Regular Vet visits - follow up to First time vet visit
 

As a new dog owner, you now have made it through your first year! Congrats. Your dog has had all their shots or vaccinations, and now is the time for your annual physical.


1. Pre-decide (if it is allowed in your state) are you going to get the three year rabies shot, or the annual one.


2. Pre decide if you will separate out the annual boosters (I usually do this). Rabies alone please. Also if you do do Lepto, that one goes it alone as well. This means it is not combined with any other shots.


3. If you have a health warranty that expires after one year, book your annual early, and you might consider to do a full blood panel as well as BATS for your puppy. (See top 10 Health concerns of Yorkies) to understand why. Genetic diseases can show up a lot later than one year old, but why not check it out before your health warranty expires.


4. Have that list of questions ready for the vet. Make sure you notate any *weird* lumps or bumps, where they are, how long present, and if they have changed in character over time. Know if your dog experiences intermittent diarrehea and how often this might happen. Any changes in energy levels or temperament issues that concern you?


5. Consider if you will do Hip and Elbow Xrays to determine if your pup has dysplasia in either joint. Most especially if you have a contract that warrants against these conditions. Very low grades of either disease are often *silent*, meaning that clinical symptoms are not evident early on, but the disease is there and might manifest themselves over time with early arthritic changes to the joints.


6. Make sure the vet palpates all the joints again, and assesses for Luxating Patella.


7. Make sure again heart is listened to, mouth examined, ears etc.


8. Have the vet scan for the microchip to insure it is still there and scannable!

Just as an aside on #1 - the 3-yr rabies shot and the 1-yr rabies shot is actually the *exact* same shot, it's just given at different intervals of either every yr or every 3 yrs depending upon a state's law here in the US.

And the parvo/distempter vaccination should last up to 7 years, no need for annual boosters. The boosters actually do no good and will ruin a dogs immune system.

Yes and at this time as far as I know, no States recognizes titer testing for the same, or that parvo/distemper lasts for 7 years. Sadly it is a disconnect between bylaw rules, and medical information.

And Lepto is included in the annual booster for parvo in the UK which I recently learned upon my first annual visit for Teddy in November.