Getting ready for your puppy’s first health check doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Get ready for your puppy's first vet visit with our useful tips. We’ve made it easy for you and provided a checklist, so your first trip can be as stress-free as possible.
How do I prepare for my puppy’s first vet visit?
Before you bring your adorable new dog home, you should be planning for your puppy’s first vet check.
- Find the Right Vet: Ask around friends, local dog owners and check on local social media pages to find out which vets they recommend. Once you have a shortlist, check you are happy with their location, their practice times, their services, and know what out of hours procedures they have (as for some reason, emergencies always seem to happen out of hours – and only finding you have to travel miles away if it’s an evening or a weekend, isn’t something you want to discover when you’re having a canine health crisis or if you don’t have transport!
- Register and Book Ahead: Once you've found the ideal vet, register with them before you bring your puppy home, and once you know their homecoming date, you can arrange an appointment. This shouldn’t be in the first few days – as your puppy will still be settling in and trying to get used to their new life and family – but try and arrange it within the first week or so.
- Inform the Clinic About Your Visit: Let them know that this is a ‘puppy first check-up’ as vets will often allocate a bit more time than the usual 10-minute slot, just to make sure they don’t have to rush and that everything gets off on the right foot.
- Choose a Quiet Time: Ask the receptionist when a quiet time is likely to be – as it’s better that the reception area isn’t too busy for your first visit.
What happens during your puppy’s first vet check?
At their first puppy vet check, your pup will have a thorough examination to make sure they are healthy, and your vet will discuss puppy vaccinations with you. They will need to see details of any previous vaccinations and treatments which your breeder (or the rescue centre) should have supplied, so make sure you take those along. They can then talk through what the rest of their vaccination protocol is going to be – which will also let you know when you are going to be able to take them out and about.
You can have a chat about common problems such as worms and fleas, including how to treat and prevent them and you can have the chance to ask any questions you have about puppy health.
You might also talk about feeding and what you should be checking for during your regular grooming sessions, along with any breed or type health issues you should be keeping an eye on.
During your puppy’s first consultation, the vet will go through a general wellbeing checklist which may include:
- Looking at their skin and coat.
- Weighing them.
- Examining their teeth.
- Listening to their heartbeat through a stethoscope.
- Taking their temperature.
Some vet practices run puppy socialisation sessions so ask about these while you are there.
Tips for a smooth first puppy vet check
1. Have a quiet stress-free journey to the vet so you both arrive relaxed
If you can, take someone with you - so one of you can stay with the puppy while the other can go and tell the receptionist you have arrived. Sometimes practice receptions can be busy and potentially stressful - and so if you can it is best to wait in the car until they are ready for you (especially as your puppy won’t be fully vaccinated yet).
2. Use treats for puppy check ups
Bring your puppy’s favourite treats to every vet visit as you want your puppy to associate vet visits with positive things - and by doing this, you might even find that your pup will develop a spring in their step on their way to the vet.
Most vets and veterinary nurses will be very happy to make a fuss of your new puppy and make sure their first visit is a stress-free and enjoyable one.
3. Make the vet clinic a positive place
While your puppy is young, it’s a good idea to pop into the vet practice every so often, even if you don’t have an appointment (but always phone to ask first!). The receptionists and vet nurses will usually appreciate a cuddle during quiet times, be happy to give them treats, and it will create positive associations with being in the vet practice.
Puppy first vet visit checklist
At your puppy’s first vet check, there are a few things your vet will go through with you. We’ve listed them for you here:
Microchipping is compulsory for all dogs in the UK over the age of 8 weeks. The microchip is implanted with a simple injection, requiring no anaesthetic. It gives you peace of mind that if your dog does ever get lost, they can be safely returned to you by whoever finds them.
It is the responsibility of breeders to ensure all puppies are microchipped before they are sold or given to their new owner so your puppy should come to you already microchipped. Make sure you get the details from your puppy’s breeder – and then make sure you update the microchip company with your correct details.
Make sure you double-check with the breeder/rescue centre that they have microchipped your puppy and that they have updated the chip with your details. If they haven’t done this, it is your responsibility to do it.
The vet will check the microchip at your first visit – to check it is there, can be read, is in the right place – and can ensure it has the correct details on it.
If you move house remember to update your microchip details.
Once your vet has seen your puppy’s existing vaccinations and planned their vaccination schedule, they should then send you a reminder when your dog’s vaccinations are due or provide you with a puppy vaccination schedule to help you keep up-to-date. The timing will depend on which vaccinations are needed but will include prevention for distemper, canine hepatitis, and parvovirus. They could also include leptospirosis.
If you’re planning to take your dog abroad, you will also need them to have a rabies vaccination – and also talk to your vet about protection against canine parainfluenza virus and also kennel cough and if they are necessary for your puppy.
Make sure you also talk to your vet about parasite control. Remember that fleas, or at least their larvae, can live year-round in your home and garden, and ticks can transmit nasty diseases to dogs and humans. On your puppy’s first vet check, the vet can advise you on flea and tick prevention as well as how to prevent and treat your puppy for worms like tapeworm, roundworm and lungworm.
What happens after your puppy’s health check?
Ideally, your vet should see your dog at least once a year - although more frequently at the start - while you are working through the vaccination protocol - or if they have special medical needs or breed/type specific issues.
These regular visits play a huge part in the 'prevention is better than cure' approach, so don't hold off making the appointment just because your dog seems fit and healthy to you.
On an annual vet check, your vet will check your dog over, including listening to their heart and lungs, running their hands over their abdomen to check for any unusual signs, checking for problems with their skin, coat, eyes and ears and scanning their microchip to check it's in working order.
Another advantage of these annual check-ups is to get your dog used to visiting the vet surgery when they’re well. If they only visit when they’re hurt or ill, they can become nervous about seeing the vet, associating their trips with bad times or stressful experiences.
Now that your puppy’s first trip to the vet is finished, continue reading our new puppy owner guides for more useful information on how to look after the new addition to the family.
Puppy health check FAQs
Purina Editorial Team
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