We all love to see a new puppy, kitten or baby rabbit and sharing our lives with a pet can bring great pleasure but also requires commitment and responsibility. We can help you make the right choice of pet and our practice nurse can give you lots of free advice. Just ask!
Whatever pet you choose, it’s a good idea to ensure that they are checked over by a veterinary surgeon as soon as possible.
Don’t forget to consider the financial implications of owning a pet. A small rabbit can be purchased for less than £10 but at some stage may require treatment costing several hundreds of pounds.
Ask us about the cost of insuring your pet, it may not be as much as you think and will provide peace of mind if your pet becomes unwell. Our practice nurse can tell you about the types of policies that are available. Some offer better cover than others whilst a few may let you down when you need help most.
Rabbits, tortoises, birds, snakes, and things…
Cats and dogs remain the most popular pets although there is an increasing interest in other animals particularly rabbits and also more exotic species. We are fortunate at Abbey House in having a number of veterinary surgeons with a special interest in these more unusual animals.
Puppies and Kittens
Puppies and kittens are still the most popular pets and its very important to give them the best start in life.
Puppies can be vaccinated from the age of 8 weeks and kittens from 9 weeks. Both require an annual booster to maintain immunity.
Puppy socialisation is also important and should begin as soon as possible after the first vaccinations. A good way to do this is to attend one of our regular puppy parties – just ask us about them.
The first 6 months are a crucial period in the development of any young animal and that’s why we encourage you to bring them back each month for a free appointment with our practice nurse. This provides them with an opportunity to monitor their general health and make sure that they receive the correct flea and worming treatments.
At 5½ months we recommend that your puppy or kitten is neutered.
Thereafter a health check with one of our vets at the time of their annual booster vaccination, regular flea control, routine worming every 3 months and a well balanced diet should give your new pet the best possible chance of a long and healthy life.
