Dogs - care of your puppy
You may have obtained your puppy from a rescue centre or bought your puppy from a shop, family or specialist pedigree breeder. Wherever your puppy came from, you may or may not have been provided with a range of care advice. Even so the advice can sometimes be contradictory.
We hope that this simple outline guide will help to tie everything together and get you started off on the right track.
Puppies are a lot of fun but there are a lot of important things that you should know or will need to remember to do at the right times, which can seem daunting and confusing.
We hope that helping you with information now should go some way towards reducing your worries and maximising your fun.
General Health Check
It is good to visit us at Holly House Vets as soon as is reasonable after choosing your new pet. Remember that this can even happen before you fully commit to taking on your new puppy. We can check that everything seems OK! Occasionally you may be wise to settle in your new puppy for a few days before you visit us, however we will always be pleased to help with a new puppy whenever you come along!
Hopefully you will have chosen a perfect new puppy and nothing will be wrong! However sometimes we find simple things that we need to help you with: Ear mites, fleas and other visitors are common, not very serious and are easily cleared. Very occasionally your first veterinary examination can reveal more serious problems such as heart murmurs, cleft palates, retained testicles and hernias. However do not fear! Even most of these can be resolved and we are there to help you with what you need to know about such things.
Remember! The Team at Holly House will help you to understand anything noticed during your general health check. If health problems are detected, we are here to help you and we will advise about what you should maybe do in response to them. Your first visit allows you to get access to professional support and advice that will help you to keep your pet well in future years.
Insurance
The Team at Holly House strongly believe that all clients and their pets benefit from a reliable pet insurance policy covering 3rd party liability, injury and illness. We feel all pet owners should have some form of health insurance for their pet.
We are restricted by the FSA on the advice we can give concerning pet insurance, but we remain confident that a “Life-policy” such as that offered by PetPlan ® insurance is ideal. If you are interested in taking out pet insurance at any stage in your dog’s life, the Holly House team have pet insurance advisors available to help you with this.
Insure your puppy as soon as you acquire it, or at its first vaccination!
Control of Fleas and worms!
Most, if not all puppies, no matter how bright and healthy they appear, come with an invisible burden of worms. Worms can even cross the placenta and be transferred through mum’s milk. Worm eggs and larvae pose a health threat to your family and are occasionally responsible for serious conditions such as epilepsy and sight damage in very young children. Even if you dont have such children yourself, they may visit your house from time to time! We can help you and advise that all puppies start a comprehensive worm prevention plan as soon as they enter your home.
It is also wise to pick up an effective veterinary flea and parasite prevention product. As soon as your puppy begins to socialise, it is at risk from picking visitors up.
Remember that the Team at Holly House are there to supply you with all the ongoing parasite prevention products you will need throughout your pets life.
Click here to view great savings on the preventative health products for you dog.
Vaccination
All Puppies over 8 Weeks need to be vaccinated as soon as possible, providing they are well!
Vaccines start at 8 weeks of age. If your puppy is 8 weeks or older and in good health, you should book your first vaccination appointment and start your puppies vaccination program immediately.
Your puppy’s second vaccination is given 2 weeks or more after the first vaccination., Our reception staff will book your second appointment at the time of your first vaccination. Alternatively you can book this appointment later by telephone...you will soon be able to socialise your puppy! You are advised to have a third vaccination if your puppy is a Rotweiler.
To read more about vaccinating your puppy, please click here
Neutering
We advise all puppy owners consider neutering their pets at 6 months of age. This is a simple procedure with a quick recovery that will reduce the future risk of mammary cancer in female dogs and aggression and unruly behavior in male dogs, when carried out at about 6 months.
We have produced a separate detailed guide to neutering which talks you through the whole procedure and it’s aftercare.
Microchip Insertion
At Holly House we believe that it is a very good thing to microchip your puppy before it is old enough to start going out. This is the time when you are most likely to find your pet wanders or gets lost as your puppy will only just be starting its training.
Identichip registration is cheap, simple and lifelong! If you have any problems or queries, please don’t hesitate to call us and we’ll be happy to help. Good luck with your new family member and we look forward to seeing you again!
