Medical & vet care
Vaccinations, first trips outside and the cost of treatment, explained by the vets and veterinary nurses who deal with them daily. The timings and the prices are the ones they would give you in the consulting room.
Book your puppy or kitten's first vet appointment before you need it.
Registering early means the practice already knows them if something goes wrong. It is also the appointment where their microchip gets scanned and their vaccination record checked.
A puppy's vaccination protection gap is the bit owners sometimes miss.
A puppy's immunity takes time to build after the second injection, and the window for socialising them is closing at the same time. Our vaccination guides explain how to manage the two together.
Familiarise yourself with your out-of-hours vet location.
Two in the morning is the wrong time to find out that the emergency service is forty minutes away. Ask at your puppy or kitten's first appointment and write it down.
Medical & vet care articles
Medical & vet care
Your Puppy's Vaccinations: The UK Schedule Explained
The UK puppy vaccination schedule is usually two injections. The first is at eight weeks, though some vaccines are licensed from six or seven. The second follows two to four weeks later, so most puppies are ten to twelve weeks old for it. Both cover distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and leptospirosis. Your puppy can start going out in public one to two weeks after the second injection, with some sensible limits until leptospirosis cover is complete, often about three weeks after it.
- Puppy
- Dog
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Medical & vet care
When Can Puppies Go Outside? A UK Vet-Backed Guide
Your puppy can go outside in public one to two weeks after their second vaccination. For a few weeks after that second jab, usually about three, keep to pavements and built-up areas while leptospirosis cover builds. Stay off farmland, woodland and standing water such as ponds and canals, and do not let them drink from puddles.
- Puppy
- Dog
Medical & vet care
How Much Do Vet Fees Cost in the UK? A Price Guide
Vet costs in the UK run from about £40 for a standard consultation to £1,000 or more for imaging. A first year with a puppy or kitten typically costs £380 to £900 in veterinary bills alone. Out-of-hours care usually adds somewhere around £150 to £300 before treatment even starts.
Use these guides to plan the next vaccination and the next bill. For any worry about your pet's health, speak to your own vet, who can examine them.
