Puppy & Kitten Care

Congratulations on your new addition! Getting to know your new puppy or kitten is such an exciting time and we want to help you make sure you don’t miss a trick. Take a look at our guide of top tips for keeping your new friend happy and healthy.

If you have any questions on these topics or any other, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you!

Vaccinations

Vaccinating your new bundle of joy keeps them protected from many serious or even fatal diseases potentially lurking in their environment.

For puppies, our vaccination course can begin from 8 weeks of age and will protect against distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and the newest strains of leptospirosis. 2-3 vaccination visits will be needed to achieve protection (depending on your puppies age) over the course of 4-6 weeks

For kittens, our vaccinations protect your feline friend from feline panleucopaenia virus, feline herpesvirus, feline calicivirus and the Feline leukemia virus. 2 vaccination visits will be needed from 8 weeks of age over the course of 4 weeks in order to achieve protection

Neutering

Neutering is an important consideration for your new friend and we want to do everything we can to make sure you make the right choice for you. Take a look at our neutering page for more information https://culverden.co.uk/neutering/

Worming

Did you know that many puppies are born with roundworms? Kittens, on the other hand, can contract these worms through their mothers milk. Untreated, these worms can cause lethargy, a dull coat and gastro-intestinal upset which is why we recommend worming as soon as your puppy or kitten is old enough and as often as your vet recommends until you are able to move on to a preventative schedule.  This not only prevents your new pet from picking up roundworm again, but also protects against many more and potentially harmful worms in the environment such as lungworm, whipworm and tapeworm.

Fleas and ticks

Fleas and ticks are a problem for both puppies and kittens. In facts, the most common flea (even amongst puppies!) is the cat flea. When it comes to fleas, prevention is most certainly better than cure as fleas are clever creatures and it can often take many treatments be rid of them entirely. By keeping your puppy or kitten protected from fleas and ticks, you are not only saving them from irritating itching, but fleas cant act as an intermediate host to tapeworm leading to further health problems.

 

We use only the most modern preventative healthcare treatments for your pet so you know they are covered.

Micro chipping

Micro chipping is now compulsory in puppies over the age of 8 weeks and strongly recommended for kittens as well. Micro chipping is a permanent and safe way to reunite you and your pets should they ever get lost. According to Petlog, they have helped to reunite over 9 million pet owners with their lost pets!

Health Plan

At Culverden Vets, all of the above plus much more is included in our Health Plan! For a fixed price every month, your new addition will be covered for all of their preventative healthcare needs as well as regular health checks, free nurse clinics and discounts on food, neutering and more! See (https://culverden.co.uk/pet-health-plans/) for more information

Socialisation for kittens

Socialisaing your new kitten helps ensure they grow up to be confident, well-rounded cats! This this means that they should have as many new interactions as possible during their first 2 months of life. Anything they experience during this time is much less likely to be so scary later so meeting new people, travelling in a carrier and plenty of handling is key to letting your kitten know these are normal parts of life and not to worry should they come across them again.

Socialisation for puppies

Puppies should experience as many new situations as possible during their socialisation window. Puppies and dogs in general, have a much higher need for inter-species social interaction and benefit from learning for their canine friends. Ensuring that they are able to have safe, fear-free and well-mannered playtime with canine companions facilitates this. Our puppy parties are the perfect opportunity for your new puppy to socialise. See  https://culverden.co.uk/puppy-parties/ for more information

Insurance

Insurance can be confusing with all of the different companies and policy types! At Culverden Vets, we strongly recommend insuring your new puppy or kitten so that you can rest easy knowing that their treatment options won’t be restricted when it counts. Although we cannot advise on specific pet insurance companies, we can help you understand the policy types and what kind of coverage you would have should you be interested in purchasing a policy.