Caring for your New Puppy
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Bringing home a new puppy is an exciting event, although, the first few weeks can be daunting, especially if you have never had a dog before.
Puppies come in all different sizes and breeds, but they do share a few things in common, such as basic health care,
and training.
By paying attention to a few details, you will be rewarded with a happy, healthy puppy that will grow into a loyal member of the family. |
Cool link
Puppy Care
A helpful site offering plenty of puppy care tips.
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| Vaccinations |
| Canine Distemper, Parvovirus and Hepatitis are highly contagious viruses that can cause serious disease in dogs, and in severe cases can result in death in puppies and unvaccinated dogs.
The best form of prevention is vaccination.
It is recommended that you commence your puppy's vaccination program at 6 to 8 weeks, followed by a second vaccination at 10 to 12 weeks and again at 14 to 16 weeks of age.
Adult dogs need a booster every year to maintain immunity. |
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Worming |
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It is important to worm your puppy regularly with an all-wormer which removes intestinal worms.
Puppies should be wormed fortnightly from the time they are 2 weeks old, until they are 12 weeks old.
They should then be wormed every 3 months. There are a number of different worming treatments that give protection against both heartworm and intestinal worm.
However, please note that not all Worming medications protect against heartworm, so please read the label, and if in doubt, consult your Veterinarian.
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| Heartworm |
| Heartworm disease is spread by mosquitoes.
It is a potentially fatal disease. There are a number of different Heartworm prevention medications available, ranging from an annual vaccination, to monthly tablets.
If your dog has never been on Heartworm prevention medication, and is over the age of six months, it is a good idea to have a blood test to ensure that your dog is free from the disease, prior to starting the preventative medication. |
| Desexing |
| It is recommended that you have both male and female dogs desexed at the age of six months. This wil reduce the risk of unwanted puppies.
Desexing your female dog before its first heat, significantly reduces the risk of her developing mammary tumours in later life. Desexing both male and female dogs is a responsible part of pet ownership, and reduces the risk of diseases in later life. |
| Microchipping |
| A microchip is the size of a grain of rice, and it has a unique barcode.It provides a quick and efficient way to identify your pet, so that it can be returned to you,if it is lost, stolen, or hurt.
It is implanted just under the skin, usually between the shoulder blades. The procedure is quick and painless. Your privacy is not compromised, as only authorised people can access the microchip registry. |
| Diet |
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It is important to give your puppy a good start in life, by feeding it a balanced diet.
There are a wide range of commercially prepared dog foods that are nutritionally balanced, and contain the right mix of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals to provide a balanced diet for your puppy.
In addition to their daily meals, it is recommended that you feed your dog raw chicken wings at least once or twice a week.
Chewing on the raw chicken wings helps to keep your puppy's teeth and gums healthy. However, it is important to note that you should never feed your dog cooked bones, as they are more brittle, and can splinter, and get caught in your dog's mouth or digestive tract. Never feed your puppy sharp or small bones that they can swallow, as they can choke on them. |
| Fleas |
There are a number of different flea products available that are safe to use on puppies from eight weeks of age.
The different flea medications work in different ways, eg a flea adulticide works by killing the adult fleas. Other types of flea medication
may work to stop the flea eggs from hatching, and this breaks the flea life cycle. It is also possible to get an integrated flea medication, which
is combined with other products such as heartworm prevention.
However, these flea prevention medications are only effective when they are used on a regular basis, and it is important to remember
to regularly apply the medication, even during Winter months.
If your pet has had a very severe flea infestation, it is often a good idea to treat the enviroment as well, by using products
such as flea bombs, or having your house sprayed for fleas.
Lastly, please remember to treat all your pets for fleas, not just the ones that live indoors.
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