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New Puppy & Kitten Care

Congratulations on welcoming a furry, four-legged bundle of joy into your home! New puppies and kittens are not only adorable additions to your family – they can be a handful as well. 

Lake Oswego Puppy & Kitten Care

Puppies and kittens require a lot of attention and need proper care to grow up strong and healthy. Lake Grove Veterinary Clinic can help you provide your pet with the resources they need to live a happy, healthy life by your side.

Vaccinate Your New Pets

Like human infants, puppies and kittens don’t have a developed immune system and are vulnerable to communicable diseases – some of which are deadly. Vaccines will give your new pet’s immune system a kickstart to fight off germs. To protect your pet, bring your pet in to Lake Grove Veterinary Hospital for vaccines that can protect them as they grow up.

Common vaccines for puppies and kittens include:

  • Rabies

  • Canine distemper

  • Hepatitis

  • Canine parvovirus

  • Calicivirus

  • Feline herpes virus type I

  • Feline distemper

As your pet grows older, they may need other vaccinations to keep them healthy at different stages of their lives. Our Lake Oswego team will let you know what vaccines they recommend to best protect your pet.

Caring for a New Puppy

Puppies are playful and love to chew – so be careful what you leave lying around. Small objects or things that they can swallow should be kept away from them. Chewing is a way that puppies play, so if you notice your puppy chewing on something they shouldn’t (like your favorite pair of shoes), redirect their attention by giving them a toy they can chew on. Positive reinforcement is always the best training tool. Like human babies, establishing a routine can be enormously helpful in training your puppy. Our team can give you tips on how you can train your puppy to be a well-behaved family member. You can crate train your pet or take puppy classes to help them understand what good behavior looks like. We’ll also recommend a healthy diet for your puppy so they can grow up strong.

Caring for a New Kitten

When you bring your new kitten home, it’s a good idea to have a small, closed-off area to help them get used to their new home. Don’t put their food next to their litterbox – you wouldn’t want to eat in your own bathroom, would you? Give them a soft space to rest, a water dish, and kitten food that will encourage them to grow. Kittens will often have to eat as much as three times a day – it’s hungry work growing up! Introducing your new kitten to other cats in the household should be a slow, deliberate process. Start by allowing your older cat to hear and smell the kitten through a closed door, then advance to let them see each other before letting them get up close.