take your dog to the vet for vaccinations, routine procedures, check-ups, and any time your dog is hurt. However, it can be more questionable when you need to take your dog to a vet for the first time. The first trip to the vet will typically be a vaccination appointment. You might also choose to have your dog spayed or neutered at that time as well. Spaying and neutering involves removing or disabling a dogs sexual function. That keeps them from reproducing; it can also limit secondary sex characteristics such as aggression in males. When should you schedule that first appointment?
Six Weeks
You should schedule your first visit to an animal medical center in Barnegat, NJ at about six weeks. At six weeks, youll need to make sure the dog gets all of its vaccinations. If you buy from a kennel, the dog will likely be older than that and will already be vaccinated. However, there are certain vaccines that require booster shots and updates. Youll want to ask the kennel about these shots and how recently they were given.
You can also take your pet to a veterinarian such as those at vetassociatesbodman.com to have it spayed or neutered at six weeks or so. In the past, the experts recommended you wait longer than that. Its best to do it before the pet achieves adulthood. Doing so will create a smoother transition and limit secondary sex characteristics.
A Year
You also likely need to take your pet to the animal medical center when it is about a year old. There are many vaccines that cannot be administered when they are very young, which means they will need to wait until the pet is more mature. At your six-week appointment, ask about the next appointment and when it will happen.
