Preventative Health Care for your Puppy

Having a preventative health care plan for your puppy is very important to ensure a lifetime of health and well being as a member of your family.

Vaccination Plan

• 6-8 Weeks PP1A: D/M
• 8-10 Weeks PP2A: Parvovirus and Coronavirus
• 12 Weeks PP3A: Da2pp, Bordatella, Corona , Lepto and Heartworm Prevention
• 16 Weeks PP4A: Rabies, Bordatella and Lymes Disease
• 20 Weeks PP5A: Da2pp, Corona, Lepto and Lymes Disease
• 6-8 Months Spay or Neuter
• Yearly: Heartworm test, Lepto/ Corona, Lymes and Bordatella booster
• Every 3 years: Rabies, Da2pp boosters

A fecal check, general dewormer, office visit and examination are all included in the package.

After 6 weeks, most kennels require Bordetella for boarding, grooming and obedience classes. This vaccine needs to be boostered yearly with the other vaccinations.

What are all of these vaccinations for?

Vaccinations

Puppies need to go through a series of vaccinations to make sure they are protected. When a puppy suckles the first milk (colostrum) of its mother, that milk contains protective antibodies (passive immunity) against diseases. The antibodies obtained from the mother may circulate within the puppy for variable periods of time, up to 18 weeks of age, depending on the amount of milk consumed. Since we do not know when an individual pup's passive immunity wanes, we need to give a series of vaccinations starting at 6-8 weeks old through 20 weeks of age. This is to assure all puppies are protected against disease.

Measles Vaccine

A measles vaccine is given along with the first distemper shot to give additional protection to your puppy. Measles, which is only a human disease, is a virus that is very similar to the antibodies that puppies get from their mother. This measles injection will stimulate the pup to produce its own antibodies against measles. The measles antibodies will attack the distemper virus because of the similar make-up of measles and distemper.

Yearly Vaccines

Once the puppy shots are completed, your dog is given booster vaccinations yearly in order to maintain a high level of protection against disease. If your dog is older than 6 months and has never been vaccinated, it will need to receive a series of two Da2p/Coughguard-B and Parvo/Corona vaccinations that are given one month apart. Once the series of shots are finished, then a Parvo/Corona vaccination will be needed in the spring, as late spring/ early summer are when the disease is most active. That way your dog has the greatest protection during the months when these diseases are most likely to infect your pet.

Heartworm Testing

A heartworm test is done in the spring before the mosquito season starts. It takes about six months for heartworms to become adults and produce microfilaria (baby heartworms). The microfilaria is what is detected during the heartworm blood screen. Testing in the spring ensures that there was no heartworm infection from the previous summer.

Fecal Flotation

Why?

Fecal flotation tests are performed once a year on adults because dogs can easily become infected form fleas, walking in contaminated grass, sniffing infected areas and from eggs carried in on your shoes. Puppies can become infested with worms during fetal development or after suckling on their mother's milk. Puppies should have a fecal exam at 6-8 weeks of age and then at each subsequent visit during the puppy series. Females to be bred should have a fecal examination done prior to breeding.

How?

A narrow test tube is filled with a salt or sugar solution. The eggs of hookworms, roundworms, whipworms and coccidian are lighter than the solution used, so the eggs float to the top and stick to a glass coverslip placed on top of the test tube. The slide is then examined under a microscope. Intestinal parasites may show no visible signs, or they can cause weakness, bloody diarrhea and sometimes death. A fecal examination is very simple and the treatments are easy. Parasite infestation is easy to control and not worth the risk!

Find additional information about parasites that affect puppies here.

Dental Care

• Puppies develop 28 temporary teeth at about two to three weeks of age. Their 42 permanent teeth emerge at about four months of age.
• Studies show that by age three, 80 percent of dogs exhibit signs of gum disease.
• Small dog breeds, such as toy poodles and shihtzus, are more likely than large dog breeds, such as golden retrievers, German shepherds and Irish setters, to develop periodontal disease. Canine dentistry experts believe this is true because the teeth of small dogs are often too large for their mouths, forcing the teeth closer together.
• What can you do to help prevent dental disease?

Miscellaneous Puppy Information

• 20% off will be given at the time of spay or neuter if your pet goes through the puppy vaccination series.
• Ear crops can be performed at 3 months of age.
• Baby teeth fall out at 4-5 months of age. If the baby teeth have not been replaced by permanent teeth by 6-7 month, they must be removed by the veterinarian.
• Start heartworm prevention as early as 6-8 weeks age. We recommend that heartworm prevention be given all year. If it is only given half of the year, the heartworm test must be taken every year instead of every other year.

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