Caring for your puppy

Vaccinations for puppies

Puppies usually have their first vaccinations at 8 weeks old and the second injection at 10 weeks. Ideally allow your puppy a couple of days to settle into their new home before vaccinating. The puppy can then go out for walks a week after the second injection.

After their primary course of vaccinations a booster is required annually. The diseases routinely vaccinated against are:

Distemper

Parvovirus

Infectious canine hepatitis

Leptospirosis

Parainfluenza

Kennel cough and rabies (from 12 weeks) can also be done depending on the circumstances.

Parasites

It is very important to routinely worm puppies. Despite them not going outside puppies can contract worms through the placenta before birth or in their mother’s milk. From 8 weeks old it is recommended to worm puppies every 4 weeks until they are 6 months old.

Flea treatment and prevention is based on the circumstances in each home. A large burden of fleas can cause anaemia in young animals. It is recommended to apply flea treatment every 4 weeks to your pet.

Neutering

Neutering is best discussed with your vet as the timing of the procedure can vary from breed to breed and on an individual dog basis. Bitches are usually spayed 3 months after their first season, which can happen from 6 months to over a year. Some dogs can be castrated from 6 months, however, in larger breeds we recommend the operation when they are older, as they take longer to be fully grown.

Microchipping

From April 2016 every dog legally should be microchipped for identification purposes. This is usually done at one of the vaccination consultations.

Insurance

It is advisable to get pet insurance when your dog is a puppy as this is the time that some developmental diseases can become apparent. Good quality insurance allows for emergency treatment to be paid for as well as accounting for long term medication. If an animal does not have insurance it can create major limitations in how the vet can diagnose illness and treat your pets, if funds are a problem. It is best to seriously think about these things and what you would do if anything went wrong with your animal’s health.

Socialisation

Socialisation is important in puppies as this can have very long term effects, such as noise phobias and aggression towards other dogs. Puppies should encounter potentially frightening events such as car journeys, visitors and loud noises in the home e.g. vacuum cleaner. This will allow them to accept them as a normal occurrence instead of an intimidating one. Puppy/obedience classes are also important, as it allows them to interact with other dogs and to start their training at the same time.