Learn how to keep your puppy healthy with expert articles and curated products designed to meet your growing puppy’s health needs. Plus, we’ve got answers to your most frequently asked questions.
Veterinary Care | Vaccinations | Parasite Prevention | Dental | General Care | Health Concerns
The health care needs of puppies can be difficult to keep track of, so we’ll break it down for you a bit here. Make sure to reach out to your VCA care team with any questions about your new puppy’s needs!
Vaccines are incredibly important—they stimulate your puppy’s immune system to recognize specific diseases so that your puppy can better fight off the illnesses in the future!
Let’s review what vaccines are recommended for dogs, as well as what you can expect throughout your puppy’s adulthood.
To protect your puppy from parasites, choose parasite preventives that protect them from both internal and external parasites. Year-round prevention is recommended. Read more about all the parasites your puppy will need protection from.
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Maybe you’ve found a puppy tooth on your carpet. Or maybe you’re noticing your puppy’s grin is looking a little more gap-toothed than usual. While human children don’t lose their baby teeth until around kindergarten age, your puppy might start losing their teeth as early as 3 months old!
Luckily, dogs are great exercise partners! However, you’re going to need to hold off on planning long jogs or hikes for you and your puppy until they’ve grown up a bit more.
Puppies have a way of getting into—and eating—everything! Unless your puppy has a stomach of steel, this indiscriminate eating leads to one of the most common puppy issues: diarrhea. Follow these steps to get your puppy’s bowel movements back to normal.
Check off the essential tasks that will help your new puppy grow healthy and strong at each age and stage.
Download the Checklist
Get your puppy started on the right paw with world-class medicine delivered with hometown care.
New puppy veterinary care usually starts when your puppy is 6 to 8 weeks old. At your puppy’s first veterinary appointment, your VCA care team will go over puppy health care needs and provide their first round of vaccines, dewormers and parasite preventives.
Your puppy should see their veterinarian every 3 to 4 weeks from the time they are 6 to 8 weeks old until they’re 16 to 20 weeks old. During these appointments, you’ll learn how to keep a puppy healthy and ensure you’re making your way through your new puppy health checklist, including the necessary vaccine boosters. After the final round of puppy boosters, your VCA care team will discuss plans for future veterinary care with you.
Recommended veterinary care for puppies includes wellness examinations, vaccinations (including boosters), deworming and parasite prevention. To get your pet’s exam fees covered and distribute the costs of first-year puppy veterinary care, consider looking into a CareClub® Pet Health Care Plan
*Unlimited exams are any exams during regular business hours, excluding specialty, emergency and telemedicine exams. Urgent care exams are available through CareClub until December 31, 2024, at select VCA Animal Hospitals Urgent Care locations.
CareClub® Memberships are preventive pet health care plans and not pet insurance. CareClub Membership covers only the selected health care services and products which are specifically identified in the applicable CareClub Membership agreement.
**Live Chat with a licensed veterinary professional is free for VCA clients through the myVCA mobile app, available at Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
