101 For New Pet Owners

If you’ve never had a dog or cat before, it can seem overwhelming! If you’re a new pet owner, here are some tips that might be useful with in caring for the new addition to your family.

New Puppy

If you’re an owner of a new puppy, you probably have numerous questions and concerns. Three primary areas to learn are:

Feeding

Diet is a critical component of ensuring your puppy grows and remains healthy. We have a page dedicated to puppy feeding tips to find out what you should feed your new puppy (and what you shouldn’t).

Housetraining

Training your puppy properly from the beginning (with patience and consistency) will make all the difference in creating a home where everyone is happy. In our housetraining tips, we discuss crate training, creating a scent post to teach your puppy where to go the bathroom, as well as how to deal with “accidents” in the house.

Chewing

While chewing is normal behavior, it can create anxiety in puppy owners who are worried about their belongings getting destroyed. We provide several tips to handle chewing, including how to take care of your possessions and supervise your pup.

New Kitten

There’s also plenty to learn for new kitten owners. A few main topics of concern include:

Introducing a New Kitten to Other Cats in the Household

If you have another pet in your home, especially another cat, you need to be diligent about making sure the animals don’t feel they need to compete for attention or food. Read our tips for how to handle the introduction period.

Play Behavior

All kittens need stimulating play. Learn about the important play behaviors for kittens and which toys are best.

Feeding

Just as with puppies, diet is vital for a kitten’s growth and overall health. Our kitten feeding tips provide important criteria for selecting the best food for your kitten.

The Litter Box

Training your kitten on how to use the litter box is important in preventing future problems, but can be extremely challenging. Read our litter box recommendations for choosing a litter box, the best locations for litter boxes, and how to take care of litter.

Medical Procedures

Whether your pet needs a routine checkup or you suspect something may be wrong, our hospital is able to handle a wide variety of medical procedures. We’re equipped with a full in-house laboratory and an in-house ultrasound machine. We also regularly perform a large amount of x-rays, each of which is reviewed by a specialist, and provide you with digital copies.

Heartworm Disease

Heartworm disease is a serious disease that can be fatal for both dogs and cats. The disease is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquito (it can’t be transmitted directly between animals). As a pet owner, your primary concern is prevention. 

If you have any specific questions or concerns about your new pet, please contact us at Academy Animal Hospital, Greenwood, Indiana (317) 881-3125.