Puppy and Adult Dog Care

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Feeding
You should feed your puppy small frequent meals 3-4 times per day of a good quality puppy food (ie. Hill's Science Diet Puppy Food). It should be stored in an air-tight container in a cool place. We recommend gradually switching to a similar adult formula between 10-12 months of age. Hill's Oral Health or Prescription T/D are excellent for promoting healthy teeth once they reach adulthood.

Deworming
Pets pick up parasites by eating stool, visiting wildlife contaminated areas, or even from walking in the grass. Annual preventative deworming for all pets going outside is recommended along with annual stool checks. Fecal exams look for microscopic eggs shed in the stool. Not all life stages are able to shed eggs, therefore false negative stool samples are possible. Fresh moist samples are ideal, and can be dropped off any time we are open. Puppies should have their stool checked initially and again after 16 weeks of age. Many of the intestinal parasites can be contagious to people, children being the most often infected. Frequent hand washing when handling pets, especially before eating, is recommended.

Heartworm Disease
Heartworms are parasites carried by mosquitoes. If your pet is bitten by an infected mosquito, they will likely develop heart disease as the parasites mature and multiply. A monthly preventative kills the young heartworms before they mature. We recommend for puppies to be on the monthly preventative throughout their first year to help control intestinal parasites. After their first year, it is owner preference that determines whether they should be on the preventative year round or just through mosquito season (April through December). Travel to the southern states during the winter warrants year round prevention. Annual heartworm testing also includes lyme screening.

Fleas and Ticks
Tick season can begin as early as February. They usually taper off mid-summer, but then return in the fall. We have a high incidence of Lyme infection occurring in our local dog and tick populations so we recommend preventative Lyme vaccinations and aggressive tick management (ie. Frontline) until good snow cover. Flea season peaks from July until November. Prevention is the best measure, with Frontline being an effective topical application. If they get established on your pet, they will drop eggs in your home which can hatch many months later. It is much harder to eliminate fleas and their eggs from your home than from your pet. Flea bite allergies are common and typically appear as scabbing along the back near the tail. Topical flea treatments kill the flea before it is able to expose your pet to significant amounts of allergenic saliva. Please ask us about the appropriate flea treatments for your pet(s) and home.

Ear Care
Normally dogs do not make ear wax. Any significant amount of discharge in the ear(s) is a sign of infection. Dogs frequently suffer from yeast infections causing a dark brown discharge. Yeast and bacteria love warmth and moisture, so a pet ear cleanser is recommended daily after swimming or bathing. It is similar to a swimmer's ear treatment in that it helps to dry out the ear. Please call us if your pet has any significant ear discharge or shows signs of an ear infection including head shaking, scratching, head tilt, or redness of the ear flap or canal.

Teeth
Healthy teeth are important not only for chewing, but also because of the effects on multiple body systems. As your dog ages, severe tartar and gingivitis allow bacteria into the bloodstream, where they filter out in organs and on heart valves. Brushing you pet's teeth with a soft toothbrush and pet toothpaste will help prevent future dental cleanings under anesthesia. Pets don't spit out the toothpaste so human fluoride products can be toxic and often make them nauseous. Many of us are unable to accomplish this for various reasons. A dental diet such as Hill's Prescription Diet T/D (tartar control diet) may be helpful in addition to or instead of brushing.

Nail Trimming
Trim the nails weekly removing only 1-2mm at a time to prevent nail overgrowth. Take advantage of rest time when they're too tired to fight, and start when they are young to adjust to someone handling their feet. The blood vessel and nerve grow down with the toenail making it painful to trim back excessively overgrown toenails. Severely overgrown nails are prone to snagging, fracturing, and can lead to gait abnormalities and lameness.

Behavior
It is never too early to start obedience work at home, but is better to wait on dog socialization until your puppy has had the Distemper Group Vaccination series completed, around 16 weeks of age. Obedience work helps establish your dominance over your pet in their new "pack". Feed your dog after your meal and avoid feeding directly from the table or hands; always put the food in the dish. Crate training while young is useful to prevent unwanted behaviors and avoid allowing the dog to sleep on the bed or couch. We can help you locate obedience classes for you and your pet. Crate training provides a safe place for our pet to be when you can't be with them.

Exercise
It is very tempting when we get a new puppy to want to take it out on long hikes which may cause fatigue. Young puppies grow very rapidly so their joints tend to be loose and easily affected by fatigue and excessive wear. Please try not to walk your puppy more than ½-2 miles at a time until 4-5 months of age, then gradually increase the distance.

Bathing
Most healthy animals do not require routine bathing. If for some reason, there is a need to bathe your pet, try using a moisturizing oatmeal shampoo rather than a human or standard pet shampoo. Human products tend to cause excessive drying of the skin which can lead to itchiness.

Vaccinations Schedule for Puppies and Dogs


Distemper Group:
The Distemper Group vaccine for dogs protects against several viruses including canine parvovirus, canine distemper, canine adenovirus, and canine parainfluenza. Puppies should receive an initial set of Distemper vaccinations starting at about 8 weeks of age, and repeating every 3-4 weeks, for a total of 3 - 4 boosters with the last vaccination given at a minimum of 16 weeks of age. The Distemper Group vaccine should be boostered 1 year from the last puppy vaccine, then 2 years later, and then every 3 years for the life of your pet.

Rabies Vaccine:
Puppies should receive their Rabies vaccine around 16 weeks of age. The Rabies Vaccine should be boostered in 1 year and then every 3 years for the life of your pet.

Lepto/Lyme vaccine:
Dogs and puppies can become infected with leptospira bacteria from areas that have been contaminated by infected wildlife urine. Lyme disease is spread by deer ticks. We recommend vaccination for these diseases for any dog that is going to spend any time outdoors, whether it's just in your backyard or out hiking. Puppies can start the Lepto/Lyme vaccine at an age over 16 weeks of age. They will receive their second Lepto/Lyme 3-4 weeks later, and the third Lepto/Lyme 1-6 months later. The Lepto/Lyme vaccine should be boostered annually for the life of your pet.

Dental Vaccine:
Small breeds of dogs are particularly prone to dental disease. Eventually heart disease develops as a result of bacteria settling on their heart valves. There is now a vaccine to help reduce the bacteria that cause dental disease. We recommend all small dogs receive the Dental Vaccine with puppies starting the series around 18 weeks of age. They will receive their second Dental Vaccine 3-4 weeks later, and the third Dental Vaccine 1-6 months later. The Dental Vaccine should be boostered annually for the life of your pet.

Kennel Cough:
The Kennel Cough vaccine is sometimes called the Bordatella vaccine. It is given to any dog that might be boarded or groomed, or comes in contact with many different dogs frequently such as spending time at the dog park or at training classes. Puppies can start the kennel cough vaccine at any age. We have 2 types of kennel cough vaccine- one that is administered by nose once every 6 months, and the other as an injection under the skin which requires a booster in 3-4 weeks and is then boostered annually.

Other Things to consider:
We also recommend checking a stool sample for intestinal parasites on puppies at least twice, 2 months apart, and then at least yearly for all dogs. Heartworm preventative should be given on a monthly basis all year long and puppies should be started on heartworm preventative at 8 weeks of age. We recommend heartworm testing every year at your pets yearly visit.