We love seeing dogs at Young Veterinary Partnership. ‘Mans best friend’ comes in all shapes and sizes but all require a long term commitment from their owners. Puppies will need extra care, cuddles and attention especially during their ‘settling in period’ and then once fully grown, owners duties will include exercising twice daily, feeding once or twice daily and grooming. Dog’s also require regular veterinary check up’s, vaccinations, regular worming and monthly flea treatment. We can help you spread the cost of these by joining our Pet Health Club . Dental disease is also a rising problem across the canine population so regular dental check up’s and tooth brushing will help with this.
Caring for your Dog
- At what age should my puppy leave its mum?
Puppies normally leave their litter around 8 weeks old, if they leave younger they can become unwell or develop socialisation problems which may show later on in life.
- How often do I need to visit the vet?
Puppies receive a full health check and 2 sets of vaccinations (normally around 8 and 10 weeks of age). We like puppies to visit as often as possible when they are young, even if it’s just for a free weight check to make sure your puppy is growing and gaining weight.
- Do I need to vaccinate my dog / puppy?
Vaccinations protect puppies against parvovirus (a very dangerous virus causing severe vomiting and diarrhoea), hepatitis (a liver infection), parainfluenza (a respiratory infection), distemper (also called hardpad) and leptospirosis (Weils disease, spread by rat urine).
- Do I need to worm my dog / puppy?
Worms can come in all shapes and sizes and can be passed on to humans but the good news is that they are easy to treat and included in your puppy pack is a flea and worm spot on treatment which will last for 1 month.
- My dog / puppy has fleas, what should I do?
1 single flea can approximately 2000 eggs durings its lifetime so it’s really important to treat your puppy and your home. We offer a variety of flea treatments and you will receive a 1 month spot on treatment with your puppy pack, to help with any infestation your puppy may have. We also recommend Acclaim household spray if required, and our veterinary surgeons will be able to recommend the most suitable product for your puppies requirements.
If you join our Pet Health Care club you will also receive Well Pet Blood Tests which are ideal for the golden oldies to screen for problems such as kidney disease, diabetes and liver problems.
We have further puppy information listed below
- Top ten tips on how to choose a puppy
- Click How to care for your puppy for our guide
- Microchipping further information
Training your puppy or dog
- Training is essential to ensure you have a well mannered pet.
- Puppy classes are a great way to introduce your puppy to other dogs in a friendly environment. In general training your dog is done by reward. When they do something correctly, you should give them verbal praise followed immediately by a small treat. Eventually they will be happy with verbal praise , so that you don’t have to give a treat all the time. Clicker training is similar in that you use the clicker to make a click and give them a treat immediately afterwards, when they have behaved correctly. Eventually you will be able to the click without giving a reward all of the time.
- If they exhibit bad behaviour, do not shout or tell them off. You need to ignore them. They want attention just like children and soon learn if they are ignored that they have done something wrong. You can either leave the room, or put them out of the room to ignore them.
Feeding your dog
- Dogs, like people are all individual and require specific diets to suit different needs and breeds. We stock and recommend Hills Science Plan as a complete dry food, which can be purchased from any of our surgeries or via our online shop. Introduce any new food gradually over a few days. If your pet has digestive upset, feed them plain chicken or fish with rice for a few days then gradually re-introduce their normal food. Puppies should be fed specific puppy food little and often until they have stopped growing (around 1 year of age but this can be later in giant breeds). Puppy foods contain higher protein levels to help support your puppy’s growth. Always look for a complete puppy food, you should not need to add any supplement’s – the food will have the correct amount of vitamins and minerals already included.
- Adult dogs will need to be fed once or twice daily. Use the guides on the packets of dog food to ensure you are feeding the correct amount, and you and your dog are always welcome to drop in for a free weight check. Dog’s do not need their food to be varied, as the more different foods you supply the fussier your dog may become! When using a good diet, your dog’s ribs should be felt but not seen, he should have a healthy coat and be maintaining a stable weight.
The devotion and warmth of the Partnership staff are second to none – we have been with them for years and recommend them to all.
Jenny K