Caring For Your Puppy
Congratulations on your new puppy! Bringing a playful pup into your home is a heartwarming and exciting adventure. To ensure your new best friend grows up healthy and happy, it's essential to provide the right care and attention. Here's your go-to guide for raising a wonderful pup.
VACCINATIONS
The best way to protect a young body from infectious viruses is to vaccinate.
Currently in Australia dogs are vaccinated against Parvovirus, Hepatitis, Distemper, Parainfluenza and Bordetella.
For the highest level of protection, THREE vaccinations are recommended, the first at 6-8 weeks, then at 10-12 weeks and again at 16 weeks.
Thereafter vaccinations should be boosted every 12 months.
Until 10 days after your puppy’s THIRD vaccination for the vaccination to be effective. Please avoid high risk communal areas (parks/ groomers /kennels) until after this period.
We can also vaccinate for Leptospirosis if you wish, please contact us for a FREE consultation and to learn more.
DESEXING
Please be socially responsible. If you are not intending on breeding from your dog, then please have them desexed by 6 months of age for both medical and behavioural reasons, unless otherwise recommended by your veterinarian.
This will decrease the likelihood of mammary, cervical, prostate and testicular tumours respectively.
It will also mean that your pet will be less likely to roam, fight and suffer from hypersexuality.
We will give you a detailed information sheet about desexing and general anaesthesia at the final puppy vaccination.
DIET
In general, remember that in the first year of life you are helping to lay the healthy foundation for the body to grow on.
A high-quality ration will give them a healthier and fitter body than a poor-quality food source will. Royal Canin Or Hill’s Science diet is strongly recommended as the best starting point to any healthy diet.
It represents the highest quality and the highest ethical standards of any type of pet food available throughout the world.
WARNING: All dogs are natural scavengers they will happily eat most things.
However, they have some important metabolic and nutritional differences to humans, and there are some types of food which are well tolerated by humans but potentially deadly to dogs!!
Avoid at all times: CHOCOLATE, COOKED BONES, CALCIUM SUPPLEMENTS, GRAPES / RAISINS and EXCESSIVE GARLIC / ONIONS.
Cooked bones when chewed shatter like shrapnel grenades and can cause painful (and expensive) perforations of the intestinal tract. Please use RAW bones or GREENIES.
Chocolate is a nerve and heart toxin to dogs. It can cause the heart to race, seizures and death.
Calcium supplements cause osteodystrophies (bent bones) as they upset the BALANCE of Calcium AND Phosphorus that is required to make the health matrix that is bone. A well-balanced diet (Royal Canin), will have the optimum amounts and correct balance of all minerals required for a healthy body.
Grapes and raisins cause kidney failure. Approximately 3g of grapes per 1 kg of dog can be terminal
Garlic and onions cause red blood cells to become fragile and the dog become anaemic.
Also avoid packaged meat which is labelled as “pet meat” or “pet mince” or “pet sausage”. This meat is no longer deemed safe and has been downgraded to a legal state of “NOT FIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION” for health reasons.
This meat product is NOT safe, it is NOT nutritionally balanced and has probably been sprayed with a preservative called Sulphur Dioxin. Therefore, always buy human quality meat.
As a puppy, start with 3-4 meals a day, then by 6 months of age aim to have your dog on 2 meals a day.
Each meal should be cleaned up within 10 minutes and any food not consumed should be taken away.
Do not leave grazing bowls around. This is for health and training reasons.
Always remember that ‘you are what you eat’. If you feed your pet low quality food, they will never be as healthy nor live as long as if they had received a high-quality ration.
We also have a loyalty program.
We will GIVE YOU A BONUS BAG OF FOOD for every 10 that you buy.
FLEAS
During the warmer month’s fleas can be a real problem. Some of the flea products that we recommend are;
BRAVECTO CHEW – A chewable tablet that protects against fleas & ticks for 3 months.
BRAVECTO SPOT ON – A spot on, on the back of the neck that protects against fleas and ticks for 6 months.
SERESTO – A collar that protects against fleas for 8 months or 4 months for ticks.
It is important to realize that whilst the symptoms of fleas are mostly seen during the peak warmer months, it is much easier to control the problem with a YEAR-ROUND prevention protocol.
Also remember to make sure that ALL pets in the house hold have appropriate flea control.
PARALYSIS TICKS
The ‘silent killer’, the paralysis tick is mostly seen from September to March , but can be seen all year round. If your pet shows any signs of weak and wobbly hind legs, a strange grunt like bark or difficulty breathing, ring us immediately.
A daily search through their coat should be incorporated into family during this time.
BRAVECTO SPOT ON, BRAVECTO CHEW & SERESTO COLLARS are some of the best products on the market for paralysis tick prevention.
HEARTWORM
Heartworm is a potentially deadly, blood born parasite that is transferred between dogs by the mosquito.
Severe Heartworm infestation will cause the heart to become blocked up by these spaghetti- like worms leading to signs of congestive heart failure and potentially death.
Prevention comes in many forms. It is a matter of choosing the most effective and efficient method.
The most convenient and safest way to prevent HEARTWORM infestation is by using a product called Proheart SR-12. This comes as an injectable liquid. This is safe to use from 3 months of age and we will synchronise this with the 10-12 week vaccination/check-up.
This injection will be repeated at six months of age, synchronized with desexing.
At 15 months of age your dog can then start with an ANNUAL anti-heartworm injection. This will be synchronized with the annual check-up and vaccination, hopefully allowing for a ONE stop annual visit and no more forgotten heartworm pills.
INTESTINAL WORMS
Tapeworm, Roundworm, Hookworm and Whipworm are the most common Gastro Intestinal Tract parasites. They can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy and failure to thrive.
Young growing bodies are particularly susceptible to infestation from these parasites and need regular protection with worming pills.
From 2 weeks old to 12 weeks old: EVERY 2 WEEKS: Milpro puppy
From 12 weeks to 6 months: ONCE A MONTH
From 6 months onwards: EVERY 3 months.
SOCIALISATION
It is important for all puppies to learn how to interact with other dogs and other humans. This MUST be done in a safe environment.
Please talk to our staff about our Puppy Parties, hosted by a professional dog trainer.
PET HEALTH INSURANCE
Pet insurance takes away all the financial stress and concerns from owning and caring for a pet.
We know all too well how quickly and unexpectedly things can go wrong and how expensive it can be to put them right.
Pet insurance is a fantastic idea. All of our clients are totally happy with their decision to have insured their family pet.
Ready to spoil your new puppy even more? Pet Drs St Ives offers FREE puppy kits for all new pups! These kits include essentials like food samples, toys, and helpful guides to get you started right. Contact Pet Drs St Ives today, your puppy will thank you!