Puppy and Kitten Clinic

At Bruton Vets our veterinary nurses offer free advice on how to choose a puppy or kitten and all aspects of their care. All our new puppy and kitten owners receive a complimentary Welcome Pack of helpful information and advice.

We also provide a free pre-vaccination health check. At this consultation the nurse will go through vaccinations, worm & flea prevention, training, training aids, toys, diet, pet insurance and any other topic you wish to discuss.

At 6-9 months old your pet starts making the transition from puppy or kitten to adult. See Adolescent Clinic. Ask about joiniing our Pet Health Club to help spread the cost of routine veterinary care for your pet.

We advise all pet owners to have pet insurance. For a small monthly sum Pet insurance gives peace of mind that you can afford professional and sometimes costly veterinary help for your pet should it be needed. 

Diet advice for puppies  Feed a high quality diet especially designed for puppies. A wide variety of diets and formulations are available and we can advise and provide you with all your puppy's dietery requirements. The amount fed will vary with the type of food and the individual dog, but in general, should only be as much as the puppy can consume in 5 to 10 minutes at a given meal. Puppies are usually fed 3 times daily when between 6 and 12 weeks old, 2 times daily when 12 weeks to 6 months old, and may be fed 1 or 2 times daily when older than 6 months.

For certain large breeds of dogs, we may recommend that several smaller meals be fed rather than 1 large meal (even when your dog becomes an adult) because an association has been suggested between the consumption of large meals and a serious medical condition called gastric dilatation/volvulus or "bloat."

Diet advice for kittens  Feed a high quality diet especially designed for kittens. A wide variety of diets and formulations are available and we can advise and provide you with all your kitten's dietery requirements. Dry foods are usually most economical and have the advantage of providing a rough surface that will help reduce plaque and tartar buildup on your kitten's teeth, but canned foods can be fed/supplemented if desired.

Amount fed will depend on the diet, as well as the age, size, and activity level of your kitten. Kittens can be fed free-choice or at set mealtimes; however, many veterinarians recommend feeding all pets at set mealtimes because intake can be more easily monitored. Canned foods should always be fed at set times, because if left unrefrigerated, they can 'go off'. We recommend the use of stainless steel bowls because plastic and ceramic bowls can scratch, leaving crevices for bacteria to hide. The latter types of bowls (and resultant resident bacteria) have been associated with feline "acne" and skin irritation.