Health Tips
For
Puppies and Dogs
When your puppy is born, its mother passes on
protection against diseases in the form of maternal antibodies. These antibodies slowly
start to wear off over the first 2 to 6 months. If you fail to vaccinate your puppy, you
leave your puppy susceptible to a variety of diseases and illnesses that can cause illness
and even death.
Your puppy should be vaccinated when it is 6 weeks old and
receive booster shots every 3 weeks until your puppy is 14 weeks old. When your puppy is 4
to 6 months old it can have its rabies vaccination. Then your puppy should receive a
yearly vaccination for the rest of its life. Adults can contract diseases as well and you
should be very conscientious about making sure you do this every year at the same time.
You should pick a date that is easy for you to remember and mark your calendar. Don't take
chances with your friend's life. Even if you live in a remote area where there are no
other dogs to expose your pet, you probably still have people come to your home and they
can carry disease on their feet, clothes and hands. When we show our puppies, we ask that
they not visit that day if they have looked at puppies elsewhere. If they have been puppy
shopping before they come to us, we ask that they wear a different pair of shoes because
some viruses can live for quite some time on surfaces.
Here is a list of diseases that you must
vaccinate for...
The basic puppy shot is called an All In One or DHLPP. It
covers:
Distemper - spreads through direct contact or by
contaminated objects. The symtoms of this disease are coughing, difficult breathing, runny
nose, diarrhea, and vomiting. Most puppies do not survive.
Hepatitis - Liver infection caused by virus. It is rare
here in the US.
Leptspirosis - Bacterial disease. Transmitted through urine
or urine contaminated objects. More commonly affects adult dogs. In puppies this
vaccination can cause adverse conditions such as swelling of the face, difficulty
breathing, and collapse. Ask your vet if he could hold off on this vaccination until your
puppy is older.
Parvo Virus - causes fever, diarrhea, and vomiting. It is
transmitted through feces.
Parainfluenza - the disease's signs are prolonged periods
of deep coughing. This is an airborne virus and can spread quickly. Your adult dog can
catch this at the vets office, boarding facilities, and kennels.
Until your puppy has completed his full set of
vaccinations, you need to be very careful of exposing him to possible contamination. Keep
away from parks and areas where other dogs frequent. When you are at your vet's office,
keep it in the carrier or hold him up off the floor and away from any other animals that
are in the waiting area. And you should ask your visitors to make sure they are careful
not to bring any unwanted diseases to your home. If you want to socialize your puppy with
other dogs, make sure they are healthy and current on their vaccinations as well.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep your
puppy/dog parasite free, both internally and externally. Worm your puppy/dog on a regular
basis. We worm our adults once a month and our puppies get their first dose of wormer at 2
weeks of age. We use Nemex and simply follow the instruction on the label. They really
like the taste of this wormer and will willingly lick it from the syringe.
| |
|
We bathe our puppies and adults on a regular basis as well.
We like frontline for the adults and Adams flea and tick shampoo for the puppies. Again,
just follow the label instructions. |
I hope this helps. You might want to print this out or
bookmark it for reference in the future. Good luck and I wish you and your puppy/dog the
best of health.
Written by Dawn Littlefield
Littlefield Kennels
