Give Your New Puppy or Kitten a Healthy Start

Puppies and Kittens Photo

Regular veterinary appointments are critical to the health of your new puppy or kitten. At Olney-Sandy Spring Veterinary Hospital, we should see your puppy or kitten for the first time when he or she is around 8 weeks old or as soon as you bring your new pet home, and we will continue to see your pet each month during the first 6 months of life. These visits allow us to closely monitor your pet’s development, pinpoint any problems early on, and ensure your puppy or kitten receives the preventive care and vaccinations he or she needs to grow healthy and strong.

OSSVH now offers Healthy Pet Plans for puppies and kittens. Puppies and kittens are eligible to enroll from 2 to 8 months of age. The plans are designed to meet all the wellness needs of your puppy and kitten and include:

  • Core vaccinations
  • Routine stool checks
  • Preventive medications such as heartworm and flea and tick control medications
  • FeLV/FIV testing for kittens
  • Dental health counseling
  • Pet ownership counseling
  • Advice on topics ranging from training and socialization to bonding with your new pet
  • Nutritional Counseling

Our puppy and kitten wellness programs ensure your pet receives all the veterinary services he or she needs most during this critical period of mental and physical development. You will also have plenty of time to get your pet ownership questions answered. The programs also offer valuable savings on your pet’s veterinary care. For specifics on our programs, please read the handouts below:

To help prepare for your new pet’s appointment, we ask that you complete a questionnaire and bring it with you to your first appointment:

Additional Services for Puppies and Kittens

  • Spay and neuter—For most pets, we recommend spaying or neutering your puppy or kitten. Electing the procedure is not only socially responsible, it also provides many health benefits for your pet. For most pets, the best time to perform the spay or neuter procedure is when your pet is between 6 and 8 months old. For your pet’s safety and comfort, OSSVH takes a multi-modal approach to pain management during spay and neuter procedures. Our approach includes preemptive pain injections, local nerve blocks, and constant rate infusion pain drips when needed.
  • Microchip—Microchip identification can help ensure that your puppy or kitten can find his or her way home if he or she is ever lost. OSSVH offers Home Again® microchip identification and registration. While microchips can be implanted anytime and do not require anesthesia, we often perform the service at the same time as the spay or neuter procedure.
  • Puppy training class—At OSSVH, it is our belief that too many pets wind up in a shelter because of a lack of proper training. Our puppy classes help you and your pet invest the time and work together to ensure proper behavior and avoid common behavioral problems. We partner with trainer Alfhild Winder to offer both puppy kindergarten classes and advanced puppy and older dog training classes. For more information and to register, please contact Alfhild.

Thinking of Getting a New Pet?

OSSVH offers pre-pet ownership consultations. These consultations can help answer your questions about pet ownership and ensure you are prepared to welcome a new puppy or kitten into your family. Our veterinarians can also make recommendations on the type of pet or breed that would suit your lifestyle best. For a consultation, please call us at 301-774-9500 or send us an email.