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New puppies and Kittens are a lot of fun and laughs, but also a lot of hard work. AAC would like to provide some basic guidelines to ensure the health, happiness and long-life of the new edition to your family. We particularly like to stress the importance of being a responsible pet owner.
Vaccinations
- For all puppies and kittens we recommend a series of vaccinations at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age.
- Puppies receive a "5-way" vaccine for parvovirus, distemper virus, adenovirus, hepatitis, and leptospirosis.
- Kittens receive a "4-way" vaccine for calicivirus, panleukopenia, chlamydia, and rhinopneumonitis.
- These vaccines should be boostered annually through adulthood. Both puppies and kittens get their first rabies vaccination at 16 weeks, and should be boostered every other year through adulthood (the frequency of rabies vaccination is determined by the city you live in).
De-worming
- Intestinal parasites are responsible for many deaths in newborn puppies and kittens. All puppies and kittens should be de-wormed starting at 4 weeks of age and every 4 weeks after that until 16 weeks of age. De-worming should be done every few months through adulthood.
- Heartworm preventative is started at 12-16 weeks and also contains intestinal de-wormers.
Spaying and Neutering
- Spaying and neutering is done between 4 and 6 months of age (just BEFORE animals reach sexual maturity). They are surgical procedures that generally require one night’s stay in the clinic. Having your pet spayed or neutered is very important to their long-term health and happiness and an integral part of being a responsible pet-owner.
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