what is a good location to carry a puppy 7 weeks old for her first check up?

relatively cheap is nice but I know you get what you pay for.


either that or tell me what I need to do to check her myself...becuase im sure I can. Shes already had her 6 week old shot. Just wondering what else may be needed...flea, tick, etc.

thanks

5/25/2010 1:44:34 PM

carry a puppy? is this some sort of slang......

5/25/2010 1:58:32 PM

any vet will do

5/25/2010 2:03:57 PM

respectfully, I dont agree with that. I know some vets are better and worse than others.

Any recommendations?

5/25/2010 2:27:01 PM

wow. really odd wording.

puppies need a series of 4 shots: 6 wks, 9 wks, 12 wks, 16 wks. a "check up" is not just looking at her to make sure she's got 4 legs and a tail (ie. not something you can completely do yourself). they'll look in her ears, check her mouth/teeth, eyes, fecal exam, joints, etc. unless you're a vet you don't know what you're looking for. they'll eventually want to do a blood test for heartworms.

vaccines, except for rabies, can be done at home but since you don't seem to know much about puppy care then i highly recommend you don't try it.

flea & tick stuff is recommended but that's not something you have to go to the vet for.

i would pick a vet close by your house. if there's an emergency you want to reduce the travel time as much as possible. so what area of raleigh do you live in?

[Edited on May 25, 2010 at 2:44 PM. Reason : ]

5/25/2010 2:30:01 PM

Falls Village Vetrinary Hospital is where I take mine. Overall, my family has been going there for decades now.

http://www.fallsvillagevet.com/

Up in North Raleigh on Harps Mill Rd, right between Newton and Falls of the Neuse. Good place if they're close to you.

5/25/2010 2:44:29 PM

I've been going to the Banfield Pet Hospital in the PetSmart over at Briar Creek -- they have a puppy wellness plan thing that I believe is $99 up front, and $20 a month (or something like that) -- however, it covers all vaccinations, neutering/spaying, any office visit, and you can call for phone support/questions any time they are open.

Our puppy is now almost 8 months old and every visit there has been great.

Forgot to mention -- it covers deworming (I believe up to 3 times) and the test for worms. When we first got our puppy he had worms, the vet treated him for it the first time we went in -- he tested negative for worms on all subsequent visits, but they still gave him the deworming stuff for each of the next two visits just to be on the safe side.


[Edited on May 25, 2010 at 3:14 PM. Reason : .]

5/25/2010 3:10:49 PM

wait, you're being picky about which vet you go to, but you actually considered performing the checkup yourself?

5/25/2010 3:29:39 PM

not banfield

5/25/2010 3:41:12 PM

^that

5/25/2010 3:57:38 PM

^^ why not.

I have the expertise to do all the vaccinations(and have so far)

All I wanna know is what is a good place to take her to for a general Vet in the area.

This thread was phrased really poorly lol.

In essence...what is a good local vet that TWWs recommend

5/25/2010 3:57:53 PM

Corporate vet clinics just aren't in the best interest of your animals. They pump your animal full of vaccines (often too many at one time, causing bad reactions), some of which are even considered useless or controversial by the veterinary community. The veterinarians aren't able to use their own judgement on an animal, they have to do everything by Banfield standards. This isn't to say that the veterinarians employed by Banfield are bad though. Some of them are great, and some of them are just there because they make more money than at a private clinic.

5/25/2010 4:05:17 PM

1) SEARCH
2) Why not Banfield? Hmmm: local vs corporate; personal relationship vs lack thereof.

5/25/2010 6:10:04 PM

Magnolia Animal Hospital off of Capital is really good, fair prices.

Giving a vaccine to a dog isn't just a matter of sticking them with a needle and depressing the syringe. It's about quality control, there are certain things you can be sure of when you get your pet's vaccinations through a vet.

A vaccination can be completely useless if not stored at the right temperature, you don't have the option of doing 3 year vaccines (a much better option) when you purchase yourself, technically your pet isn't considered vaccinated when you "DIY," boarding kennels, airlines, dog parks won't accept this.

On a side note, 6 week puppy vaccines are useless, it gives a false sense of security. There are 2 reasons for this: the levels of maternal antibody are too high in your puppy at this age and they counteract the vaccination. Second, your puppies immune system isn't mature enough to react to the vaccine and so it doesn't build up an immune response that will be functional later. The youngest a vaccine will count (be worthwhile) is 8 weeks. Subsequent vaccinations should be given every 3-4 weeks until 16 weeks of age.

5/26/2010 7:10:04 PM

I take mine to Gentle Care Animal Hospital on the corner of Tryon and Jones Franklin.

5/26/2010 7:48:56 PM

what is this "carry a puppy" shit

5/26/2010 8:09:43 PM

I recommend the CareFirst animal hospitals.
I personally go to Oberlin in Cameron Village. Dr. Mhoon and Dr. Wages are who I typically see but Dr. Gordon is great and Dr. Strunck at Grace Park is great as well.
They're reasonably priced (right in the middle), I've never been pressured to do excessive vaccines. Dr. Wages is an excellent surgeon and fixed up my dog Bailey after he was attacked by another dog.
The vet techs there are fantastic, they have extended hours and they have many locations around Raleigh.

http://www.carefirstanimalhospital.com/


I used to go to Quail Corners off Millbrook. Found them to be a little more expensive but they have a great staff and they are my choice for after hours/emergency care.

If you want cheap, there is a clinic in Wake Forest that does walk ins for physicals and Vaccines. North Wake Animal Hospital?

good luck with the puppy.

5/26/2010 11:32:24 PM

I'lll look at your dog for twenty dollars and let you know if it's healthy looking.

5/27/2010 12:03:38 AM

I go to Cary Veterinary Hospital on the corner of Maynard and Chatham. Ask for Dr. McCann if possible. They've always given me honest, solid advice without trying to screw me on unnecessary stuff. I've been taking Dimitri there since I got him as a puppy, and for the last 5 years they've treated us well.

5/27/2010 1:06:48 AM

I go to Crossroads Vet off Jones Franklin. They've always been very helpful. The vet talked to me for a good bit during our first visit about general puppy stuff. I've taken my dog in for "friendly visits" and just to get him weighed every once in a while. One time the vet and I had about a ten minute conversation about poop when my dog had really bad diarrhea.

http://www.mycrossroadsvet.net/

5/27/2010 8:46:47 AM

I forgot to mention that their meds (Frontline and heartworm medicine) are priced cheaper than Pet Meds

5/27/2010 1:49:04 PM

I take mine to Gentle Care as well. Never had a problem with them and their vets have never been pushy or unreasonable.

I did take mine to Crossroads once before and just going to show that YMMV, I had a horrible experience. The vet we saw was loud, rough with the dog and scared the piss out of her. Our dog has always had allergies and bad ear infections and when we mentioned we were always looking for new treatments for her (being on prednisone her entire life is a bad thing overall) she started pushing some new treatment someone she knew at the NCSU vet school had come up with which was ridiculously expensive and would require basically starting from square one with our dog. The final bill was more than we had been told going in and it really felt like the vet just was talking at and through us rather than listening and paying attention to our dog. To be fair, their vet tech staff was great, we just hated the vet.

5/27/2010 1:59:59 PM