When you get a new puppy, you have a lot of things to take care of. You will need to pick out a proper name for your new family member, make sure they have all the supplies and toys they need, purchase a high-quality puppy food to help ensure good health and get them in to see the vet. When you take your puppy to the vet, you want to be sure you cover all the bases you should to help your puppy stay strong, healthy, and happy. Here are some of the things your puppy's first visit should entail.

Have your puppy vaccinated – You will have the puppy vaccinated for the first time and have a schedule set up for bringing them in to complete the series of vaccinations they need before they will be considered fully vaccinated. Most times, your puppy will need three series of shots, but it could be more or less depending on the exact age they are when you bring them in for their first set of shots. As soon as the vet deems your puppy old enough, you will also want it to have its rabies shot. This shot may be on a different schedule than the other shots, and it is required in order for you to license your puppy in most regions.

See about a microchip – When you get a puppy, you want to do all you can to ensure that the puppy will be reunited with you should it happen to get loose and run off. Along with making sure you get your puppy licensed with the county as soon as you can, you also want to make sure it has tags on its collar with your phone number and have it microchipped. Your vet can microchip your puppy which involves inserting a small chip under the skin that has your contact information. The chip can be read with a scanner if your puppy is ever found by someone else and brought to a vet's office.

Have your puppy fixed – If your puppy is a boy, then it will be neutered, and if it is a girl, then it will be spayed. Neutering and spaying both prevent the puppy from being able to reproduce in the future. Talk to your puppy's vet about when they would like you to bring your puppy back to have this done and make sure to follow through with it. That is unless you plan on responsibly breeding your puppy in the future.

For more information, contact a vet office like Norwin Veterinary Hospital.