A NEW PUPPY
A new puppy – Congratulations on your newest family member!
You have years of fun ahead of you and we will be there to help you maintain the best possible health for your new puppy. Come down to the clinic and we’ll give your new little friend a FREE puppy health check (not including vaccinations) and 4 weeks pet insurance FREE (some conditions apply)! Chat to us about how to organise this!
Do you have a voucher from the pet shop for a discount at a different Vet clinic? Ask us to see if we can match it!
Have you already bought a puppy? If so bring them straight on down for a FREE puppy check! We give them a full health check and help you with a plan for worming, flea, heartworm, vaccination, training and puppy school. It can be so confusing! We love puppies, and are committed to helping you start off on the right paw! You don’t need any vouchers for this, we just want to make sure everything is perfect right from the start.
Thinking of buying a puppy? Here are a few questions you might have already:
• What breed to buy
• Where should I buy it from?
• How do I know if it is from a puppy farm?
• What signs do I look for to know the puppy is healthy?
• Should I buy my puppy from a pet shop or breeder?
Give us a call, or better still, pop down to see us. We know lots of breeders in the area and might just be able to help (if a litter has just been born!). We can help clarify your thoughts on a new puppy, but in the end the decision is entirely your own. Once you have bought a puppy make sure you bring it down to us for a FREE check-up.
Worming
The general rule is that you should worm your new puppy every 2 weeks until it is 12 weeks old, then worm monthly until they are 6 months old and then every three months for the rest of their lives – and that’s just for intestinal worms! There are roundworms, hookworms and whipworms, as well as tape worm. Tape worm is not generally a problem in puppies but the others are a concern as they take protein and blood from the puppies compromising their health (in some cases severely) and provide a small risk of infection in children. So following a program such as the above is essential. We can help you with advice on what worming tablets to give and when.
Heartworm
Heartworm is a separate worm harboured by dogs and foxes and spread by mosquito’s. It is a worm of the blood stream, where microscopic worms are injected into your puppies’ blood stream by mosquitos, where they grow and finally lodge in the great vessels near the heart. This then blocks the blood vessels causing heart failure. Treatment is dangerous so please find a program suitable for prevention rather then trying to cure it after infection! Daily tablets, monthly tablets, monthly spot on treatments (on to the back of the neck) and once-a year injections are all available. They all work well, provided they are a good quality medication so make sure you buy a veterinary quality heartworm preventative and visit, or call The Berwick Village Vet for advice at any time.
Fleas
Fleas are parasites that breed on your puppy, however they actually develop as larvae off your puppy. The larvae look like hairy caterpillars and feed on dead skin in pet beds, carpets, between floorboards and on bedspreads. These grow and hatch into jumping fleas that love nothing more then to bite your pets and occasionally mistake you for a meal as well! The best way to control fleas is to reduce the number of flea eggs and larvae hatching around the house. This is done by using a product that kills any adult fleas before they have time to breed. If your puppy already has fleas (we look for these in our free puppy checks), or you just need a preventative flea treatment, we can recommend a suitable product to treat adults and the larvae.
Vaccination
Vaccination is essential especially in puppies as they have a developing immune system that is often not protective against deadly viruses such as canine hepatitis, parvovirus and distemper. We think it is essential that every puppy is vaccinated. Most puppies should have had a vaccination before they were re-homed. The first vaccination is normally given at 6-8 weeks and is normally a 3 or 4 component vaccine. At 12 weeks they receive a full 5 component vaccine and at 16 weeks they receive a final vaccination. With every vaccination we discuss your puppies development (physically and socially), give them a health check, advise on feeding, worming, fleas, heartworm, further vaccinations, desexing, puppy school and how to have so much fun with your puppy!
Puppy Training
It’s important when you get a puppy to ensure you take the right steps to train your puppy. We have some great tips on how to get started with training a new puppy which is a great starting point. We also offer puppy school for puppies aged 8-12 weeks of age, with at least one vaccine already. Our sessions run on Thursday evenings and is 4 weekly sessions. Call our team on 03 9707 3855 to find out our next intake.
Book your next consultation
Our friendly team loves to meet new animals and their owners. Book a consultation with a member of our team today.