New Puppy!
Congratulations on your new puppy!
Whether you are a new puppy parent or a pro, these tips will help ensure your puppy has a great start in life.
Vaccinations
Vaccinations are important during the first 6 to 16 weeks of life. Your puppy will have a series of vaccination boosters spaced 3 to 4 weeks apart. We vaccinate so frequently when they are young so we can make sure to be able to pick up where mom’s immunity ends.
The core vaccinations given are:
DA2PP (Distemper, adenovirus, parainfluenza, parvovirus)
Some recommended vaccinations based on risk are:
Canine Flu (H3N8, H3N2)
Deworming/Intestinal Parasite Screening
Puppies are born with parasites! The majority of puppies will be infected from their mother in the womb prior to being born or in their environment. The most common infections are hookworm and roundworm. We treat with a dewormer to kill the parasites that can cause your puppy, and your family, harm.
We will also check a stool sample for parasites the dewormer does not cover for, such as coccidia, giardia, and whipworm.
Diet
Each puppy is different with different diet needs. Toy breeds need a smaller kibble, regular breeds need normal sized kibble, and giant breed dogs need large breed formulas to handle their bone growth.
We use Hill’s Science Diet Puppy or Healthy Advantage for our puppies. At your first visit, you will be given a free sample bag.
Handling/Desensitizing (Feet/Face/Ears)
Handling your puppy often will help them understand and get used to be handled by others, including your veterinarian.
Practice holding the paws; this will help with nail trims.
Practice looking in the ears; this will help with ear cleanings and treatments.
Practice opening the mouth and lifting the lips; this will help with home tooth-brushing.
Isolation/Parvovirus
Parvovirus is a deadly disease that is extremely common in puppies. Part of the vaccination we give protects against this virus, but while your puppy is going through it’s booster series, it is still possible to contract this illness.
Keeping your puppy around your own dogs and in your own yard while they are going through their vaccination series will help lessen the chance of coming in contact with this illness. Do not take your puppy to pet stores, dog parks, grooming or boarding facilities, and even when they come to the veterinarian, try to lessen their floor time!
Fleas/Tapeworms
Fleas are one of the most irritating parasites that we have in the South. Fleas can cause severe anemia, carry plague, and infect your puppy with tapeworms. If your puppy eats a flea, the flea may have a tapeworm infection that can be then passed onto your puppy!
Hiccups
Hiccups are totally normal and common in puppies!
Vaccine Reactions:
Though rare, vaccine reactions can happen at any point of the vaccination series. Normal vaccine reactions are sleepiness, soreness, and feeling lousy. True emergency reactions vary from swollen face, hives, vomiting, and diarrhea. In those cases, calling us at 850-479-9484, or the Veterinary Emergency Referral Center right away will help your pet in a timely manner.
What not to do/give:
It may be tempting to medicate our puppy with human medication, but you would not be doing them any favors. Puppies metabolize medications differently from us, so something mild to us could be toxic and deadly to them! If in doubt, always call us!
People food can be a big issue in pets. We know that chocolate is bad for dogs, but did you know grapes and raisins are toxic? Garlic, onions, and sugar-free gum can cause issues with dogs too!
If you suspect your puppy has gotten into anything toxic, call the Pet Poison Helpline or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center ASAP!
Housebreaking/Behavior Issues
Click on each subject to learn more about them:
Teething/Home Dental Care
How to brush your puppy’s teeth.
Grooming/Bathing
Your puppy should not go to a groomer yet, but this doesn’t mean you can’t bathe them when they get dirty!
Use a mild dog shampoo. These non-medicated shampoos will not strip the oils from the puppy’s skin and remove any flea prevention you may have applied.
Cleaning the ears is important during their bathing regimen because extra moisture in the ears can cause overgrowth of yeast and bacteria leading to ear infections. Clean the ears after they go swimming too! We use Epi-Otic Advanced because of its gentle formula and drying action.
How to do a nail trim. Or, bring your puppy to us for free nail trims!*
Anal Sac Expression. This may or may not be needed, but it is something to know about!
*Free nail trims as long as examination is current.
Breed Specific Issues
How well do you know your puppy breed’s medical or behavioural issues? Click the link to find out more: AKC Dog Breeds
Flea and Heartworm Prevention Year-Round
Visit Companion Animal Parasite Council for more interactive maps.
We love it in the South, and so do the bugs!
Mosquitoes carry heartworm disease.
We never have a cold enough winter to kill the fleas and mosquitoes, so it is imperative that you keep your pet on prevention year-round.
Even if your puppy is, “indoor only,” it only takes one mosquito to enter your home and infect your puppy! Don’t risk it! Treatment for heartworm disease is expensive, while prevention is not. Check out Monthly Preventative options here: Monthly Preventatives.
We also have 6 month and 12 month heartworm prevention options through ProHeart.
Microchipping
Microchipping your puppy can save its life! If your puppy ever escaped and was picked up by Animal Control, the first thing they do is check for a microchip. Check out Home Again Microchipping!
Spay/Neuter
Annual Wellness Exams
Once your puppy has completed its series of vaccinations, they have about a year before they will need to be seen again by us to vaccinate. At that yearly visit, we will update the vaccines we have received last year and check blood chemistries, complete blood count, and screen for parasites. This gives us an overall picture on what your pet’s health looks like.
Please feel free to refer back to this New Puppy Guide whenever you wish.
Congratulations again on your new addition! We look forward to watching your puppy grow.
~Davis Animal Hospital Staff
