New Puppy Corner
Congratulations on your new puppy!
Below are a few topics that we receive the most questions about that may be helpful for you as you welcome this new puppy into your family.
Vaccinations
New puppies are similar to new babies in that they are very susceptible to common diseases that we rarely see in adult patients.
Until your puppy is completely vaccinated (approximately 16 weeks of age), you should limit the exposure to other puppies/adult dogs and around places where lots of dogs may frequent (parks, pet stores, playgrounds, etc.).
There are a lot of viruses that are harmful to your new puppy, but parvovirus is the most common and can be life threatening!
We typically start vaccinations around 6-7 weeks of age and vaccinate every 3-4 weeks until 16 weeks of age.
Please call our office and inquire about the exact recommendation for your new puppy.
Heartworm Prevention
We strongly recommend year-round heartworm prevention for every dog regardless of indoor or outdoor living status. It is typically started around 8 weeks of age.
There are many products available from oral to topical to injectable. For those of you who struggle to remember or have a pet that refuses to eat the medication there is ProHeart6 – an injection that is given every 6 months.
The cost of ProHeart6 is comparable to the monthly oral products. We will discuss with you the best options for you and your new puppy during the puppy vaccination visits.
For more information about heartworms, please visit https://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources
Intestinal Parasites
Intestinal parasites are very common in puppies. We recommend performing a fecal floatation test to check for these parasites and treat the puppy as needed.
Flea and Tick Prevention
External parasites can cause numerous problems, like anemia, dermatitis, and they can transmit bloodborne diseases like Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Mycoplasma. And let’s be honest – fleas and ticks are gross!
They are also easily prevented with medication given every month or every 3 months (depending on the medication).
Spay/Neuter
The surgery to “fix” a female dog is called an ovariohysterectomy (OHE) or spay.
The surgery to “fix” a male dog is called an orchidectomy or neuter.
We generally recommend spaying and neutering puppies by 6 months of age. However, this recommendation may change depending on the size and breed of your puppy.
Crate Training
We recommend crate training to train puppies and newly adopted dogs. For more information, please visit https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/how-to-crate-train-a-puppy.