A first checkup carries unusual weight because it sets the calendar, the feeding plan and the record that every later visit builds on. Puppies change weekly at this age, so the questions that matter are the ones that connect this single appointment to the months ahead: what is normal now, what comes next, and who holds which piece of information.
What to Bring Through the Door
Paperwork is the puppy's early history, and gaps in it shape the vet's questions. Bring the breeder or rescue record showing any vaccinations or worming already given, with dates and products where they are listed, plus microchip paperwork if a chip is already in place. Note the food the puppy has been eating, including the exact variety and how much per day, and how stools, appetite and sleep have looked since arrival.
Write your questions down before you leave home. In a lively appointment with a wriggling puppy, memory drops items; a list on your phone means feeding, prevention and training each get their minute.
Feeding and Growth Questions
Ask the vet to anchor feeding to the individual puppy rather than the packet. How does current weight and body condition look for this breed and age, how much food suits that picture, and how should portions change as growth speeds up? Ask how often the puppy should be weighed in these early months and what growth pattern would prompt a portion review.
Ask about transitions too: whether to stay on the current food or change gradually, how treats should count against the day's ration, and which foods or chews are unsuitable at this age. Feeding answers age quickly, so ask when the plan should be revisited.
Prevention Frameworks to Agree Together
Prevention works as a framework agreed with the vet, not a timetable copied from elsewhere. Ask how the vaccination schedule is arranged for puppies in this practice, what each appointment in the series covers, and what protection means for walks and mixing with other dogs at each stage. The schedule itself is the vet's to set; your job is to leave knowing the dates and the reasoning.
Parasite prevention deserves the same treatment. Ask which parasites matter locally, how prevention will be organised across the first year, and how the puppy's weight at each visit affects what is given. Ask about microchipping if it is outstanding, and what the clinic's arrangement is for urgent advice between appointments.
Socialisation, Training and the Record You Leave With
Ask what socialisation is safe right now: carried outings, garden visitors, vaccinated adult dogs, and when puppy classes typically begin. Early experiences shape adult confidence, and the vet can help you balance exposure against infection risk in this specific window.
Before you leave, confirm the record. Ask what the practice has logged from today, book the next appointment, and check you hold copies of everything. Starting the Pet Passport in KinsLe on day one means those first entries, dates and feeding notes form the opening pages of a history that follows the puppy for life.