New Puppies
| The Healthy Puppy Congratulations on the furry new addition to your family. Puppies are cute and sweet and sooo much fun. At All About Pets, we want to do everything we can to help your puppy grow into a healthy adult dog and live a long and happy life. Keeping Your Puppy Entertained Puppies are naturally curious creatures who often like to explore their surroundings by chewing on things. Although proper training is important so your puppy learns what he/she can and can’t chew on, you should also try to keep items that you don’t want chewed up out of reach. Also, keep your puppy surrounded by plenty of different chew toys so he/she is less likely to be tempted to find things to chew on. Remember, if you are going to be leaving your puppy unsupervised for any amount of time, make sure there are no toys around that can be ripped into smaller pieces and swallowed or choked on. Kong toys are a good example of durable chew toys that should keep your puppy entertained for hours, especially if you hide a treat inside! Our Commitment To Your Pet’s Health Welcome to All About Pets! Our dedicated veterinary health care team is committed to helping you provide the best care for your new puppy. We understand that like people, pets have different lifestyles and needs, and one of our goals is to work with you to determine your pet’s health care needs and offer you options for your veterinary care. We will work hard to provide you with the best information and recommendations for your pet. We want you to feel completely comfortable discussing any aspect of your pet’s care with us and we encourage you to ask questions so you are confident making informed decisions regarding your pet’s health care. Vaccinations To keep your new puppy happy and healthy, you will need to make sure to get him/her vaccinated according to this schedule. Your new puppy should begin a vaccination schedule at about 7 weeks of age with the distemper/parvo vaccine, which covers several diseases. A booster vaccination should be given every 3 to 4 weeks thereafter until the puppy reaches 12 weeks of age. When the last distemper/parvo booster is given, the rabies vaccination can be given as well. Your puppy will then be protected from a variety of diseases for an entire year. Another vaccination to consider is the Bordetella, or kennel cough, vaccination. Kennel cough is spread very easily between dogs, and puppies are especially likely to get it due to their underdeveloped immune systems. So, if you plan on boarding your puppy, having him/her groomed, or going to an obedience class, a Bordetella vaccination should be given. This vaccination will last for 1 year. Puppy Food Your puppy will be growing rapidly in the first year of his/her life, so it is very important that he/she gets proper nutrition. We feed and recommend Hills Science Diet® Puppy Food for any dog that is under 1 year of age. There are different varieties available, such as a special large breed formula for large breed puppies, as well as a small bites formula for small breed puppies with little mouths. Cheaper brands of food that can be bought at grocery stores are often low quality and made with many by- products, making them less nutritious. The amount of food to feed your puppy depends on the size and individual needs. Ask Dr. Hawley to recommend a feeding regimen for your puppy. Also, make sure that your puppy always has access to fresh clean water. Heartworm Disease & Preventative Heartworm disease is a preventable, mosquito-borne disease in dogs and cats that eventually affects multiple organs and can even cause death if it is left untreated. The important thing to remember is that heartworms can very easily be prevented. A heartworm preventative is a flavored, chewable tablet that you give to your puppy once a month to protect against heartworm infestation. Heartworm preventative also protects against certain intestinal parasites that dogs & puppies commonly pick up. Puppies are especially prone to becoming infested with intestinal parasites due to their underdeveloped immune systems. Microchipping Microchipping is a highly effective form of identification for your puppy. A microchip is a little computer chip that is about the size of a grain of rice, and is inserted underneath the skin of your puppy, so it can never be lost. If your puppy ever becomes lost and is picked up by and animal shelter or veterinary clinic, they can scan the microchip and notify you of your pet’s location. Although collars and ID tags are also helpful (and still recommended even if your puppy is microchipped), they can come off— but microchips stay with your puppy for life. Even if your puppy doesn't go outdoors much, microchipping is still recommended because there is always a chance that he/she could get loose and become lost. We suggest that the microchip be done at the time your puppy is spayed/neutered, because the microchip is inserted with a relatively large needle, and if it’s done while your puppy is under anesthesia, he/she wont feel a thing. If you decide to microchip your puppy after he/she is already spayed/neutered, it can still be done, but the area should be shaved and numbed first. Spaying and Neutering It is highly recommended that female puppies are spayed, and that male puppies are neutered. It helps to prevent many different health and behavior problems later on in life. It also helps to decrease the number of unwanted puppies in the United States. Puppies can be spayed around 6 months of age, and neutered at about 5 to 6 months of age. It is a very safe and inexpensive procedure. Fleas and Ticks Even if your puppy doesn't go outdoors that much, it is recommended that he/she is put on a flea & tick preventative. Not only can fleas and ticks potentially carry many diseases, they also make your pet uncomfortable. Flea bites can cause severe skin irritation and itching, especially for pets with allergies. Plus, scratching can cause secondary bacterial infections. Fleas can also lead to tapeworm infestation, and in rare cases, anemia may occur. Tick prevention is also very important because different species of ticks carry different diseases, such as Lyme Disease. Because fleas & ticks are extremely common and can cause numerous problems, we highly recommend a flea & tick preventative for all dogs. This simple treatment is only necessary during warm weather when fleas & ticks are around, and only needs to be applied once a month. |
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