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How to Prepare Your Puppy for a Visit to the Clinic

Preparing your puppy for its first visit to the veterinary clinic is important so that the experience is a positive one and the clinical examination and everything else done during the visit go smoothly. 

What can you do to help your pet? 

  1. Get them used to the carrier. If your puppy isn’t keen on the carrier, try to get them used to it before the visit. Put their favourite toys or treats inside so they associate it with something positive.
  2. Handle them and pick them up. Get your puppy used to being touched and lifted. This will help them cope with being handled by the vet during the examination.
  3. Run mock check-ups at home: pick your puppy up and look at their paws, teeth and ears. You can invite people the puppy doesn’t yet know to join in, so they get used to being touched by strangers. 
  4. Gently open and touch your puppy’s mouth. This will help them get used to the vet opening their mouth, which is an important part of every visit.
  5. Use special chew toys so your puppy gets used to having their teeth examined. Give them a chew shaped like a toothbrush: it supports healthy dental development and gets your dog used to daily oral hygiene right from the start!
  6. If you have other pets, give your puppy the chance to meet them. This will help them associate a visit to the clinic with meeting other animals, and it will make socialising with other dogs easier in adult life.
  7. Rewards and praise matter enormously! While training and preparing your puppy for the visit, don’t forget to praise and reward good behaviour. This helps build positive experiences. 

Useful tips before the first visit

Feel free to drop in with your puppy even when you don’t have an appointment, so they can get to know the place and its particular smells, and get a few treats from the staff. This too helps build positive associations! 

Remember that every puppy is different, so it’s important to adapt these steps to their individual needs. Before starting any procedure, we encourage you to contact the Zviropolis Veterinary Centre for detailed guidance on preparing your puppy for their first visit. 

You can find Zviropolis contact details here: https://zviropolis.pl/kontakt

We are all ready to help our youngest patients settle in. 

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