Lifetime Preventative Healthcare

Regular health check ups are the foundation of a preventative health program for your dog in the years ahead. We aim to see most patients at least twice a year. Regular check-ups allow us to catch potential problems early and inform you of the newest and best options in pet medicine relevant to your individual situation. In the later years of life these increase in frequency as age related problems become more likely. Every year that passes is 5 or 7 years for your canine friend, let's make each one healthy!!

Vaccinations

Vaccinations are very important and protect your puppy against infectious and potentially fatal diseases: Distemper, Infectious Canine Hepatitis and Parvovirus and the serious respiratory infection, Canine Cough. Puppies are vaccinated several times early on to give them their full immunity and then once every 12 months to maintain immunity throughout life.

Parasite Control

We will create make a parasite control program for your pet, depending on their lifestyle. We recommend a range of products, and will select the most appropriate treatment to suit your pet. The following information provides general guidelines on parasite control.

Worms
Puppies are commonly born with worms which have been transmitted from their mothers. It is important to clean up droppings regularly and maintain general hygiene. They should also receive regular doses of intestinal worming treatment, especially while they are young.

Puppies should be wormed:
· Every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age, then
· Every month until 6 months of age, then
· Every 3 months for life.

Worming preparations are calculated on bodyweight so feel free to use our scales to keep track of your pup's weight.

Fleas
Somehow, fleas always seem to find our dogs' coats and are a major source of skin problems. They come from any environment where dogs and cats have previously been. Flea eggs are deposited and hatch over a period of time and jump onto the next passing cat or dog. Fortunately, there are now some excellent flea control products available which are safe and effective and easy to use.

Dental Care

Teeth cleaning and gum massage are very important and probably best achieved by supplying the appropriate things to chew on. Large RAW bones ("Dinosaur" bones) are excellent. Dentabones and specifically designed dental toys are also useful. For dogs with problem teeth there is even a specific dental diet Hills Prescription Diet Canine t/d to encourage oral health.

Feeding

Puppies in their growth phase require a special diet which differs from that of adults. It is very important for their growing bones. Depending on the size your dog is going to be they could need puppy or growth style diets for at least 9-10 months, but up to 21 months in giant breeds! Ask us what is right for your pup.

Puppies should have smaller meals more often, as a guide:
6-12 weeks old - 3-4 feeds daily.
3-6 months old - 2-3 feeds daily.
6 months and adult -2 feeds daily.

For your pup's diet we recommend using a good quality prepared puppy food that is complete and balanced for this stage of life and made out of high quality ingredients.  This can be supplemented with small amounts of fresh food (no cooked or small bones or table scraps) and a ready supply of fresh water.

Desexing

If you are not planning to breed from your pet, desexing is recommended as it makes for a more agreeable pet. It reduces the likelihood of many undesirable behaviours, some serious diseases and obviously unwanted puppies. The desexing procedure is a day surgery involving a general anaesthetic and surgical removal of the uterus and ovaries or testicles, as appropriate. We recommend that this is done around 5-6 months of age.

Identification/Registration

Your pup should be registered with the local council by the time they are 3 months. Some councils offer discounted registration for desexed animals. A dog tag is supplied for their collar but we suggest more permanent identification.

The best is a microchip which is implanted under the skin of your pup by injection. In addition pet tags with your phone number on them are a good idea for quick returns of wandering pooches.

Bathing

Puppies generally do not require much bathing, however if this becomes necessary make sure you use a mild DOG shampoo. Dog skins are very different to ours. We recommend that your dog is bathed no more than once a week.

Socialisation and Training

Puppy hood is a critical time for socialisation particularly between 6 to 18 weeks. While you need to be aware of potential health issues (vaccinations etc.) and do this in a controlled way to minimise risk, puppies need to experience lots of new situations, especially people and other animals in this period. Puppy Pre-School is a great opportunity to socialise and learn.

Training such as toileting, learning to sit and come to their name can start as soon as you acquire your pup. They are incredibly responsive and wilful as youngsters. Brief fun lessons (5-10 minutes) tend to be more rewarding and keep a young pup's attention. Doing this at least twice a day is a good habit to form, for you and your dog for the rest of their life.

Make sure you use plenty of praise. Positive reinforcement of good behaviours achieves much better results than old fashioned punishment.

Environment

At home, your puppy obviously needs somewhere comfortable to sleep, and importantly, during day or night access to somewhere protected from the weather. Providing them access to drinking water 24 hours a day is also essential. To keep your pup's inquisitive little mind active, supply a good range of toys such, treat balls, Rope Chews, Bones etc, which can be rotated over a period of a week, so they are fresh. If you are out and about you should have your puppy fitted with the correct lead and collar or harness. A car harness is a good idea for car travel too.

Pet Insurance

There are a number of good pet health insurance policies available. It is certainly a good idea to insure your puppy as we can't predict what sort of mischief they may get up to in the future.

Things to watch out for

If your puppy appears listless, lethargic, off their food, or if you have any concerns about your puppy's well being, please do not hesitate to call us.

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