We suggest feeding your puppy the same (or very similar) food it was receiving before the adoption. Changing the diet quickly can result in an upset tummy. Once your puppy has settled for a few days you can slowly transition to the food of your choice.
Diet is extremely important in the growing months of a dog’s life, and there are two
important criteria that should be met in selecting food for your puppy.
1. The diet should be nutritionally adequate for puppies.
2. The diet should have physical qualities (texture, abrasiveness) that will help
control plaque and maintain oral health.
Dental chews are recommended once your puppy is about 6 months old.
A lot is happening in your puppy’s world in their first 6-16 weeks of life. This is the best time for positive imprinting of social situations and exposure to noises and different situations that they may encounter later in life.
When introducing your puppy to a new experience, do it gently and slowly with lots of positive reinforcement (praise, food rewards) and try to make it a good experience.
As they have not yet developed a mature adult’s level of immunity, it is important to carry out this socialisation and exposure safely. Until 1-2 weeks after their final vaccination, you will have to take some basic precautions such as keeping your puppy on lead and avoiding dog parks, festivals, markets and other situations where there has been dog traffic, and only allowing your puppy to interact with healthy dogs that you know are up to date with their vaccinations.
Young animals are ‘temporarily’ protected against disease by antibodies received through their mother’s milk. However, these maternal antibodies decline in the first couple of months of their lives and until they drop sufficiently they can also neutralise vaccines. This is why a series of vaccinations is necessary for puppies at specific intervals. These visits are also the perfect time to discuss diet, grooming, parasite control, pet insurance and general wellness with your vet.
Vaccinations are routinely given at 6, 12 and 8 weeks of age and cover Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvovirus, diseases that can be fatal to dogs, and are also known as a C3 vaccination. We also recommend full vaccination against tracheobronchitis, often known as kennel cough or canine cough, although this affects many dogs who have never been near a kennel. This vaccination prevents infections with parainfluenza virus and Bordetella bacteria, and this combined with a C3 vaccination is known as a C5 vaccination.
Intestinal parasites are common in puppies. Puppies can become infected with parasites before they are born or later through their mother’s milk.
Puppies should be treated for intestinal worms every 2 weeks, from 2 weeks of age until 12 weeks of age. After 12 weeks of age we recommend monthly worming until 6 months of age, then every 3 months life long. Our team can advise you of the best parasite control program for your puppy.
We also recommend heartworm prevention for puppies as this parasite is spread by mosquitos and can be potentially fatal causing damage to a dog’s heart and lungs. There are a wide range of preventative medications available and we can advise you of one to suit your puppy’s needs.
Puppy Pre School is a great way to socialise your puppy in a stress free and safe environment. We know that socialisation from an early age is highly beneficial to a dog’s well being throughout their adult life. At Diamond Valley Vets we offer puppy school with an accredited dog trainer. Call our clinic to enquire about next starting date or see our puppy school webpage for further information.