Puppy Vet Checklist

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Puppy Vet Checklist

What to ask, what to book and what to watch for — from before your puppy comes home through the end of the vaccination course.

27 items · tick them off as you go · last updated 27 August 2026

Read this before you use the list

This is a checklist of things to ask about, not a schedule to follow. Vaccination ages, intervals and which vaccines are considered core all differ by country, by the product your vet uses, and by your individual puppy. Nobody on this site is a veterinarian.

Take this page to your appointment and work through it with someone who can examine your puppy. Where a date matters, the date your vet gives you is the one that counts.

Before they come home

Register with a vetBefore day one
Do this before your puppy arrives, not after something happens.

Save the out-of-hours numberBefore day one
In your phone. Most emergencies happen when the practice is shut.

Get the paperwork from the breeder or shelterBefore day one
Vaccination record, worming and flea dates, microchip number, and what food they are on.

Check the microchip is registered to youBefore day one
A chip registered to the breeder is a chip that returns your puppy to the breeder.

Decide on insurance before the first visitBefore day one
Anything a vet notes at the first check can count as pre-existing afterwards. Compare cover and costs

The first vet visit

Book a health check within a few days of getting homeBefore day one
Most breeders and shelters expect this, and some sale agreements require it.

Bring the paperwork and a fresh stool sampleBefore day one
The sample saves a second trip for a worm test.

Ask which vaccination protocol they useBefore day one
Brands and intervals differ between practices and between countries.

Ask when your puppy can safely meet other dogs and go outsideBefore day one
This is the question that matters most in the first month, and only your vet can answer it for your puppy.

Ask about worming and flea or tick preventionBefore day one
Frequency depends on where you live and on the product used.

Weigh them, and keep weighing themBefore day one
Dose sizes and growth checks both depend on it.

The vaccination course

First core vaccinationBefore day one
Commonly given somewhere around six to eight weeks — often already done by the breeder. Check the record rather than assuming.

Second core vaccinationFirst week
Usually a few weeks after the first. Your vet sets the interval.

Third dose, where the protocol calls for oneFirst month
Some schedules finish at two doses, others run to three or four. Neither is wrong — they are different products.

Ask when full protection actually startsFirst month
It is not the day of the last injection. There is a gap, and it changes what your puppy can safely do.

Rabies, where it appliesFirst month
Required by law in many countries and for most travel. Timing is set by legislation, not by preference.

Optional vaccines worth discussingFirst month
Kennel cough, leptospirosis and others depend on where you live and what your puppy will be doing.

Ongoing routine care

Worming to your vet's scheduleFirst week
Puppies are wormed considerably more often than adult dogs.

Flea and tick preventionFirst week
Start it, and diarize it. It only works if it is continuous.

Discuss neutering timingFirst month
Recommended age varies widely by breed and size, and the advice has changed in recent years. It is a conversation, not a date.

Book the next appointment before you leaveFirst week
The single most reliable way not to miss a booster.

Call a vet the same day if you see

Repeated vomiting or diarrhoeaBefore day one
Especially with blood, or in a very small puppy — they dehydrate fast.

Not eating or drinkingBefore day one
A puppy skipping meals is not the same as an adult dog skipping meals.

Lethargy, collapse, or unusual hidingBefore day one

Difficulty breathingBefore day one

Swallowed something they should not haveBefore day one
Do not wait to see what happens, and do not try to make them sick unless a vet tells you to.

Limping that does not settle within a dayBefore day one

What does all this cost?

This page is about when, not how much. Our puppy insurance and vet costs page breaks down typical first-year prices service by service — wellness exams, the vaccination course, worming, microchipping, neutering and emergency visits — and compares what different kinds of cover actually pay for.

One thing worth doing in the right order: sort insurance before the first health check, not after. Anything a vet records at that appointment can be treated as a pre-existing condition by a policy you buy afterwards.

Keep going

Vet costs and insurance →Their first 30 days →What to buy before they arrive →