The Vet Checklist: Essentials for your new pet

Taking care of a new pet is an infinitely rewarding experience as much as it is a challenging one. To ensure that you’d live the best life together with your new floof baby, you’d want to establish a healthy lifestyle for them right from the start. 

One of the foundations of having a healthy floof baby is having good veterinary care right from the start. Here at Maxime, our team of experts has consolidated a rundown of health-related concerns that you’ll need to check off your list once you visit the vet as a new pet owner.

1. Choose the right veterinarian for your cat or dog.

Choosing a veterinarian for your pet is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make as a pet paw-rent, as your chosen veterinarian will be your pawt-ner in helping your floof baby lead a long and healthy life. 

When selecting a vet, get personal recommendations from friends and family and other people you trust. Consider the proximity of your location and the vet’s clinic hours too — will they be able to accommodate you in case of emergency? Ask for the services they offer and check if their clinic is clean and well-organized. 

2. Deworming

Whether your new pup or kitten is a purebred or a rescued one, most newborn pets are born with internal and external parasites. Deworming is part of a preventive care regime that you can establish with your new floof babies as early as 3 weeks of age. 

Newborn pups and kittens usually need to be dewormed every 2 weeks until they reach 3 months of age. Afterward, it’s best to discuss with your trusted veterinarian the next steps for your floof baby’s deworming schedule.

3. Anti-rabies shots

Rabies is a viral disease that poses a serious threat to both animals and humans. It affects the brain and the central nervous system and is often fatal. It’s also zoonotic, which means it can be passed by an infected animal to its human owner.

The good news is that rabies is preventable! As early as four months old, your cute pup or kitten can get their anti-rabies shot. By vaccinating your floof baby, you’re not only protecting them and yourself from contracting the disease — you’re also protecting the other animals they may come into contact with.

4. Core vaccinations

We all want our doggos and cattos to live a long and healthy life. But no matter how protective we are of them — whether they stay strictly indoors or go outdoors — they would always remain at risk of exposure to certain diseases, just like us, humans.

Vaccinating your pet is the easiest way to increase your pet’s protection against diseases. There are different vaccines available for different diseases, and it’s important to consult with your veterinarian so you can determine the best vaccination regime for your pet, relative to their current lifestyle and health.

Here are the core vaccines that are considered vital for your floof babies:

For dogs: Vaccines for canine parvovirus, distemper, canine hepatitis, and rabies are considered core vaccines. 

For cats: Vaccines for feline panleukopenia (FIV), feline calicivirus (FPV), feline herpesvirus type I (FHV1), feline leukemia virus (FeLV), and rabies.

Getting a new bundle of joy is tremendously exciting but it’s not just all about sunshine and rainbows! As paw-rents, it’s our responsibility to take care of their well-being all the time, and that includes providing them proper healthcare.

On top of this list, make sure to provide your babies with proper nourishment through their diet. Delight them with a complete and minerally-balanced meal with Maxime, formulated with all the right ingredients to help you #LiveTheBestLifeTogether with your doggos and cattos! 

References:
Cesar Millan
Bergen County Veterinary Center
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What are the four essential veterinary care priorities every new pet owner should address?
New pet owners should work through four foundational health priorities in sequence: selecting the right veterinarian before anything else, establishing a deworming schedule starting as early as three weeks of age, administering an anti-rabies vaccination from four months onward, and completing the appropriate core vaccine series for their specific pet. These four steps form a preventive care baseline that protects the animal from the most common and serious health threats during the critical early months of ownership, setting the foundation for long-term wellbeing.

Q2: What should new pet owners look for when choosing a veterinarian?
Selecting a veterinarian deserves the same care as choosing any long-term healthcare provider. Start with personal recommendations from trusted friends, family, or fellow pet owners. Assess practical factors: proximity to your home, clinic operating hours, and whether emergency consultations are available. Visit the clinic before committing — a clean, well-organized facility reflects professional standards. Ask about the full range of services offered to ensure the clinic can accommodate your pet’s needs as they grow. The vet you choose will be your primary partner in your pet’s health decisions, making this one of the most consequential early choices you’ll make.

Q3: Why is deworming necessary even for purebred or seemingly healthy newborn pets?
Most newborn puppies and kittens carry internal and external parasites regardless of breed or source, as parasite transmission commonly occurs in the womb or through the mother’s milk. Deworming is therefore not a reactive treatment for sick animals — it is a standard preventive measure applied to virtually all newborns. The recommended schedule starts as early as three weeks of age, with treatments repeated every two weeks until the pet reaches three months old. Beyond that point, the ongoing schedule should be determined in consultation with a veterinarian based on the animal’s environment and health status.

Q4: Why is the anti-rabies vaccination important for both pets and their owners?
Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the brain and central nervous system and is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. Critically, it is zoonotic — meaning an infected animal can transmit the virus to its human owner through bites or scratches. Vaccinating a pet from four months of age creates a protective barrier that works in multiple directions: it shields the animal, protects the owner, and reduces transmission risk to other animals the pet may encounter. Given that rabies is preventable through vaccination, skipping or delaying this step represents an unnecessary and serious health risk for the entire household.

Q5: What is the difference between core vaccines and other pet vaccinations, and which does each species need?
Core vaccines are those considered essential for all pets regardless of lifestyle, because the diseases they target are either severe, widely prevalent, or transmissible to humans. For dogs, core vaccines cover canine parvovirus, distemper, canine hepatitis, and rabies. For cats, the core list includes feline panleukopenia, feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus type I, feline leukemia virus, and rabies. Non-core vaccines address diseases tied to specific risk factors or environments and should be discussed with a veterinarian relative to the individual animal’s lifestyle. No vaccination regime should be self-prescribed — a vet’s guidance ensures the schedule matches the pet’s actual health needs.