New Puppy 101

Congratulations on your new puppy! You’re probably head over paws in love with your new furry friend, and we can’t blame you. So we’ve compiled a few tips and notes about puppies, their needs, and how to make sure they live healthy and long lives.

Medically Speaking

Puppies require three sets of vaccinations, usually to be completed by the time he or she is about four months old. The exact timeframe depends on when the series of vaccines begin. The boosters include DHPP (vaccines for distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus), Bordetella, Leptospirosis, and Rabies.

It is imperative that you don’t take your new puppy to dog parks or areas with other dogs until your pooch has had all three sets of vaccines. Parvovirus is transmitted by feces of others dogs carrying the disease, including unvaccinated puppies. This virus attacks the gastrointestinal tract and immune system of dogs, causing severe vomiting and diarrhea, that can be fatal. Because Parvo can stay in the dirt for many years, if your puppy is in a yard or park where Parvo has been—even five years ago—he or she will be at risk.  But once the full set is administered, your puppy will be well protected against Parvo 100%.

And finally, it’s estimated that between five and eight million animals are euthanized in shelters across the country every year. To help control the pet population as well as for health reasons, your new puppy should be spayed or neutered between four and eight months of age. The surgery is very simple, and puppies recover quickly.

Simple Preventive Care

We recommend a monthly flea, tick, heartworm, and gastrointestinal worm prevention for the life of your dog. In particular, heartworm and tick-borne diseases are life-threatening diseases that are easily prevented. If not on a preventive program, it’s very likely that your dog will pick up fleas from the environment or other cats and dogs.

Treating your dog for fleas is more expensive than the prevention, and treating a house and yard for fleas is no fun! Many clients on a budget think of skipping the prevention and end up spending more money (and time) removing fleas down the road.  Most dogs love the monthly meat-flavored Trifexis tabs, so it’s just giving them a treat once a month. In the end, prevention saves money and keeps your dog protected year round.

In addition, it’s important to get your puppy used to ear cleanings and nail trimmings at a young age; then it’s just part of his or her routine.

Feeding Time

There’s no shortage of food options for dogs these days, and many breeds are prone to nutritional allergies. So it’s important to know what your puppy’s diet was with the previous owner or breeder, and then you should transition into a high-quality food. Focus on natural ingredients, socially conscious companies, and, of course, your budget. With so many variations in breeds with different lifestyles, we recommend talking with your veterinarian to find the food that’s best for your puppy.

Social Hour

Your goal is to have an emotionally secure puppy well before they become adults. And the best time to build confidence in your furry friend is when he or she is a puppy. So socialize your puppy as much as possible with children, other animals, and different environments besides your home. Give him or her as many positive experiences as possible. If your puppy is scared of a new situation, then take time and care to ease him or her into it slowly until the puppy is secure and confident. We can’t reinforce enough the power of positive reinforcement!

Above all, enjoy your new bundle of joy, and contact us if you have any questions.