Puppy First Vet Visit Checklist, Questions and a 7-Day Log

It's Saturday afternoon, and the puppy comes home. The breeder hands over a folder: a vaccine record, a sheet on how to feed her, and a card with her microchip number. The family gathers around the crate and takes far too many photos.

On day 3, she leaves half her breakfast, and her evening poop looks soft. You reach for the phone to call the vet, then stop. If they ask, "Since when? How much has she eaten?" could you answer? You'd have to text your partner just to find out who fed her last night.

For a puppy's first vet visit, bring the breeder or shelter paperwork, a fresh stool sample if the clinic asks for one, and a log of everything since pickup. Keep the log on one sheet from day 1: meals (what, and how much was eaten), potty breaks (the time, and what the poop looked like), weight, and who logged it. And when you're not sure whether to wait or call, don't count days: call the vet and ask. Papers, a log and a phone call: that's the whole answer.

First-week guides tell you how to spend the days, and clinic pages tell you what to bring. This post covers what to write down between pickup and the exam, which is what the vet will ask about: a log, plus a question list and the microchip and licensing steps that fall in the same few weeks. Nearly all of it works for a kitten too. For records after week one, see how to keep pet health records.

This is a guide to keeping records, written by Memofu's developer, not a veterinarian. It is not veterinary advice. Ask your vet about vaccines, feeding and anything to do with your puppy's or kitten's health.

When should a new puppy or kitten see the vet for the first time?

Book right away and, as the AKC suggests, go within the first few days, even if nothing seems wrong.

In its guide to a puppy's first day home, the AKC says: "Your vet should give your puppy a check-up in the next few days." A separate AKC article on the first vet visit notes that breeders generally write a vet exam, usually within three days, into their contracts. For a puppy from a rescue or shelter, which may have been exposed to contagious diseases, the AKC says "an immediate exam is even more important."

Young animals see the vet often anyway: the Merck Veterinary Manual's pet owner edition says every 3 to 4 weeks until 4 months old for puppies, and until about 6 months old for kittens.

When you book, say it's a first visit, give the day your puppy came home, and ask whether to bring a stool sample and how to pack it. Ask what the visit will cost, too; the AKC notes that prices "differ widely by geographic region."

What happens at a puppy's first vet visit?

The AKC says that at the first visit the vet should weigh your puppy, listen to the heart and lungs, take its temperature, examine the eyes, ears, nose, feet, genitals, skin, coat, teeth and mouth, feel the belly and lymph nodes, and check a stool sample for worms. The same list includes talking through your puppy's history and any questions about feeding. Bring your home weigh-ins so the vet can see them next to the clinic's number.

What should you bring to a puppy's first vet visit?

The breeder or shelter paperwork, a fresh stool sample if the clinic asks for one, and your log since pickup. Add the name of the food and your questions.

• The paperwork. Vaccine records, date of birth, deworming records and feeding instructions. The AKC says to bring medical records from the breeder or rescue so the vet can add them to your dog's file.
• The microchip number, if there is one. You'll need it again for registration.
• The food. The bag, or a photo of the label.
• A fresh stool sample, if the clinic asks. The AKC says the vet will check feces for worms, noting that most pups have roundworms, and suggests bringing a sample.
• Your log since pickup (template below) and your questions.
• A video of anything odd. Veterinary Medicine at Illinois recommends recording a video if your pet is acting strangely in any way.
• Treats. Cornell's Riney Canine Health Center suggests bringing your dog's favorite treats from home.
• A leash or a carrier. A leash for a puppy, or a carrier for a small one; always a carrier for a kitten.

What should you check in the breeder or shelter paperwork?

Look for dates and details: vaccines given, deworming, date of birth, and what and how much your puppy has been eating. What you get varies, so ask for anything missing while you're still in touch. Photograph every page on day 1, bring the originals, and keep the photos where the whole family can see them.

If you change clinics later, see how to transfer pet records when you switch vets.

What should you bring to a kitten's first vet visit?

The same paperwork and log as for a puppy, plus a sturdy carrier and spare bedding that smells of home. What changes is how you travel and the vaccine schedule.

International Cat Care says never to travel with a cat loose in the car: "always use a robust carrier." It suggests the spare bedding in case your kitten is sick or soils the carrier.

The log matters just as much for a kitten. Writing about diarrhea, Cornell's Feline Health Center notes that "Kittens may be at elevated risk as their digestive systems adjust to the introduction of solid food," so keep the meal and poop rows going.

Kittens and puppies follow different vaccine timelines (question 1 below), so ask for your kitten's dates at the first visit.

What should you write down in the first week?

Meals (what, and how much was eaten), potty breaks (the time, and what the poop looked like), weight, and who logged it. Start on day 1, on one sheet.

VCA Animal Hospitals says that for a dog with diarrhea, the vet may ask about history "such as when the diarrhea started, how often it occurs, what it looks like, and any recent changes in your pet's diet or environment." The first week is full of changes: Cornell's Riney Canine Health Center lists switching to a new food too quickly, and a stressful event such as a vet visit, among the transient causes of diarrhea. A log that says when the food changed gives the vet something to work with.

The table splits potty into pee and poop and adds water and energy, for seven items.

On paper, turn it sideways: the seven items across the top, Day 1 to Day 7 down the side, on one sheet taped near the crate. On a day something worries you, add timed lines to that day's row. Written out, one entry looks like this:

Day 3 · 6:00 pm · dinner · usual food · left about half · 6:40 pm poop, soft, no blood · logged by Dad

• Give anything worrying its own timed line, and note the day the food changed. Words are fine for amounts: all, half, a little, none.
• Don't write "normal" ranges onto the sheet. Leave the judgment to the vet.

Weigh on day 1 and the day before the visit if you can (how to weigh a small pet at home). Add a paperwork row: papers received, the appointment, the microchip update, and license and rabies vaccine dates.

New puppy not eating or having diarrhea on day 3: should you wait and see?

If you're not sure, don't wait it out: call your vet and read them your log. How many days is too many is the vet's call, so this post won't give you a number.

Some veterinary sources do give a waiting period, but those are written for dogs and cats in general, not for a puppy in its first week. All of them list warning signs that mean calling sooner:

• Cornell's Riney Canine Health Center says a pet with diarrhea should see a vet if it stops eating, is lethargic, has black or tarry diarrhea or is also vomiting. For a pet with diarrhea, not eating is on that list by itself, and the AKC calls refusing food "a cause for concern."
• For a vomiting dog, the same center says to call if you notice lethargy, a painful belly or a fever.
• For a cat with diarrhea, Cornell's Feline Health Center says it is "most important for a veterinarian to examine an affected animal as soon as the clinical signs are noticed."

There are good reasons to err on the side of calling with a young animal. Cornell's Feline Health Center says young kittens and unvaccinated cats are among the most likely to become ill from feline panleukopenia, a viral disease, and the Merck Veterinary Manual says puppies are susceptible to infections until they have all their shots.

For example: "We brought our puppy home three days ago. Since last night she's eaten about half. Her last poop was at 9:40 this morning, soft, no blood. She's still on the breeder's food." For more, see how to describe your pet's symptoms to the vet.

What should you ask at your puppy's first vet visit?

Ask about vaccines, stool checks, feeding, meeting other dogs, and what should make you call. Check off the ones that matter to you.

1. When are the next vaccines? The Merck Veterinary Manual says puppies need vaccines every 2–3 weeks until about 4 months old. For kittens, Cornell's Feline Health Center cites the Feline Veterinary Medical Association's series for the panleukopenia (feline distemper) vaccine: every 3–4 weeks from 6–8 to 16–20 weeks. Your clinic sets the dates. If one slips, see what to do about a missed vaccine booster.
2. Stool test today? When's the next? What's the deworming plan? The Merck Veterinary Manual says the vet will check a puppy's poop for worms every 2–4 weeks until two tests in a row are negative.
3. When can she meet other dogs? The Merck Veterinary Manual says to keep puppies away from unvaccinated dogs, or dogs of unknown vaccine status, until their shots are done.
4. Are the meals and amounts right? The ASPCA says puppies eight to 12 weeks old need four meals a day; the AKC's first-day guide says young puppies eat three times a day. Ask which fits your puppy.
5. Can you scan the microchip, and when is the rabies vaccine due? Check the chip number against the paperwork before you register it.
6. When should flea, tick and heartworm prevention start? Your clinic will tell you when to start and which preventives to use.
7. Who do we call at night or on weekends? The AKC suggests finding out about the clinic's after-hours setup.
8. How do we give any medicine? The AKC says to make sure you understand when and how to give it. Give it as prescribed.
9. If we don't know her birth date, about how old is she? Age shapes the vaccine schedule. See what to do when a rescue pet's birthday is unknown.
10. For this puppy, what should make us call the same day? The answer depends on the puppy. Write it at the top of your log.

International Cat Care puts it plainly: "If you don’t understand what the vet tells you, ask for further explanation." Write the answers down, so whoever missed the visit can read them.

Which microchip, license and rabies steps come in the first weeks?

Make sure the microchip is registered to you, find out your local licensing rules, and ask when the rabies vaccine is due. The details depend on where you live.

The microchip. A chip only helps if the registry has your contact details. AAHA, which runs an online microchip registry lookup, notes: "Occasionally, microchips are implanted but not registered to specific pets." In that case, its lookup lists companies that may have sold the chip. Once the vet confirms the number, ask the breeder or shelter which registry the chip is enrolled with, and put it in your name.

The license and the rabies vaccine. In the United States, the rabies compendium from the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) recommends vaccinating all dogs, cats and ferrets against rabies and calls licensing an integral part of rabies control, though state and local laws come first. The ASPCA's advice for dogs: "Follow your community’s licensing regulations." Elsewhere, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, ask your vet or check your city, county or council website.

Write those dates in the paperwork row; for what each paper proves, see what to do if you lose your dog's vaccination certificate. For cats, the Merck Veterinary Manual's owner pages note that some side effects, like soreness or mild fever, are normal after vaccinations, but serious allergic reactions are rare. Whatever the pet, log when each shot was given, in case anything seems off afterward.

How do several people keep one potty and meal log?

Keep one shared puppy potty log, with meals on it too: every potty break and meal gets the time and who did it. Then whoever comes home next can see when your puppy last went out.

The Merck Veterinary Manual lists first thing in the morning, last thing at night, after meals, after a nap and after playtime as times puppies naturally need to go. Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society of the United States) suggests going out at least every two hours. The AKC, listing similar trigger times, says that depending on age this could mean a dozen trips or more a day.

That's a lot for one person. The AKC suggests a trusted friend, neighbor or dog walker to help keep things consistent, and Humane World calls consistency one of "the foundations of successful potty training."

Once the trips are shared, each potty break gets one line:

2:10 pm · potty · peed outside · logged by Mom

Whoever gets home next reads "last out at 2:10, Mom". If two people both end up feeding dinner, see what to do if your pet was fed twice.

A paper sheet can be shared too, but if you want to check in while you're out, a log everyone can see on their phone is easier. Memofu has a care log of who did meals and potty breaks, and when, but no potty timer, no prediction and no notifications: when to go out next is up to whoever reads the log.

If the potty runs always fall to one person, see what to do when your family doesn't help with the dog. Comparing apps? See how to choose a shared pet care app.

What to do this week

Six things to start in the first week:

• Book the vet, and ask about a stool sample.
• Photograph the paperwork, and keep the originals in one envelope.
• Start the log. Today's meals and potty breaks, and today's weight if you can.
• Check the microchip registration and local license rules.
• Write down three questions from the list above.
• Put the phone numbers next to the log: your vet's, and the nearest emergency vet's.

Where Memofu fits

Memofu is an app for keeping pet health records and photos with your family. Here's how it helps in the first week. Everything below is in the app today.

• Meals and potty breaks are one tap. Dogs have Fed, Walk and Potty buttons; cats have Fed and Potty. Anything else goes under Other, in your own words, and you can pick an earlier time.
• Everyone in the circle sees who logged it and when. Each button shows today's latest entry, like "2:10 PM · Mom". If someone logged the same thing shortly before, you'll see "Already logged: Fed" with who and when, and choose "Don't log" or "Log again". Owners and co-owners can log; viewers can see the log but can't add to it. Make each family member who feeds or walks the puppy a co-owner (co-owners can also post photos and log health records).
• Potty is one button: it records who and when, not whether it was a pee or a poop. Meal and potty entries have no field for amounts or what the poop looked like, so keep those on paper or in a short Other entry (e.g. "poop, soft"). The care log has no potty timer or prediction, sends no notifications, and has no meal reminders.
• Vet visits keep what the vet said, with up to 10 photos, such as the breeder's or shelter's paperwork on the first visit. Photos stay within your circle, never on the timeline or grandparent page, and anyone in the circle who missed the appointment can read the vet's notes.
• The next visit comes with reminders for owners and co-owners, 7 days before, the day before and on the day; for a vaccine series, enter the date the clinic gives. Care reminders for vaccines, flea and tick and heartworm prevention can repeat weekly, monthly or yearly.
• Weight shows as a trend chart from the second entry, and the timeline counts from gotcha day, like "Family for 847 days".
• The health link is free. It expires after 1, 7 or 30 days, needs no account, and shows allergies and care notes, current medications, vaccines and preventives, weight, and vet visits (date, reason and clinic), but not the care log or vet notes and photos. Show your first-week log on paper or your phone.
• The vet-ready PDF is Premium. It covers the weight trend, medications, vaccines and preventives, vet visits and the recent care log. Premium also lifts the free plan's limit of two pets.

Every health record, including the full history, is free on every plan, and a full export is free on every plan too, for good. There are no ads, no data sales and no public feed. To share first-week photos with family only, see how to share puppy and kitten photos privately. See our features page for what Memofu does, and our pricing page for what is and isn't paid.

A paper sheet works too: photograph the paperwork, log meals, potty breaks and weight with who did each, and let the vet, not a day count, decide when to call.

One last reminder: this is a guide to keeping records, not veterinary advice. When your puppy shows the signs listed at the top, such as significant lethargy or vomiting with diarrhea, reach for your vet's phone number, not the log.

Sources

• What to Expect at Your Puppy’s First Vet Visit (American Kennel Club, 2023)
• Your First Day at Home With a New Puppy: Tips for Day One (American Kennel Club, 2026)
• How to Potty Train a Puppy: A Step-by-Step Guide for New Owners (American Kennel Club, 2026)
• Puppy Care (Merck Veterinary Manual, Pet Owner Version, 2025)
• Routine Health Care of Dogs (Merck Veterinary Manual, Pet Owner Version, 2025)
• Routine Health Care of Cats (Merck Veterinary Manual, Pet Owner Version, 2025)
• Diarrhea (Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine)
• Vomiting (Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine)
• How to make veterinary visits less stressful for dogs (Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine)
• Diarrhea (Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine)
• Feline Panleukopenia Virus (Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine)
• Diarrhea in Dogs (VCA Animal Hospitals, 2026)
• How to Potty Train a Puppy: Essential Housebreaking Tips for Success (Humane World for Animals)
• Taking your cat to the vet (International Cat Care)
• General Dog Care (ASPCA)
• Microchip Registry Lookup (American Animal Hospital Association)
• Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control, 2016 (National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, PDF hosted by Cayuga County, NY)
• Is My Pet Having Seizures? (Veterinary Medicine at Illinois, University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine)
• When to Seek Emergency Care for your Pet (University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, 2023)