Puppy Care Guide

Bringing home your puppy can be an exciting time, however for puppies this can sometimes be a stressful time as they learn to become familiar with their new family and surroundings.

Some of the symptoms you may notice as a result of this stress is loss of appetite, loose stools and diarrhoea. This will usually pass within a few weeks and is not a cause for concern providing your puppy is still active and appears content. However, if you feel concerned at all we prefer you call us immediately so we can advise you accordingly.

Another reason why your puppy may develop diarrhoea can be due to eating too much dry food or has eaten a new food that it has not eaten before.

We recommend you feed twice a day- a combination of any of the following:

• Dry puppy food (biscuits)

• Raw meat bones to chew on (great for puppies teeth) Never give cooked bones as shards of bone can be a choking hazard or cause serious damage to your puppy’s mouth, throat and stomach.

• Cooked chicken, lamb or beef mince with rice, a small portion of mixed vegetables (4 varieties). No onion or broccoli as this can make your puppy ill.

• Lactose Free Milk only. DO NOT feed your puppy cow’s milk as this can cause diarrhea, vomiting and loose stools. Intestinal Worms can be very easily caught so treating your new pet is important. Worming should be done once a week or fortnight depending on the syrup or tablet

• Adult worming is necessary every 3 months once the puppy reaches the age of 12 months.

• Heart worms can be contracted through mosquito bites and can result in heart failure, organ damage and lung disease

• A Heart worming preventative treatment should be commenced before 6 months of age. We treat our puppies with Advocate.

Fleaing

• We use Frontline Flea Spray for fleas or Simparica for ticks and fleas once per month. It is recommended to refer to the instructions prior to administering to your puppy.

Vaccinations

• Do not take your puppy to parks before the C5 Vaccination and protection after vaccination may take up to 10 days. Avoid contact with unvaccinated animals during this time. Look after your dog’s limbs and spine!

• Please do not allow your puppy to jump on furniture, climb stairs or over exercise as this can cause numerous injuries and issues with your dog’s limbs and spine in the long term.
  
  

Toy Warning!

• Always keep an eye on your puppy when he/she is playing with their toys. Some toys feature small parts that can fall off or can be chewed off. These can cause choking or serious internal issues should parts be swallowed.

• Replace toys as soon as possible if they have parts that appear to be loosening or wearing out. We prefer to use rope toys for our puppies.

Grooming

Coats All different types of dogs with different types of coats will need a different type and quantity of grooming, we recommend taking your new pet to a professional groomer.

• Avoid bathing your new pet to often or you will strip their coat of all their natural oils making them more prone to dandruff, dryness and matting.

• Buy a shampoo and conditioner specifically designed for dogs, as human grade shampoo and conditioner may irritate your new pets skin causing adverse reactions including dryness, rash and irritation. We recommend pet shampoos with Aloe Vera and Oil of Rosemary extracts which are natural flea repellents or Petplay shampoo and conditioner.
  
  

Nails

If you walk your new pet often it is likely that you will not have to trim their nails often, but it is important to handle your new pet’s feet at regular intervals so that they are used to it anyway. To trim your new pet’s feet you will require nail trimmers specifically designed for dogs. It is important to associate trimming your animals nails with good things such as treats or praise so that it does not become a chore. Steps:

1. Pick up your animals paw and handle it for a small period of time.

2. Taking it slow and easy, gently place the nail clippers over the excess nail and trim. Be careful not to trim too much of their nail.

3. Repeat this process with each paw until complete. Remember to praise and/or treat your new pet after each paw or after the entire process is complete.

Ears:

It is important to clean your pet’s ears often to avoid nasty infections and/or ear mites. We recommend doing this every time your animal is bathed (at 6-12 week intervals). Steps:

1. Hold your pet firmly, using a cotton tip gentle wipe the inside of each ear (you may need more than one cotton tip).

2. There are many curves and crevasses inside a dogs ear, insure you get inside all of the curves and crevasses. Be sure that you do not place the cotton tip too far into your pet’s ear to avoid harm and/or injury. Vet practices and groomers also provide this service, if you are not confident cleaning your pet’s ear it is important that you hire a professional