First Vet Visit Checklist for a New Puppy or Kitten: 15 Questions to Ask
The first vet visit, ideally within the first week home, sets up your pet's whole health story: vaccinations, parasite protection, feeding, and the baseline exam everything later gets compared against. It is also your one chance to ask everything while an expert is in front of you. Bring this checklist, a stool sample if you can collect one, and a note of what your pet has eaten and how it has been toileting since arrival.
Book the visit before you bring your pet home if possible, and bring the adoption or breeder paperwork, any vaccination record, and the food your pet is currently eating. If you are still preparing for arrival day, our new puppy checklist and new kitten first-week checklist cover the supplies and setup to have ready first.
Before the visit: 5 things to prepare
1. A fresh stool sample (within 24 hours, refrigerated) for parasite testing. 2. The exact food brand and amount you are feeding. 3. Any vomiting, diarrhoea, sneezing, or appetite changes you have noticed, with dates. 4. Your pet's paperwork and vaccination history. 5. A carrier your pet has already sat in at home, with a familiar blanket — a first car ride in a strange box is stressful enough without adding a vet waiting room.
Questions 1–5: Vaccines and parasites
Ask: (1) Which vaccines does my pet need now, and when are the boosters? (2) Has my pet been dewormed, and what is the schedule? (3) What flea and tick prevention do you recommend for our area and my pet's age? (4) Should my pet be tested for heartworm (dogs) or FeLV/FIV (cats)? (5) What parasite risks are specific to our region and lifestyle — dog parks, outdoor cats, other pets in the house?
Questions 6–10: Feeding, growth, and daily care
Ask: (6) Is this food right for my pet's age and breed size, and how much per day? (7) How fast should my puppy or kitten gain weight, and when do we switch from puppy/kitten food? (8) What treats are safe, and how many per day? (9) How often should I brush teeth, and what should I start with? (10) For kittens: litter-box setup and litter type; for puppies: house-training expectations by age.
Questions 11–15: Behaviour, safety, and the plan ahead
Ask: (11) When can my puppy safely meet other dogs and go to parks — after which vaccine? (12) When should we discuss spaying or neutering, and what does recovery involve? (13) Is microchipping done here, and is the registration included? (14) What are the warning signs that mean "call us the same day" versus "book a routine visit"? (15) What does the first-year schedule look like — how many visits, and what will each one cover?
At the visit: what a good first exam covers
Expect a full nose-to-tail check: weight, temperature, eyes, ears, teeth, heart and lungs, belly, coat and skin, and a check for fleas or ear mites. Puppies and kittens are often nervous — ask the vet team to go slowly, offer treats, and let your pet sniff the room first. A vet visit that ends with treats builds a pet that is happy to return; a rushed, scary first visit can make every later visit harder.
After the visit: the first-week follow-up
Write down the vaccine dates, the parasite product used, and the next appointment before you leave — phone photos of the record card work well. Watch for mild vaccine soreness or sleepiness for a day; call the clinic if vomiting, swelling of the face, or refusal to eat lasts more than 24 hours. Keep the vaccine card somewhere you can find it: groomers, boarding kennels, and training classes will all ask for it.
Save this checklist on your phone before the appointment and tick questions off as you ask them. The first vet visit is not just a health check — it is where you learn what normal looks like for your pet, so you can spot problems early for years. Fifteen questions now saves a dozen worried phone calls later.
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