Post Purchase Vet Check

Every new puppy should have a check-up by your own vet in the first few days after purchase.  Your own vet is the one you trust, and you want to know asap if there are any physical or medical problems with your new puppy.  In Chisel’s case, his breeder and new owner both have the same vet, but his family still wanted to bring him in for a check-up.  And the staff are all eager to meet Chisel too!

At this post-purchase check, your vet will give your vet a physical examination from head to toe and review your pup’s vaccination status.  At MVG, our nurses will also spend extra time with you, and give you lots of information and advice (both verbal and written) on his health care needs over the coming weeks, including worming, flea control, feeding and dental care.

It’s also important at this point to:

• Take home any worming and flea control that you need until your next vaccination (at 10 weeks of age)
  We will cover these in a separate blog post, but if you can’t wait, check our recommendations in our Caring For Your Puppy page.
• Book your puppy in for Puppy Preschool.  Puppy preschool is a 4-week course (one night per week) that not only socialises your puppy, and covers basic training, but also importantly teaches you how to avoid behaviour problems with your dog in the future.  Even though Chisel’s family are experienced dog owners and have been to Puppy Preschool twice before with other dogs over the years, they definitely want to book Chisel into preschool.  With Covid restrictions still in place, we are having to limit the number of puppies and people in our classes (one person per puppy) but are still running them in our clinics.  Puppy Preschool books up very quickly, and is only open to puppies between 8 and 14 weeks of age, so book early
• Consider starting pet insurance.  Most pet insurers will be putting a lifetime exception on any problems that were already evident at the time you joined.  So, the best time to join is when you have a young healthy puppy with no problems evident.  See our Pet Insurance handout for more information.