Bringing home a puppy or kitten is one of those life moments that’s equal parts exciting and overwhelming. You’ve got a tiny, curious creature depending on you for everything, and suddenly you’re wondering whether you’re doing it right. The good news is that getting your new pet off to a healthy start doesn’t have to be complicated. It mostly comes down to a few foundational steps taken early and having a veterinary team you actually trust to walk you through them.
At Montgomery Veterinary Hospital, we’ve built our practice around exactly that kind of support. Dr. Melissa Grech-Attard, DVM, and our team genuinely look forward to meeting new puppies and kittens, and we treat every new patient visit as a chance to get things right from the start. Whether your pet just came from a breeder, a rescue, or a neighbor’s litter, our preventive pet care approach is designed to help them grow into a healthy, happy adult.
Your new pet’s first visit with us is less about checking boxes and more about getting to know them. We’ll do a full nose-to-tail physical exam, reviewing everything from weight and coat condition to heart and lung sounds, eyes, ears, and bite alignment. For puppies and kittens, this early baseline is important because it helps us catch any unusual behavior before it becomes a real problem.
We’ll also talk through your pet’s lifestyle, diet, home environment, and any early behavioral observations you’ve made. Our practice is Fear Free certified, which means we take your pet’s comfort and stress levels seriously at every visit. For young animals especially, a calm, positive early experience at the vet sets the tone for a lifetime of easier appointments.
Vaccinations are the cornerstone of your new pet’s first year of care. For puppies, core vaccines typically begin around 6 to 8 weeks of age and continue in a series every 3 to 4 weeks until about 16 weeks of age. Kittens follow a similar schedule. According to the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine vaccination guidelines, one dose is recommended every 3 to 4 weeks from 6 to 8 weeks of age, with the final dose given no sooner than 16 weeks of age.
Our team will build a vaccination plan tailored to your specific pet. Not every animal needs every vaccine, and we factor in things like lifestyle, exposure risk, and your pet’s individual health history before making recommendations. We’ll never just run through a standard checklist without actually thinking about what your pet needs.
Puppies and kittens are particularly vulnerable to internal and external parasites, and catching these early makes treatment much simpler. We’ll typically recommend fecal testing and deworming at the initial visit, along with a discussion of flea, tick, and heartworm prevention options that make sense for your pet’s age and lifestyle. Our testing and diagnostics capabilities allow us to get answers quickly and put a plan in place right away.
Depending on your pet’s risk profile and the time of year, we may also discuss heartworm testing for older puppies and appropriate preventive medications for both puppies and kittens. Getting ahead of parasites early protects not just your pet, but your whole household.
One of the most common questions new pet owners have is when to spay or neuter their pet. The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all. Timing can depend on your pet’s breed, size, and overall health, and it’s a conversation worth having early so you’re informed well before it’s time to schedule the procedure. We perform spaying and neutering in-house, and our surgical team handles every procedure with the same care we’d want for our own animals.
Beyond the obvious population control benefits, spaying and neutering can also reduce the risk of certain cancers and behavioral issues, particularly in cats. We’re happy to walk you through the current guidance and help you make a decision that’s right for your pet.
Early kittenhood and puppyhood are critical windows for socialization. How a young animal is handled, what they’re exposed to, and how they respond to new experiences in these early weeks has a real impact on their behavior as adults. Dr. Grech-Attard has extensive experience in behavioral cases, and it’s an area where our practice genuinely stands out. Many practices in the area either don’t handle behavioral concerns well or inadvertently make them worse. We pay close attention during puppy and kitten visits, noting early signs of anxiety, fearfulness, or reactivity that we can help you address before they become ingrained patterns.
Our advanced pet care services also include behavior-related support for pets who need a little extra help adjusting, and we’re always willing to talk through what you’re seeing at home.
Montgomery Veterinary Hospital has served pets in the Orange County, NY area for more than 35 years. Dr. Grech-Attard has continued that legacy with a practice built on honest, down-to-earth care that genuinely follows through between visits. For new pet owners who prefer a lower-stress first experience, we also offer house calls throughout Orange County, bringing the care to wherever your puppy or kitten is most comfortable. We offer same-day appointments, flexible payment options through CareCredit and in-house plans, and discounts for seniors, military families, multi-pet households, and commuters.
Bringing home a new puppy or kitten is a big deal, and you deserve a veterinary team that treats it that way. Reach out through our contact page or book an appointment online to schedule your new pet’s first visit.
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