PetDoctors Veterinários
Lisbon 21 581 3418Corroios 21 807 9455

Home · For owners · The first year

Your pet’s first year.

Enter the day he was born. Out come the dates: the vaccines, the microchip, the first walk outside and the neutering window — for this animal, not for a generic puppy.

The calculation

Dog or cat?

If you do not know the exact day, the day you brought him home is close enough for an idea. In the consultation we refine it from the teeth.

This calendar is indicative. The plan that counts is the one the vet sets in the consultation — it changes with the breed, the mother, where the animal lives and what he has already had.

First-year milestones

    The three rules that confuse everybody

    Age does not decide. The vaccines do.

    These answers are PetDoctors’ own and are published on the clinic’s frequently asked questions page. The calculation above simply puts dates on them.

    When can he start going outside?

    One week after the last vaccine against the contagious diseases — parvovirus first among them. If the puppy arrives at the clinic between 4 and 7 weeks of age, that works out at around 14 weeks.

    Age is not what decides. Which is why two puppies of the same age can have different dates.

    How old is he when he gets the first vaccine?

    Kittens, from 8 weeks. Puppies, between 4 and 6 weeks. The booster schedule is the one the vet sets at the consultation.

    Is the microchip compulsory?

    The microchip is compulsory for all dogs, cats and ferrets, registered on SIAC (Decree-Law 82/2019). For animals born after 25 October 2019 it must be fitted by 120 days of age — and, for dogs, always before walks outside begin: from the moment the animal is on a public street it must already be identified.

    From what age can he be neutered?

    Males and females, from 6 months. In females there is a strong reason to do it before the first season: several studies show that the likelihood of developing mammary tumours later is practically 0% if they never go through a first oestrous cycle.

    Does deworming stop in winter?

    No. In Portugal the cold does not kill fleas and ticks — external parasite control runs all year round.

    Next

    The dates are only half of it.

    The other half is who gives the vaccine, and what else gets looked at in the same visit: weight, teeth, skin, and the blood pressure everyone gets.

    Book the next one

    Or call: 21 581 3418

    Sources: frequently asked questions published by PetDoctors · DGAV, rabies vaccination compulsory for dogs from 3 months