A puppy and kitten vet in Spokane

A puppy and kitten vet visit at Glenrose, on Spokane's South Hill, covers everything a new pet needs in its first year: the first vaccine series, deworming, a microchip, and a plan for spay or neuter. Most of these visits are with Dr. Hannah Whitcomb, who has a special interest in new puppies and kittens and is taking new patients.

The first visit

Bring your new pet within a week or two of bringing them home, plus whatever records came with them. The doctor will:

1. Do a full checkup, nose to tail, including heart, eyes, ears, skin and the first look at the teeth.
2. Check what has already been done, so no vaccine or dewormer gets repeated early.
3. Set out the vaccine schedule for the next few months, matched to your pet's age and how it will live.
4. Answer your list. Food, house training, crate training, scratching, biting, when they can meet other dogs. New owners always have a list. Bring it.

Vaccines in the first year

Puppies and kittens get their first vaccines as a series a few weeks apart, because the protection from their mother fades gradually. Rabies is required by Washington law for dogs and cats. After the first year, most pets move to a yearly checkup and vaccines.

Microchipping

A microchip is the one form of ID that cannot fall off. It is about the size of a grain of rice, goes in under the skin between the shoulder blades with a needle, and needs no anesthesia. Many owners have it done at the same time as the spay or neuter.

The part people forget: a chip only works if it is registered with your current contact details. Register it the day it goes in, and update it whenever you move. The AVMA's microchip guidance for owners explains how lost pets are matched back to their families. The CDC's Healthy Pets pages cover keeping a new puppy or kitten and the people around it healthy.

Getting them used to the vet early

Dr. Whitcomb also has a special interest in cats who hate the vet, and the easiest time to prevent that is the first year. A few things help:

• Leave the carrier out at home so it becomes furniture, not a warning.
• Handle paws, ears and mouths gently at home, a little every day.
• Bring treats your pet loves. Tell us if a visit went badly somewhere else.

Fleas, ticks and worms

Young pets start parasite prevention early, and the product depends on age and weight. See flea, tick and heartworm prevention, and read how a first visit works before you book.