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Preventive Care Schedule: Complete Pet Health Timeline
Vet Care15 min readLast updated: November 2025
📋 Quick Reference
Puppies/Kittens (0-1 year)
- • Vet visits: Every 3-4 weeks
- • Vaccines: 3-4 series
- • First dental: 6-8 months
Adults (1-7 years)
- • Vet visits: Annual
- • Vaccines: 1-3 years
- • Dental: Annually
Seniors (7+ years)
- • Vet visits: Every 6 months
- • Blood work: Biannual
- • Dental: As needed
Preventive veterinary care is the foundation of your pet's long-term health and wellbeing. Regular checkups, vaccinations, and screenings help detect problems early when they're most treatable and least expensive. This comprehensive schedule guides you through all essential preventive care by life stage.
🐾 Puppy Preventive Care (0-12 Months)
6-8 Weeks Old
🔬 First Veterinary Visit
Core Services
- • Physical examination
- • Fecal parasite check
- • First DHPP vaccine (dogs)
- • First FVRCP vaccine (cats)
- • Deworming treatment
- • Nutrition consultation
Cost Range
- • Exam fee: $50-100
- • First vaccines: $20-40
- • Fecal test: $25-50
- • Deworming: $15-40
- Total: $110-230
10-12 Weeks Old
💉 Second Vaccine Series
Dogs
- • DHPP booster (distemper, hepatitis, parvo, parainfluenza)
- • Bordetella (kennel cough)
- • Leptospirosis (optional, regional)
- • Lyme disease (optional, endemic areas)
- • Fecal check if not done previously
Cats
- • FVRCP booster (feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, panleukopenia)
- • FeLV (feline leukemia) - first dose
- • FIV/FeLV testing recommended
- • Fecal check
Cost: $75-200 depending on which optional vaccines are given
14-16 Weeks Old
🎯 Final Puppy/Kitten Vaccines
- • Final DHPP/FVRCP booster
- • Rabies vaccine (required by law): $15-30
- • FeLV second dose (cats): $20-35
- • Start heartworm prevention (dogs): $10-25/month
- • Start flea/tick prevention: $15-50/month
- • Microchipping if not done: $40-80
- • Discuss spay/neuter timing
Cost: $120-300 including preventives
6-8 Months Old
⚕️ Spay/Neuter & Dental
Surgical Procedures
- • Spay (female): $200-800
- • Neuter (male): $150-500
- • Pre-surgical blood work: $80-150
- • Pain medication: $20-60
- • E-collar: $10-30
First Dental Exam
- • Visual dental examination
- • Check for retained baby teeth
- • Establish dental care routine
- • Provide dental care supplies
- • Included in wellness exam
🐱 Kitten Preventive Care (0-12 Months)
📅 Complete First Year Timeline
6-8 Weeks
First exam, FVRCP #1, fecal test, deworming ($100-220)
10-12 Weeks
FVRCP #2, FeLV #1, FIV/FeLV testing ($120-250)
14-16 Weeks
FVRCP #3, FeLV #2, rabies, start preventives ($150-300)
6 Months
Spay/neuter, first dental exam ($200-800)
12 Months
Adult wellness exam, vaccine boosters ($100-200)
Total First Year: $670-1,770 including spay/neuter
🐕 Adult Dog Care (1-7 Years)
Annual Wellness Exam
✅ Yearly Checkup Components
Physical Examination
- • Weight and body condition scoring
- • Heart and lung auscultation
- • Abdominal palpation
- • Dental examination
- • Skin and coat check
- • Joint and mobility assessment
- • Eye and ear examination
Routine Tests
- • Heartworm test: $40-60
- • Fecal parasite exam: $25-50
- • Tick-borne disease panel: $60-100 (optional)
- • Blood work (3+ years): $100-200
- • Urinalysis (optional): $30-60
Annual Cost: $200-500 depending on tests performed
Vaccination Schedule
💉 Adult Dog Vaccines
Core Vaccines (Every 3 Years After Initial Series)
- • DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvo, Parainfluenza): $25-45
- • Rabies: $15-30 (required by law, frequency varies by state)
Non-Core Vaccines (Annual or As Needed)
- • Bordetella (kennel cough): $20-40 annually (if boarding/daycare)
- • Leptospirosis: $25-45 annually (risk-based)
- • Lyme disease: $30-50 annually (endemic areas)
- • Canine influenza: $40-70 (two doses initially, then annually)
- • Rattlesnake vaccine: $30-50 (specific regions)
Dental Care
🦷 Professional Dental Cleaning
Frequency
- • Small breeds: Annually
- • Large breeds: Every 1-2 years
- • Seniors: Annually or as needed
- • With dental disease: Every 6-12 months
Cost Breakdown
- • Pre-anesthetic blood work: $80-150
- • Dental cleaning: $300-800
- • Extractions (if needed): $10-150 per tooth
- • Dental X-rays: $100-300
- Total: $400-1,400+
🐈 Adult Cat Care (1-7 Years)
📋 Annual Cat Wellness
Physical Exam Components
- • Weight and body condition
- • Dental examination
- • Thyroid palpation
- • Kidney palpation
- • Heart/lung check
- • Skin and coat assessment
Core Vaccines (Every 3 Years)
- • FVRCP: $25-45
- • Rabies: $15-30
- • FeLV (high-risk cats): $30-50 annually
- • Annual exam fee: $50-100
- Total: $90-225/year
👴 Senior Pet Care (7+ Years)
Biannual Wellness Exams
🔬 Senior Pet Screening
Every 6 Months
- • Physical examination: $50-100
- • Complete blood count: $50-100
- • Chemistry panel: $100-200
- • Thyroid testing: $50-100
- • Urinalysis: $30-60
- • Blood pressure: $25-50
Annually
- • Dental X-rays: $100-300
- • Chest X-rays: $150-400
- • Abdominal ultrasound: $300-600
- • ECG (heart issues): $75-200
- • Eye pressure test: $40-100
Annual Senior Care: $800-2,000+ depending on findings
💊 Year-Round Preventive Medications
🛡️ Monthly Preventives
Dogs
- • Heartworm prevention: $10-25/month
- • Flea/tick prevention: $20-60/month
- • Combination products: $25-80/month
- • Annual cost: $300-960
Cats
- • Flea prevention: $15-40/month
- • Heartworm prevention: $10-20/month (optional)
- • Combination products: $20-50/month
- • Annual cost: $180-600
💰 Complete Cost Summary
📊 Annual Preventive Care Costs
First Year (Puppy/Kitten)
- • Dogs: $700-2,000
- • Cats: $670-1,770
- Includes vaccines, spay/neuter, preventives
Adult (1-7 Years)
- • Dogs: $500-1,500/year
- • Cats: $270-800/year
- Wellness exams, preventives, dental
Senior (7+ Years)
- • Dogs: $1,200-3,000/year
- • Cats: $1,000-2,500/year
- Biannual exams, extensive testing
💡 Cost-Saving Strategies
🎯 Smart Preventive Care Savings
Wellness Plans
- • Monthly payment plans spread costs
- • Often include discounts (10-20%)
- • Free or reduced follow-up exams
- • Predictable budgeting
Other Savings
- • Buy preventives online (20-40% off)
- • Low-cost vaccine clinics (60-80% off)
- • Pet insurance with wellness riders
- • Multi-pet discounts at vets
💡 Veterinary Tip
"The single most important investment in preventive care is the annual wellness exam. I've caught countless early-stage cancers, heart disease, and kidney problems during routine exams. These conditions are much more treatable—and affordable—when detected early. Never skip annual checkups, even if your pet seems perfectly healthy."
— Dr. Sarah Mitchell, DVM, Preventive Medicine Specialist, 20+ years experience
🧮 Related Tools
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