Building Lifelong Health From Day One
Your puppy or kitten has unique needs from fully-grown or mature pets. Everything from their vaccination schedule to the needs for spaying or neutering are very important for their short-term and long-term health. Fortunately, our team at White Oak has everything you need to get your puppy or kitten started on the path to a long and healthy life.
Spay/Neuter Procedure
Spaying or neutering is strongly recommended for all cats and dogs kept as pets. Not only does spaying/neutering eliminate the risk of unwanted and unexpected pregnancy that can lead to unhoused pets, it also helps reduce a range of health risks and allows pets to lead longer, happier, and healthier lives while also being easier for you to care for as their owner.
The process for spaying (in females) and neutering (in males) is entirely safe, routine, and straightforward— and our vets are very experienced at completing the procedure safely and with minimal recovery necessary. We’ll always check your pet’s health before the procedure to ensure they’re strong enough for the surgery, then monitor them after to ensure that they recover fully without any lasting side effects.
Permanent Pet Identification
Microchipping is a safe and simple way to identify your pet in case he or she becomes lost. A tiny microchip, about the size of a grain of rice, contains a one of a kind identification number. The chip is injected with little discomfort under the skin through a syringe, just like a vaccine. The chip is designed to stay permanently in place. When a lost dog or cat without an ID tag is found, a handheld microchip scanner can be used to check for a chip. If the pet has one, it will transmit his ID number to the scanner via a low frequency radio wave. The veterinary hospital or shelter then phones the chip manufacturer, retrieves the pet owner’s contact information, and calls the owner. Once a microchip has been placed in your pet and you’ve registered your contact information, you will have the peace of mind that you’ve given your pet the permanent lifetime ID he needs for the best chance to come home if lost.
Puppy Wellness Exams
Our puppy wellness exams are designed to be a nose-to-tail rundown of their complete health, helping give us insights into their wellbeing, unique needs, and growth. In these exams, we’ll ask questions about your pup’s behavior, diet, and more as we provide recommendations for their health and happiness.
Puppy Vaccinations
Vaccinations are an essential part of taking care of your new puppy— and the other dogs they interact with. We recommend waiting until your pup has been vaccinated before taking them to meet new friends, which could put them in danger of contracting serious or fatal illnesses.
We recommend the following core vaccinations to be administered in a series of three visits to the clinic, each 2-3 weeks apart:
- Distemper
- Hepatitis
- Parainfluenza
- Parvovirus
- Rabies
- Bordetella
While your new puppy is in the clinic for their vaccinations, we will also run a few routine tests such as a fecal exam and a heartworm exam, to make sure they are parasite-free and growing up healthy and strong. Please do your best to bring a fresh fecal sample to your visit!
Kitten Wellness Exams
Your kitten’s first few weeks are extremely important for ensuring a healthy life. We recommend you bring in your kitten for a nose-to-tail wellness exam as soon as you can, as it will allow us to assess their overall health, watch out for any potential problems, and establish a health baseline for any future visits.
Kitten Vaccinations
Vaccinations are essential for protecting your kitten against sickness and disease that can cause serious health issues and even death.
To bring your new kitten’s immune system up to speed, we recommend the following core vaccinations to be administered in a series of three visits to the clinic, each 2-3 weeks apart:
- Distemper
- Rhinotracheitis
- Calcivirus
- Rabies
While your kitten is in the office, we will run a few routine tests on them such as a fecal exam to make sure they are growing up healthy and strong. Please do your best to bring a fresh fecal sample to your visit!
Multi-Cat Households
Cats that will be living in households with other cats require special attention. It’s important that they are tested for both feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). We recommend that you have your cat tested before bringing it home to your other cats and potentially exposing them to these dangerous conditions.
You may also want to consider keeping your cat separated from others in the home for a few days so they can get properly acclimated, and so that your other cats can warm up to the idea of another animal encroaching on their territory. The more comfortable they become with each other’s presence, the more you can allow them to interact.