{"id":618,"date":"2018-12-13T10:32:52","date_gmt":"2018-12-13T10:32:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/?p=618"},"modified":"2022-05-13T20:26:10","modified_gmt":"2022-05-13T20:26:10","slug":"so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/","title":{"rendered":"So You Adopted a New Pet\u2026Now What?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-619 size-medium\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Bluffs_iStock-860743314.jpg\" alt=\"A dog with its head out the window\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/>Sharing your life with an animal is such a worthwhile experience, but bringing home a new pet is not without its challenges. First and foremost, pet owners must be able to responsibly provide for their new addition in every possible way. But don\u2019t worry \u2013 preparing for and meeting the needs of your new pet can be fun!<\/p>\n<h3>Before You Roll Out the Welcome Mat<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s common for animal lovers to convince themselves that love is all they need to care for a new pet. This is undoubtedly important, but without a commonsense approach to living quarters, sustainability, and commitment, even the most loved pet is still at risk of being surrendered. Before making any final decisions, ask yourself the following questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Are you allowed to have a pet where you live? If so, is a pet deposit required? Do your living quarters realistically support the needs of a potential pet (backyard space, living with other pets, access to exercise, etc.)?<\/li>\n<li>Do you live with others who may have allergies or aversions to certain species or breeds?<\/li>\n<li>Do you make enough money to meet the\u00a0<a href=\"\/veterinary-services\/wellness-preventive.html\">health care<\/a>\u00a0needs of a pet?<\/li>\n<li>Are you willing to dedicate several hours each week to training and exercising your new pet?<\/li>\n<li>Have you considered the needs of other animals you already own?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>The Right Match<\/h3>\n<p>Choosing the right pet for you is a huge part of the adoption equation. It\u2019s a decision that will impact others for many years and must be one that lasts forever. We\u2019re happy to help you make this life-changing decision.<\/p>\n<h3>Bringing Your New Pet Home<\/h3>\n<p>Once all the major factors have been considered, there\u2019s a lot that must happen at home and around your property to ensure your new pet\u2019s safety, comfort, and happiness.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pet proof your space<\/strong>. Take a close look at what your new pet may encounter. Cords, electrical wires, and other entrapment risks should be removed. Cleaning chemicals, certain plants, medications, and personal products must also be stored properly. Be sure to stash all food off tables and counters.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Talk with others in your home<\/strong>. If you live with other people, spend time with your roommates or family members (especially kids) discussing how to care for your new pet.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Get the right gear.<\/strong>\u00a0Your new pet will require food, bowls, bedding, toys, and ID tags to wear on a new collar and leash. It\u2019s also important to consider bathroom and crate needs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>The First Vet Visit<\/h3>\n<p>Some pets are spayed or neutered before adoption and receive some\u00a0<a href=\"\/the-upshot-of-pet-immunizations-all-about-pet-vaccines\/\">vaccines<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"\/flea-and-tick-prevention-101\/\">parasite preventives<\/a>. That being said, it\u2019s vital to get a head start on your\u00a0<a href=\"\/veterinary-services\/wellness-preventive.html\">new pet\u2019s wellness<\/a>\u00a0as early as a few days after bringing them home. During your visit, we can discuss any potential problems, the need for training, and address the\u00a0<a href=\"\/veterinary-services\/pet-microchipping\/\">importance of microchipping<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It can take a few weeks to a few months for everyone in your home to become accustomed to your new pet. If we can help move the transition along, please\u00a0<a href=\"\/#contact\">contact us<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Congratulations on your new pet!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sharing your life with an animal is such a worthwhile experience, but bringing home a new pet is not without its challenges. First and foremost, pet owners must be able to responsibly provide for their new addition in every possible way. But don\u2019t worry \u2013 preparing for and meeting the needs of your new pet [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":619,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,9,12,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-pet-health-wellness","category-pet-rescue-adoption","category-puppies-kittens"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>So You Adopted a New Pet\u2026Now What?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sharing your life with an animal is such a worthwhile experience, but bringing home a new pet is not without its challenges. First and foremost, pet owners must be able to responsibly provide for their new addition in every possible way.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"So You Adopted a New Pet\u2026Now What?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sharing your life with an animal is such a worthwhile experience, but bringing home a new pet is not without its challenges. First and foremost, pet owners must be able to responsibly provide for their new addition in every possible way.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Bluffs Pet Clinic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-12-13T10:32:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-05-13T20:26:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/iStock-1010659242-1-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"The Bluffs Pet Clinic\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"The Bluffs Pet Clinic\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"The Bluffs Pet Clinic\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f5ea9f14c55a520615cc2f9bb0311b99\"},\"headline\":\"So You Adopted a New Pet\u2026Now What?\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-12-13T10:32:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-05-13T20:26:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/\"},\"wordCount\":523,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\",\"Pet Health &amp; Wellness\",\"Pet Rescue &amp; Adoption\",\"Puppies &amp; Kittens\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/\",\"name\":\"So You Adopted a New Pet\u2026Now What?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-12-13T10:32:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-05-13T20:26:10+00:00\",\"description\":\"Sharing your life with an animal is such a worthwhile experience, but bringing home a new pet is not without its challenges. First and foremost, pet owners must be able to responsibly provide for their new addition in every possible way.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"The Bluffs Pet Clinic\",\"description\":\"Our Blog\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Bluffs Pet Clinic\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/logo-bluffs.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/logo-bluffs.png\",\"width\":708,\"height\":707,\"caption\":\"The Bluffs Pet Clinic\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f5ea9f14c55a520615cc2f9bb0311b99\",\"name\":\"The Bluffs Pet Clinic\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0d9217f5fd6f9c2975041940b5168d26529eb0a1868ec0fb8437a80ccde3a61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0d9217f5fd6f9c2975041940b5168d26529eb0a1868ec0fb8437a80ccde3a61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"The Bluffs Pet Clinic\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/author\/myvetbluffspetclinic-com\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"So You Adopted a New Pet\u2026Now What?","description":"Sharing your life with an animal is such a worthwhile experience, but bringing home a new pet is not without its challenges. First and foremost, pet owners must be able to responsibly provide for their new addition in every possible way.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"So You Adopted a New Pet\u2026Now What?","og_description":"Sharing your life with an animal is such a worthwhile experience, but bringing home a new pet is not without its challenges. First and foremost, pet owners must be able to responsibly provide for their new addition in every possible way.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/","og_site_name":"The Bluffs Pet Clinic","article_published_time":"2018-12-13T10:32:52+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-05-13T20:26:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/iStock-1010659242-1-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"The Bluffs Pet Clinic","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"The Bluffs Pet Clinic","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/"},"author":{"name":"The Bluffs Pet Clinic","@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f5ea9f14c55a520615cc2f9bb0311b99"},"headline":"So You Adopted a New Pet\u2026Now What?","datePublished":"2018-12-13T10:32:52+00:00","dateModified":"2022-05-13T20:26:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/"},"wordCount":523,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","articleSection":["Blog","Pet Health &amp; Wellness","Pet Rescue &amp; Adoption","Puppies &amp; Kittens"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/","url":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/","name":"So You Adopted a New Pet\u2026Now What?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","datePublished":"2018-12-13T10:32:52+00:00","dateModified":"2022-05-13T20:26:10+00:00","description":"Sharing your life with an animal is such a worthwhile experience, but bringing home a new pet is not without its challenges. First and foremost, pet owners must be able to responsibly provide for their new addition in every possible way.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/so-you-adopted-a-new-petnow-what\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/","name":"The Bluffs Pet Clinic","description":"Our Blog","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"The Bluffs Pet Clinic","url":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/logo-bluffs.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/logo-bluffs.png","width":708,"height":707,"caption":"The Bluffs Pet Clinic"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f5ea9f14c55a520615cc2f9bb0311b99","name":"The Bluffs Pet Clinic","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0d9217f5fd6f9c2975041940b5168d26529eb0a1868ec0fb8437a80ccde3a61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0d9217f5fd6f9c2975041940b5168d26529eb0a1868ec0fb8437a80ccde3a61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"The Bluffs Pet Clinic"},"url":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/author\/myvetbluffspetclinic-com\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1174,"href":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618\/revisions\/1174"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bluffspetclinic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}