[Rock]

Today will be my first time to a vet.
What type of questions should I be asking when the puppy sees the vet for the first time?
My puppy, Honey, will be getting her first puppy shot and a wellness check from the vet.
I want to make use of my visit, I just don't want the doc to get stats on my puppy and say she has a good bill of health.
What should I be asking or looking for when I visit the vet?

Thanks

 

[a7dk]

I think a lot of that will depend on the breed. What breed is your dog?

 

[Gally]

Ask about the incidence of parvo in your area. How long the vet recommends you wait until you take her for walks where other dogs frequent.

Ask about flea/tick/heartworm prevention and the risks of each in your area.

Ask about when they recommend you spay/neuter but know it's your own decision on when/if to do it. Then go do your own research as well before you decide.

If you don't know how to clean a dogs ears or clip their nails ask them to show you.

Don't bother asking for nutrition advice. You'll find better information on this forum.

 

[Rock]

The puppy is 8 weeks today.
She is a mix between a pure golden retreiver and other half antolian/austrailian shepherd.
She is also 15 lbs.
She comes from a litter of 8.

 

[Shell]

Aside from breed specific issues (like a7dk mentions), I would ask:

Are they a 24HR E-vet location or what E-Vet practice to they send patients to for after hours care?
What is the prevalence of parvo, distemper and other contagious diseases in your area? What are the overall vaccination rates like? If you live in a high parvo area with low rates of vaccination among the public, you'll want to be extra extra careful. If you have low parvo etc rates and high vaccination rates, then many people will do a little more socializing after the second set of shots for example.
Recommended flea, tick and heartworm prevention for your area- some areas are seeing drug resistant fleas and such. Some breeds have problems with certain medicines, so this can also be a breed specific question.
get the schedule for her next vaccines before you leave.

Get her microchipped; the % of found dogs with microchips that get returned to their owners is far far higher than those without chips, something like over 70% compared to less than 15% (among dogs that come into a shelter or animal control type facility).

IMO-
You'll want to feel comfortable with the vet and you want a vet that has both dog skills and people skills. You shouldn't feel overly rushed unless they have an emergency come in. the facility should be clean and they should clean between dogs in the exam rooms. My vet facility sprays the floors, tables and lower walls of each exam room with a disinfectant spray between dogs. Prices should be either posted or available if you ask for them, unlike human doctors who have to deal with a variety of insurance agencies and billing systems and very rarely know how much anything will cost, a vet clinic sets their own prices and the majority of clients simply pay at the time of service the set price.
If you have concerns about finances, consider a dog insurance plan now before the dog has/may have any health problems or injuries occur and start setting aside money for emergencies and a spay in the future.

I would not ask about food, I prefer to do my own research on that since nutrition is a very small part of vet school.

 

[hanksimon]

If you have the time, then write down the questions before hand...
1. What schedule of health visits do I need for the next year? When should I
2. Estimate how big my dog will get?
3. When can I socialize with people and when with other dogs?
4. Can you recommend some trainers?
5. Are there any dog parks or fenced areas where I will be able to train my dog to walk off leash... (refer to #3) And when can I do this?
6. Can you recommend any resources to learn about dog training?
7. What type of behaviors and training would help you, when you examine my dog?

 

[a7dk]

The puppy is 8 weeks today.
She is a mix between a pure golden retreiver and other half antolian/austrailian shepherd.
She is also 15 lbs.
She comes from a litter of 8.

Given that she is a mix, I'm not sure if it is necessary to ask about breed-specific issues, but perhaps someone with experience with these breeds will be more helpful.

I definitely second the others who have said to not worry about asking about food/nutrition issues. Many vets just try to push what they sell in their offices, which is usually Hill's or similar, and you can do better than that by asking people here.

 

[Gally]

7. What type of behaviors and training would help you, when you examine my dog? -from hanksimon

That's a great one. We didn't have to ask but our vet happened to mention what he wished all dog owners would do with their dogs to prepare them for vet visits ie. getting them used to handling and strangers touching them.

Our dog does great at the vet now, just sits patiently and lets them do whatever they need to but it took a lot of work and daily handling and socialization to get there.

 

[Rock]

This was great.
I am going to make my list from what was stated.
These ideas never came to mind.
Thanks

 

[Rock]

After going through this Thread, I came up with this list of questions.
Let me know if this looks good.

Disease Prevention

1. What are the incidence of parvo in my area area.
2. What is the prevalence of parvo, distemper and other contagious diseases in our area? What are the overall vaccination rates like?
   • If I live in a high parvo area with low rates of vaccination among the public, what can I do to be careful for my dog.
   • If I live in a low parvo etc rates and high vaccination rates, when is it recommended to socialize: after the first or second set of shot.
3. What are the flea/tick/heartworm prevention and the risks of each in our area.
4. Recommended flea, tick and heartworm prevention

Socialization

1. How long do you (the vet) recommend I wait until I can take her for walks where other dogs (frequently).
2. When can I socialize with people and when with other dogs?
3. Are there any dog parks or fenced areas where I will be able to train my dog to walk off leash...
   And when can I do this?

Training

1. Can you recommend some trainers?
2. What type of behaviors and training would help you, when you examine my dog?
3. Can you recommend any resources to learn about dog training?

Final Questions

1. Estimate how big my dog will get?
2. How do you clean a dogs ears or clip their nails
   show me
3. Are they a 24HR E-vet location or what E-Vet practice to they send patients to for after hours care?
4. Ask about when they recommend to spay/neuter
   • but it's my own decision on when/if to do it.
   • Then I’ll do my own research before I decide.
5. Tell me about micro-chipping

Get the schedule for her next vaccines before I leave.

 

[Rock]

Thank you everyone, my trip to the vet seemed to be very informative.
She was able to answer all of my questions.

One thing I noticed about my puppy, she is restless and panting a lot.
Could this be a reaction to the vaccination?

 

[GottaLuvMutts]

Could be - lots of dogs have reactions to vaccines. What vaccine(s) did she have? Make sure you provide plenty of water and keep an eye on her. If you notice anything really worrying, take her to the emergency vet.

 

[Rock]

Today, she is no longer panting.
She did want to drink a lot of water.
Every time she went out, she drink a lot of water from the outdoor water bowl.
At the time, I did not make the connection that the puppy needed additional water.
I can not remember anybody at the vet tell me that I needed to give the puppy more water then usual.
Perhaps the panting was her telling me that she had an elevated temp.

 

[hanksimon]

She needs to have water all the time. If she favors the Golden genes, then she'll play in the water... Also, I imagine she has a thick coat, so she probably prefers colder weather, hence the panting.

One thing we forgot to mention is brushing the pup's teeth....

Also, see: http://www.dogstardaily.com/free-downloads

Btw, we need pix, lots of pix....

 

[Rock]

I do give my puppy a lot of water during the day.
At night time, I just give her chew toys stuffed with kibble.
When we go for a bathroom run in the evening and through out the night, she gets water on the way to the toilet area.

I'm happy to share a picture of our golden girl

and her is one with our little one about a while ago

 

[hanksimon]

Cute! I think you're in trouble.... looks like someone who knows how to get treats whenever she wants!