Congratulations!
Your new pup will be a lot of fun and will become an important member of your household. With this comes a big responsibility for their health and wellbeing. Good housing, lots of affection and plenty of appropriate play and attention are vital for the pup's progression to a healthy and enjoyable family pet. Here's some basic tips for helping with your puppy's health.
Vaccinations
Dogs require vaccination against a number of infectious diseases which can be fatal if contracted. Routine vaccinations include Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus and Kennel cough. Puppies need three vaccinations:
- First @ six weeks of age
- Second @ nine weeks of age
- Third @ 12 weeks of age
After these primary vaccinations, your pet will require an annual booster and health check. The first annual booster is 12 months after their final puppy vaccination.
Vaccinations are generally safe but occasionally dogs may react with a rise in temperature, soreness or depression within 24 hrs. With kennel cough vaccine, they may show some snuffling, sneezing or coughing for a few days. Notify your vet if your pup shows any reaction to the vaccine though usually no treatment is needed.
Socialising
Socialising your puppy with other dogs when they're young is an important part of their learning and behavioural skills. You can let your puppy socialise with other dogs that are healthy and fully vaccinated, and preferably in a controlled environment like your backyard. Your puppy is only fully protected against infectious disease two weeks after their final vaccination, so it's best not to have your puppy be in contact with unknown dogs until two weeks after their final vaccination.
For dogs regularly attending shows and trials etc, or dogs staying in boarding kennels, it is also advisable to vaccinate against canine cough (kennel cough) annually. Most boarding kennels make this mandatory prior to your dogs stay.
Intestinal Worming
A large number of puppies are born with intestinal worms that they get from their mother. Therefore it is important they are wormed correctly when young. You should worm your puppy every two weeks until 12 weeks of age, then monthly until they are six months of age; then every three months for the rest of their life.
An exception is for dogs in rural or semi-rural areas that may have access to dead animals or are fed offal. These should be wormed every six weeks to prevent Hydatid tapeworm infection which causes no problem in dogs but is a serious health problem in people who pick up worm eggs from the dog.
Heartworm
Heartworm is not a problem in the immediate Orange area but dogs travelling out of the region, even for short periods, should be protected. Heartworm is spread by mosquitoes and does not require dog-to-dog contact. A number of oral treatments and yearly injections for heartworm prevention are available and you should discuss these with your vet.
Fleas
Dogs are a natural host of fleas. Almost every untreated dog will have fleas. As well being a nuisance and uncomfortable for your dog, young puppies can become anaemic from blood loss. Some dogs can have quite severe allergic reactions. In flea allergic dogs, even one flea bite can cause incessant scratching and biting at them themselves and even hair loss. Several different products are available including washes, sprays and monthly spot-on formulations. Regular flea control is also important in preventing tapeworm infestations.
Diet
For optimum growth, your puppy's diet must be balanced, with the right amount of energy and nutrients. Commercial diets are nutritionally balanced, come in different formulations for different sized dogs and make life a lot easier!
Your puppy should be fed two to three times a day, which can be cut back to either once or twice a day as they get older.
The most important thing is total amount of food they are receiving each day, rather than the number of times they are fed. Feeding guidelines are found on the packet or tin of the food you buy. It's important to realise these are only guidelines and you may need to modify the amount of food your adult dog gets to maintain correct weight. Small to medium sized dogs should be fed a puppy food until they are around 12 months of age, while larger breed dogs should be fed a puppy formulation until they are two years old. It's a good idea to provide your puppy with whole raw bones such as shank or beef femurs to help clean their teeth. Your puppy (and dog) will get the most benefit out of bones that they can’t actually eat, like the ones they spend a lot of time gnawing at.
Your dog's physiology is much different to ours and many foods cannot be shared. These include chocolate, onion, garlic, grapes and cooked meat bones. If you are unsure please don't hesitate to call your vet. The same is true for human medications such as panadol and ibuprofen. These drugs and many others that live in your medicine cabinet should not be given to dogs unless prescribed by a veterinarian. Obesity is common in adult de-sexed dogs. Regular exercise is a must to help maintain fitness and bodyweight, as well as preventing boredom. It's important to feed your dog the correct amount of food and avoid feeding too many snacks, too often.
De-sexing
It's recommended de-sexing all puppies that are not intended for breeding. De-sexing prevents some diseases including prostatic enlargement, perineal hernias, mammary gland cancer and uterine infections. De-sexing means that female dogs are less likely to want to roam around in search of male dogs and male dogs have less undesirable behaviours. A good age to de-sex your puppy is between three and six months old.
Microchipping
It's the law for all puppies to be microchipped. This procedure is carried out by your veterinarian and can be done at the time of vaccination or de-sexing. It involves a needle that injects a microchip in between the shoulder blades under the skin of your puppy. In NSW the compulsory register is called the Companion Animal Register. At Orange Vet Hospital, animals are also registered with the Australian Animal Register. Having your puppy microchipped means they can be easily identified by a veterinary hospital or a pound should your puppy accidentally go missing. It is important that your contact details always be up-to-date so you can be contacted immediately. Once your pet has been microchipped they then must be registered with your local council by six to seven months of age. Lifetime registration is available and is cheaper once your puppy has been de-sexed.
Puppy Preschool
The first 16 weeks of a puppy’s life are critical in terms of discouraging unwanted behaviours, teaching good behaviours and interacting with humans and other dogs. At Orange Vet Hospital we recommend puppy preschool for puppies under 4 months of age. There are four classes where they learn to socialise with other dogs which help to avoid anti-social behaviour in the future. Puppy preschool also teaches you, the owner, basic training techniques that will help your puppy fit into your household. Please enquire about these classes at reception.