New 7-week puppy: What first shots, nail trims, and flea care are safe?

Unfortunately, there are no veterinary clinics located in Petco stores in your area - yet. You can get vaccinations done at Vetco vaccination clinics, as well as heartworm and flea and tick prevention. Be sure you get Tars in before he is 6 months of age, and he won't need a heartworm test. He should also be dewormed against intestinal parasites. Vetco vaccine clinics don't charge an exam fee, but they will charge you for the vaccinations - here is a link to a map of Petco's in your area with Vetco clinics: chttps://www.vetcoclinics.com/services-and-clinics/clinic-locations-and-schedules/?zip=60606#maptop . Also, their prices for services are here: https://www.vetcoclinics.com/services-and-clinics/vaccination-packages-and-prices/ . Finally, you can get nail trimming and anal gland expression done at the grooming salon in your Petco, and most of them even offer training. So pick the one that is most convenient for you!

Costs for vaccination vary from place to place, there may be a Humane Society clinic in your area that may offer lower prices. Yes, your dog can go to the vet to get her vaccinations even if she hasn't had any yet. Call around to some clinics and ask them what their puppy visits cost, often those will include some labwork, such as a fecal analysis to check for intestinal parasites. Let them know your concerns and if you have financial restrictions, they will work with you if you let them know up front what is going on. There are very few infections that can pass between humans and dogs, but ringworm and scabies are two that can be transmitted and both cause itchy skin and hair loss.

It looks like the DA2PLCPV is the distemper parvo vaccine. I'm not sure who sets the prices but that vaccine does contain 5 different diseases so I assume that has something to do with the cost but this vaccine is not extremely expensive. Flea and tick prevention have nothing to do with heartworm prevention or any diseases. Just like heartworm prevention has nothing to do with distemper parvo or fleas and ticks. Dogs require a lot of up keep if you want to do your best to keep them healthy and it is recommended that all dogs stay current on vaccinations. Depending on where you live, fleas, ticks and heartworms can be seasonal but it can also be year round. With the shifting of the human population and the pets they bring with them across the country, parasite prevalence is changing and becoming more of a problem (pets bring the diseases/parasites with them). Speaking with a local veterinarian is your best option to learn Midnight's risk factors and what prevention is needed and when. Also, if Midnight is not spayed, I recommend to get that done. You can avoid many serious (and costly) health conditions by having her spayed. Costs do vary based upon where you live and if you go to a vaccine clinic or not. Information including pricing can be found for the Vetco vaccine clinics offered by Petco at: https://www.vetcoclinics.com/ Otherwise I recommend to call around or look at the websites of your local clinics. Expect to pay an office visit. Most vaccines are priced between $25-35 per vaccine. Here is a link about spaying dogs: https://www.petcoach.co/article/spaying-ovariohysterectomy-the-benefits-in-dogs/ I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi. Great questions. Puppies should begin vaccines at 8 weeks old. Then they need vaccines every 3-4 weeks until the puppy is 16-18 weeks. It is then once a year after that. They do need a physical exam with every shot, they need a fecal rest in the first visit, and to start heartworm prevention. I would not be surprised that it does get close to 100 dollars a visit during these boosters. The positive thing is its only once a year after that :) I don't think you are being taken advantage of. Just know that none of us go in to this field to take advantage of clients. I hope that helps. And if you do feel it's too expensive, you can shop around. The negative to remember one that is you get what you pay for, and you have to go to someone you like. Congrats on puppies!

Congratulations on your new puppy! I would recommend taking her to a vet's office to get her shots as soon as you can, since she's at risk for contracting diseases like parvo or distemper right now if she's never been vaccinated. Your veterinarian can also get her started on a good quality flea medication. She will probably also need a fecal test and deworming to get rid of any parasites, which are very common in puppies. If you want to give her something for the fleas before you're able to get to the vet, K9 Advantix is the most effective over-the-counter option for fleas.

You can put your location into the search engine on this site: https://www.vetcoclinics.com/services-and-clinics/clinic-locations-and-schedules/ to determine the locations and times near you for vaccines. The cost will depend on the vaccinations needed which will be determined by your dog's history and the vet's recommendations but you can look at https://www.vetcoclinics.com/services-and-clinics/vaccination-packages-and-prices/ for some ideas on prices. You can use this link https://www.vetcoclinics.com/services-and-clinics/lifestyle-assessment/ to help determine what vaccines Harold might need. I do not believe most locations do nail trims but you can call the store where the vaccine clinic is located to find out, often a groomer is affiliated within many of the stores and the groomer will do nail trims.

you can have all these done at a VetCo clinic. Here is a price list: https://www.vetcoclinics.com/services-and-clinics/vaccination-packages-and-prices/ and here are locations and schedules: https://www.vetcoclinics.com/services-and-clinics/clinic-locations-and-schedules/