Your new pet’s first vet visit
The first visit sets up everything else: vaccinations, deworming, tick control, food and weight. Go prepared with records and questions, and you will come home with a plan rather than a pile of leaflets.
Book it early
Cornell’s Feline Health Center advises that any new cat be checked by a vet as soon as possible after coming home, and kept apart from other cats until then. We suggest the same first-week visit for a new dog.
Source: Cornell: choosing and caring for your new cat. Checked 26 October 2026.
What to bring
- Every record you were given: vaccination card, deworming dates, the breeder’s written details and microchip number.
- The name of the food and how much the pet eats.
- Notes on appetite, toilet habits and anything that worried you this week.
- A fresh stool sample if the clinic asks for one; TroCCAP recommends parasite tests at routine puppy visits.
- Cats in a closed carrier; dogs on a leash with a collar or harness.
Source: TroCCAP canine worm guidelines (tropics). Checked 26 October 2026.
Questions to ask
Vaccines
Which core vaccines does my pet need, and on what dates? Is rabies included? For a dog, is leptospirosis vaccine advised here? For a kitten or outdoor cat, is FeLV vaccine advised? (WSAVA describes these as core in places where the diseases are endemic.)
Source: WSAVA vaccination guidelines 2024. Checked 26 October 2026.
Worms
Which dewormer, at what dose, and how often for my pet’s age and lifestyle? Should the other pets at home be treated at the same time?
Sources: TroCCAP canine worm guidelines (tropics); TroCCAP feline worm guidelines (tropics). Checked 26 October 2026.
Ticks and fleas
Which product is safe for my pet’s species and weight, and how often? (Some dog tick products are toxic to cats.)
Sources: TroCCAP tick and flea guidelines (tropics); Cornell: ticks and cats. Checked 26 October 2026.
Tests
For a cat with an unknown history, should we test for FeLV and FIV?
Source: Cornell: choosing and caring for your new cat. Checked 26 October 2026.
Food and weight
Is this food complete and right for the life stage? How much should I feed, and what does a healthy body shape look like for my pet?
Sources: WSAVA: selecting pet foods; WSAVA nutrition toolkit. Checked 26 October 2026.
Teeth, sterilisation and microchip
When and how should I start brushing teeth with pet toothpaste? When should we discuss sterilisation? Is my pet microchipped, and is the chip registered to me?
Source: FDA: xylitol and dogs. Checked 26 October 2026.
Call a vet straight away if
- your dog may have eaten anything containing xylitol (some sugar-free gum, sweets, nut butters, toothpaste): go even if there are no signs yet;
- your cat touched, chewed or licked pollen from a lily, or drank water from a lily vase;
- your pet swallowed paracetamol, ibuprofen or any human medicine;
- your pet shows heatstroke signs: heavy panting, drooling, vomiting, weakness or collapse;
- your pet ate something from our toxic list.
Sources: FDA: xylitol and dogs; FDA: lilies and cats; FDA: pain relievers for pets; Cornell: heatstroke in dogs; Cornell: feline heat safety. Checked 26 October 2026.
If a person in your family is bitten or scratched by an animal that might have rabies, the World Health Organization advises washing the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and seeking medical care immediately.
Source: WHO rabies fact sheet. Checked 26 October 2026.
Sources for this page
- Choosing and caring for your new cat, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell Feline Health Center (updated May 2017). Checked 26 October 2026.
- Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and control of canine endoparasites in the tropics, second edition, Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites (TroCCAP) (March 2019). Checked 26 October 2026.
- 2024 Guidelines for the Vaccination of Dogs and Cats, executive summary, World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Vaccination Guidelines Group (2024). Checked 26 October 2026.
- Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and control of feline endoparasites in the tropics, second edition, Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites (TroCCAP) (March 2019). Checked 26 October 2026.
- Guidelines for the control of ectoparasites of dogs and cats in the tropics, first edition, Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites (TroCCAP) (1 January 2022). Checked 26 October 2026.
- Ticks, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell Feline Health Center. Checked 26 October 2026.
- Guidelines on selecting pet foods, WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee (updated 10 March 2021). Checked 26 October 2026.
- Global nutrition guidelines and toolkit (body condition score charts), WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee. Checked 26 October 2026.
- Paws off xylitol; it’s dangerous for dogs, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (content current as of 17 December 2025). Checked 26 October 2026.
- Lovely lilies and curious cats: a dangerous combination, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (content current as of 16 September 2021). Checked 26 October 2026.
- Get the facts about pain relievers for pets, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (content current as of 29 September 2022). Checked 26 October 2026.
- Heatstroke: a medical emergency, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Riney Canine Health Center. Checked 26 October 2026.
- Feline heat safety, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell Feline Health Center (last updated 21 August 2026). Checked 26 October 2026.
- Rabies fact sheet, World Health Organization (WHO) (17 September 2026). Checked 26 October 2026.