Having a dog means that you need to go to the vet on a regular basis. Vet visits will be more frequent if you adopt a puppy.
Puppies
Puppies normally have their first vet visit around 2-3 weeks old. From then until 16 weeks old, or 3 ½ months, puppies will have frequent vet visits. By frequent I mean every 3-4 weeks. Each vet visit they will get a standard check-up and various vaccinations they need.
An additional vet visit is for spaying/neutering. This should typically be done between 5-15 months old. Your vet will let you know when the best time is to get your puppy spayed based on their gender and size.
This is the standard vet schedule for a puppy, but if your puppy has other health issues, they may need to visit more often.
Puppy vaccinations
The vaccinations you can expect your puppy to get between 2-16 weeks are 4 DHPP shots, a Bordetella shot, and a rabies shot. The DHPP vaccine is for distemper, adenovirus, parainfluenza, and parvovirus.
Flea & Tick and Heartworm Medication
These medications will start at 8 weeks old, and will continue for the rest of your dog’s life. These medications can be taken every month, or the heartworm treatment can be injected every year. Your vet will recommend the best preventives for your dog.
Adult dogs
Once your dog turns a year old, vet visits will become annual. Just like us, dogs will receive an annual check-up, as well as specific vaccines they need to be updated on. These vaccines include a distemper combination shot and a rabies shot. These can be every 1-3 years. Your vet will notify you when your dog needs to be updated on these vaccines.
Once your dog turns 7 years old they’re considered a senior. From then on, vet visits will be about every 6 months. This is because as dogs get older, their health starts to diminish causing them to be prone to more health problems.
As mentioned above, this is the standard vet schedule for an adult dog, but if they have other health issues or become ill or injured, then they’ll need to visit the vet more often.
Costs
Vet visits and medications can become costly. It can range from $40-$100 or even more depending on the visit. Luckily, there is pet insurance. Policies will typically cover vet services, or something unexpected like an accident, injury, or an illness. If you want something that also covers wellness visits, you’ll have to find a pet insurance that offers a wellness plan in addition to their policies.
