Your First Visit

Home Pet Care Resources Your First Visit

Thank you for trusting SouthPaw Animal Clinic with your pet’s health! We are excited to meet you and your pet.

Whether this is your puppy or kitten’s very first veterinary visit or your pet is very familiar and comfortable with visiting an animal clinic, please know that your satisfaction and your pet’s health are our top priorities. If at any point you have questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Scheduling Your Appointment

To schedule your first veterinary visit at the clinic, please give our office a call at (913) 956-4959 for an appointment. You will be speaking to ShyAnn, our Receptionist, to find a time that works with your schedule.

Your First Veterinary Visit

Your first veterinary visit at SouthPaw gives us an opportunity to introduce your pet to our veterinary clinic in a non-stressful manner. Our focus on “Fear Free” visits has helped many pets learn to be comfortable at the veterinary office, and that is our goal for every appointment that your pet has with us.

When you enter the clinic, you walk directly into the waiting/reception room and will be greeted by ShyAnn, our Receptionist.  She will give you some initial paperwork to fill out for your pet that includes your contact information and some background questions regarding your pet’s activities and health history.

See what our clinic looks like here.

Before you go back to the examination with Dr. C, your pet will likely be weighed. This is also how medication dosages are typically determined. Keep in mind that you are always welcome to come back into the clinic any time to weigh your pet free of charge.

Once in the exam room, Wendy, our Pet Nurse, will get some additional information about your pet’s health and any questions that you might have regarding your pet.  She will then get Dr. C and they will come into the room to give your pet an examination.

A ‘well visit’ examination is to ensure that your pet is current on all of their vaccinations, is not showing any signs of illness, and that they have appropriate parasite prevention. Dr. C will examine your pet and ask you further questions.

If any specific illness or concern brought you into the clinic for your first veterinary visit, or if anything potentially concerning is found, Dr. C may discuss the option of running diagnostic tests (only if needed). While most lab tests are run in our in-house laboratory, some tests may be sent out to an outside laboratory and imaging is done off-site as well. We will discuss a possible diagnosis and treatment plan with you based on our physical examination findings and any tests that were run.

Vaccinations are often done along with the yearly “well visit” examination. Different vaccinations are required for dogs and cats and not all vaccinations that are available are considered “core” or even necessary for each pet. We will discuss the options with you.

While you’re in the clinic, we will also enter your pet’s records into our computer system so that reminders can be sent to you when your vaccinations or other services are due. We will answer any questions that you might have about your pet and go over typical pet care information. Please feel free to ask questions at any point during your visit!

After Your Visit

After your first vet visit, you will get a welcome letter to the email that you provided at check-in. You will also be sent a link to enroll your pet in Petly, our online site that allows you to access your pet’s vaccination records 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Learn more about Petly here.

Remember: Adopting a pet helps provide a home for a pet that is in need of a forever home. If you adopt a pet from certain KC shelters, bring your new pet and the adoption paperwork into SouthPaw Animal Clinic within 2 weeks of adoption and we will provide a FREE EXAM. Learn more here.

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