Congratulations New Pet Owner 

You and your pet will benifit greatly from the mutual love and loyality you each share. You need to become familiar with the needs of your pet in order to have a health, happy, & well trained pet. If you received the puppy or kitten as a gift, you need to decide if you are really up to the task of caring for a new family member. What will you feel when the puppy grows out of that cute face and into those big feet?  If you decide to take on the task of pet ownership both you and your pet will benifit greatly.

Caring for your pet should start the moment you receive them. The most important thing you can do for your pet is to take them to a local Vet for a checkup and to establish a health record.  Your Vet is the authority on your new "Best Friends" health and will advise you on their care, feeding and training. When you first visit a Vet bring a written list of questions to ask and write down the answers as you discuss them with the Vet staff. Your pet will require serval immunizations when they are young and will continue to require booster shots through their life.

One of your pets greatest health threats is from parasites. Your pet should be dewormed on their first visit to the Vet. They will examine the fecal content to identify which parasite may be present and begain the proper treatment. Treatments by the breader may not have been sufficient by themselves and it nice to know what the problems are and what treatments have actually been given.

The Vet will also look for any birth deficts or conditions that need correcting before they become major problems, Also, the Vet will start your pet on a regular heartworm and flea & tick preventative measures, which you will have to continue through the life of your pet, they are absolutly necessary for a quality life for you and the pet.

Diet is critical when the pet is young and it is important for them to be feed a high-quality diet specpifically formulated for their age.  These products may be identified as "puppy" or "kitten" formulas. Conitnue these formulas until you feel the animal is ready for a more mature, less growth promoting formula. There is no set age to make this change as it includes factors like breed, age, growth and health, so if you have any concerns ask your Vet. Most Vet clinics carry products that they have great confidence and experience with and will be a great source of information on pet diet issues.

Young pets grow quickly and so will their behavior patterns.  They will start chewing and scratching on things and this is normal growth behavior. You will need to provide them with the proper toys to statisfy these cravings. The chew toys need to be fairly soft, high quality, indestructible and labeled safe for the pets.  Scratching post are a necessity for cats and will save the furnature and curtains.

Consider enrolling your puppy in a puppy trainng class. Making a small commitment now will pay off in the long run with a well behaved, social, housebroken pet. It will establish their respect for future training that you may undertake yourself.

Your pet needs to be spayed or nutered if breeding is not in the future of your new pet. Puppies and kittnes as be spayed or nutered as early as 8 weeks old but your Vet will give you advice when they thing it should be done.  Spaying and neutering helps to avoid many health problems, and you will be doing your part to help control the pet overpopulation.

A new pet is a big investment but they will return to you 10 times the effort with years of love and loyalty, just don't forget they rely on you for proper care and feeding.