Puppy Care
Vaccinations
To provide your puppy with the best protection against diseases such as Distemper, hepatitis, Parvo Virus and Kennel Cough, your puppy should have three vaccinations, one month apart, beginning at six weeks of age. After this initial course of vaccinations, a booster vaccination is required once a year.
Worming
Puppies should be wormed every two weeks up until the age of twelve weeks, then monthly up until six months of age, with an all-wormer such as Drontal Puppy Syrup or Milbemax Puppy Tablets, which can be purchased from your vet. These ‘allwormer’ preparations kill any worms that may be present in the intestines, including roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and hydatid tapeworm. After six months of age, puppies can then be wormed every three months, depending on the product you choose to use for worming.
Heartworm
Many ‘allwormer’ tablets do not cover heartworm prevention. Heartworm is a worm that is spread by mosquitos and grows in the heart of the dog, leading eventually to heart failure. Some form of heartworm prevention should be started by three months of age. Heartworm prevention is available in monthly tablets or chewables, a monthly spot-on preparation applied to the back of the neck (which is often combined with worm or flea treatment) or a yearly injection from your vet.
Fleas
Flea treatment should be carried out monthly, throughout the year. Fleas will begin to lay eggs which contaminate your dog’s environment within 24 hours of being on the dog, so by the time you notice fleas on your pet, you may already have a build-up of flea eggs in the environment! (Dog Bedding, Carpet, garden etc). Environmental flea problems are very difficult to get rid of, so prevention is much better than cure!
Microchipping
The best way to ensure that your pet will make it home is with a microchip. Pet tags on collars are a good start, but often when animals escape under fences etc they lose their collars. Microchipping is often done at Desexing while the animal is under anaesthetic, however it can be done at any time, for example during one of your vaccination appointments. The chip is implanted using a large needle, and is about the size of a grain of rice.
Desexing
If you are not planning on breeding, we recommend that all dogs and cats are desexed. Desexing is usually carried out at about 6 months of age, however most dogs and cats are able to be desexed by 4 months of age or earlier. Desexing for males involves surgical removal of the testes, whereas in the females, the ovaries and uterus are removed. There are various benefits involved with having your animal desexed-
● Cheaper registration with your local council
● Decreased risk of mammary cancer in females if they are desexed
● Decreased risk of ‘pyometra’ or uterine infections in females
● Decreased risk of prostatic problems and testicular cancer in male dogs.
Diet
Feeding a complete, balanced diet such as Eukanuba or Iams is the simplest way to ensure that your puppy gets all the protein, energy and nutrients required for growth and development. Often breeders will recommend a variety of supplements, including puppy milk, however these are generally not required once the transition to a good quality balanced diet has occurred. Always remember to change your puppy’s diet slowly, over a 4-5 day period, to enable them to get used to new food.
Puppy Pre-school
We have fantastic puppy pre-school classes available at the clinic on Monday or Thursday evenings. Each puppy preschool course involves one evening session a week for 6 weeks. Sue, one of our veterinary nurses is has a Certificate IV in companion animal studies, and is a Delta Accredited Canine Good CitizenTM Instructor, a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers Australia, and regularly attends seminars and conferences.
The emphasis of puppy preschool is to teach you how your puppy learns best. We use only positive re-enforcement techniques, so your dog will learn how to become a well-mannered dog in a positive way. Sue will also be able to answer any animal husbandry or specific training questions you may have and cater to areas in which you may be having difficulty with your puppy training.
