Third Street
Veterinary Hospital, PC
McMinnville, Oregon 97128
Office phone: (503) 472-9418
Recommendations
for Owners of New Puppies
We
would like to congratulate you on the acquisition on your new puppy. Owning a dog can be an extremely rewarding
experience, but it also carries with it quite a bit of responsibility. We hope this document will give you the
information needed to make some good decisions regarding your puppy.
First,
let us say that we are grateful that you have chosen us to help you with your
puppy's health care. If you have
questions concerning any subject related to your puppy's health, please feel
free to call our hospital. Our entire
professional staff is willing and happy to help you.
Puppy Playing
Stimulating
play is important during the first week.
Stalking and pouncing are important play behaviors in puppies and are
necessary for proper muscular development.
If given a sufficient outlet for these behaviors with toys, your puppy
will be less likely to use family members for these activities. The best toys are lightweight and movable. These include wads of paper and rubber
balls. Any toy that is small enough to
be swallowed should be avoided.
Discipline
Disciplining
a young puppy may be necessary if its behavior threatens people or property,
but harsh punishment should be avoided.
Hand clapping and using shaker cans or horns can be intimidating enough
to inhibit undesirable behavior.
However, remote punishment is preferred. Remote punishment consists of using something that appears
unconnected to the punisher to stop the problem behavior. Examples include using spray bottles,
throwing objects in the direction of the puppy to startle (but not hit) it, and
making loud noises. Remote punishment
is preferred because the puppy associates punishment with the undesirable act
and not with you.
Vaccinations
There
are many diseases that are fatal to dogs. Fortunately, we have the ability to prevent many of these by the
use of very effective vaccines. In
order to be effective, these vaccines must be given as a series of injections. Ideally, they are given at about 6-8, 12,
and 16 weeks of age, but this schedule may vary somewhat depending on several
factors.
The
routine vaccination schedule will protect your puppy from five diseases:
distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza virus, parvovirus, and rabies. The first four are included in one injection
that is given at 6-8, 12, and 16 weeks old.
Rabies vaccine is given at 16 weeks of age. There are two other optional vaccinations that are appropriate in
certain situations. Your puppy should
receive kennel cough vaccine (Intra Trac II) if a trip to a boarding kennel is
likely or if it will be placed in a puppy training class. Lyme vaccine is given to dogs that are
exposed to ticks because Lyme Disease is transmitted by ticks. Please advise us of these needs on your next
visit.
Why the Series of
Vaccinations
When
the puppy nurses its mother, it receives a temporary form of immunity through
its mother's milk. This immunity is in
the form of proteins called antibodies.
For about 24-48 hours after birth, the puppy's intestine allows
absorption of these antibodies directly into the blood stream. This immunity is of benefit during the first
few weeks of the puppy's life, but, at some point, this immunity fails and the
puppy must be able to make its own long-lasting immunity. Vaccinations are used for this purpose. As long as the mother's antibodies are
present, vaccinations do not have a chance to stimulate the puppy’s immune
system. The mother's antibodies
interfere by neutralizing the vaccine.
Many
factors determine when the puppy will be able to respond to the
vaccinations. These include the level
of immunity in the mother dog, how much antibody has been absorbed, and the
number of vaccines given to the puppy.
Since we do not know when an individual puppy will lose the short-term
immunity, we give a series of vaccinations.
We hope that at least two of these will fall in the window of time when
the puppy has lost immunity from its mother but has not yet been exposed to
disease. A single vaccination, even if
effective, is not likely to stimulate the long-term immunity that is so
important.
Rabies
vaccine is an exception to this, since one injection given at the proper time
is enough to produce long-term immunity.
Intestinal Worms
Intestinal
parasites are common in puppies.
Puppies can become infected with parasites before they are born or later
through their mother's milk. The
microscopic examination of a stool sample will usually help us to determine the
presence of intestinal parasites. We
recommend this exam for all puppies. If
we can not get a stool sample, please bring one at your earliest
convenience. Even if we do not get a
stool sample, we recommend the use of Drontal, a deworming product that is safe
and effective against several of the common worms of the dog. It is given now and repeated in about 3
weeks. Food should not be withheld
before or after administering the tablet.
It is important that it be repeated in about 3 weeks because the
deworming medication only kills the adult worms. Within 3-4 weeks, the larval stages will have become adults and
will need to be treated. Dogs remain
susceptible to reinfection with hookworms and roundworms. Periodic deworming throughout the dog's life
may be recommended for dogs that go outdoors.
Tapeworms
are the most common intestinal parasite of dogs. Puppies become infected with them when they swallow fleas; the
eggs of the tapeworm live inside the flea.
When the dog chews or licks its skin as a flea bites, the flea may be
swallowed. The flea is digested within
the dog's intestine; the tapeworm hatches and then anchors itself to the
intestinal lining. Therefore, exposure
to fleas may result in a new infection; this can occur in as little as two
weeks.
Dogs
infected with tapeworms will pass small segments of the worms in their
stool. The segments are white in color
and look like grains of rice. They are
about 1/8 inch (3 mm) long and may be seen crawling on the surface of the
stool. They may also stick to the hair
under the tail. If that occurs, they
will dry out, shrink to about half their size, and become golden in color.
Tapeworm
segments do not pass every day or in every stool sample; therefore, inspection
of several consecutive bowel movements may be needed to find them. We may examine a stool sample in our office
and not find them, then you may find them the next day. If you find them at any time, please notify
us so we may provide the appropriate drug for treatment.
Heartworms
Heartworms
are important parasites, especially in certain climates. They can live in your dog's heart and cause
major damage to the heart and lungs.
Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes so your dog does not have to be
in contact with another dog to be exposed.
Fortunately, we have drugs that will protect your dog from
heartworms. These drugs are very safe
and very effective if given regularly.
One product, Filarabits Plus, is a chewable tablet that your dog should eat like a treat; it is
given daily. Three others, Heartgard, Interceptor, and Revolution are tablets that are given only once monthly. We recommend the product that is most likely
to be given on a regular basis, either daily or monthly. Be aware that having a long haircoat or
staying primarily indoors does not protect a dog against heartworm infection.
Heartworm
preventatives are dosed according to your dog's weight. As the weight increases, the dosage should
also increase. Please note the dosing
instructions on the package. These
products are very safe. You could
overdose your dog by two or three times the recommended dose without causing
harm. Therefore, it is always better to
overdose rather than underdose.
Food for Puppies
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. We recommend a NAME-BRAND FOOD made by a
national dog food company (not a generic or local brand), and a form of food
MADE FOR PUPPIES. This should be fed
until your puppy is about 12-18 months of age, depending on its size. We recommend that you only buy food that has
the AAFCO certification. Usually, you
can find this information very easily on the label. AAFCO is an organization that oversees the entire pet food
industry. It does not endorse any
particular food, but it will certify that the food has met the minimum
requirements for nutrition. Most of the
commercial pet foods will have the AAFCO label. Generic brands often do not have it.
Feeding
a dry, canned, or semi-moist form of dog food is acceptable. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Dry food is definitely the most inexpensive. It can be left in the dog's bowl without
drying. The good brands of dry food are
just as nutritious as the other forms.
As a rule, most veterinarians will recommend dry food for your puppy.
Semi-moist
and canned foods are also acceptable.
However, both are considerably more expensive than dry food. They often are more appealing to the dog's
taste; however, they are not more nutritious.
If you feed a very tasty food, you are running the risk of creating a
dog with a finicky appetite. In
addition, the semi-moist foods are high in sugar.
Table
foods are not recommended. Because they
are generally very tasty, dogs will often begin to hold out for these and not
eat their well-balanced dog food. If
you choose to give your puppy table food, be sure that at least 90% of its diet
is good quality commercial puppy food.
We
enjoy a variety of things to eat in our diet.
However, most dogs actually prefer not to change from one food to
another unless they are trained to do so by the way you feed them. Do not feel guilty if your dog is happy to
just eat one food day after day, week after week.
Commercials
for dog food can be very misleading. If
you watch carefully you will notice that many commercials promote dog food on
one basis, TASTE. Nutrition is rarely
mentioned. Most of the
"gourmet" foods are marketed to appeal to owners who wants the best
for their dogs; however, they do not offer the dog any nutritional advantage
over a good quality dry food, and they are far more expensive. If your dog eats a gourmet food very long,
it will probably not be happy with other foods. If it needs a special diet due to a health problem later in life,
it is very unlikely to accept it.
Therefore, we do not encourage feeding gourmet dog foods.
In
addition to table foods, it is also important that you not give certain other
things to dogs. Bones of birds
(chicken, turkey, etc.) are hollow and splinter easily producing very sharp
pointed pieces of bones. These can
easily pierce the esophagus, stomach, and intestines resulting in peritonitis
and death.
Feeding Schedules
There
are several “right” ways to feed puppies.
The most popular method is commonly called “meal feeding.” This means that the puppy is fed at specific
times of the day. A measured amount of
food should be offered four times per day for 5-12 week old puppies. What is not eaten within 30 minutes is taken
up. If the food is eaten within 3-4
minutes, the quantity is probably not sufficient. Puppies fed in this manner generally begin to cut themselves out
of one of those meals by 3-4 months of age and perhaps another one later. If a meal is ignored for several days, it
should be discontinued.
“Free
choice feeding” means that food is available at all times. This works well with dry foods and for some
dogs. However, other dogs tend to
overeat and become obese. If there are
signs of weight gain after the optimal weight is reached, this method of
feeding should be discontinued.
Housebreaking
Housebreaking
should begin as soon as your puppy enters his new home. How long the training must continue depends
on both the puppy and you. Some pups
learn sooner than others. Your dog
wants to please you. But a puppy's
memory is short, so your patience is important. A home with a badly trained puppy is not a happy home for you or
the puppy.
-The
puppy's bed may be a box, open at one end and slightly larger than the
puppy. If the bed is too large, the
puppy may defecate or urinate in a corner rather than go outside. If the bed is smaller, the puppy will do its
"business" outside rather than soil its bed.
-Enclose
the bed in a small area, such as a laundry room. Cover this area with newspapers to be used at night, or when your
pup is left unsupervised.
-The
secret to housebreaking is a scent post.
A scent post is created when your puppy has an
"accident." The problem
becomes one of locating the scent post in the place you want it.
-To
create a scent post, leave a smear of stool from the last "accident"
or wet paper on the clean paper in the place you want it, and coax or scoot the
puppy to that area. The same is true of
an outside scent post, but without the paper, in an out-of-the-way place in the
yard. This will solve the
"mine-field" problem.
-The
first thing in the morning, the puppy should be scooted to the scent post. This is so he can learn his way to the door
and the scent post. Let him sniff
about. The moment he has relieved
himself, pat him on the head and immediately bring him into the house. Do not let him play about. The toilet period and play period should be
definitely separate in the puppy's routine.
-The
puppy should then be fed. In a short
while the puppy will become uneasy and walk in circles sniffing at the
floor. The puppy should then be scooted
and coaxed to the scent post as quickly as possible.
-This
routine should be repeated every hour or two throughout the day, especially
after meals and naps.
-When
the puppy is taken out to play, it is wise to leave the house by another door
and avoid taking him near his scent post.
Never play with your pup until after he has been taken out and has
eliminated.
-There
will of course be some "accidents" in the house. Never let one of these slip by unnoticed;
punishment five minutes after the offense is too late. Scold (not whip) the puppy and rush him to
the scent post. Then scrub the area of
mishap thoroughly until all odor is gone.
Sprinkle the area with red pepper or vinegar.
-Positive
reinforcement of proper urine and bowel habits is just as important as properly
applied discipline. When your puppy
urinates or defecates in the correct place, spend several minutes stroking and
praising him.
Socialization of Puppies
The
Socialization Period for dogs is between 4 and 12 weeks of age. During that time, the puppy is very
impressionable to social influences. If
it has good experiences with men, women, children, cats, other dogs, etc., it
is likely to accept them throughout life.
If the experiences are absent or unpleasant, it may become apprehensive
or adverse to any of them. Therefore,
during the period of socialization, we encourage you to expose your dog to as
many types of social events and influences as possible.
Puppies
may be observed to make unusual sounds or movements during their sleep. This is called “activated sleep.” It probably occurs because your puppy is
dreaming and trying to participate in the dream. This behavior lasts a few months but rarely continues into
adulthood.
Puppies
also have “puppy breath.” There is a
characteristic smell about a puppy’s breath.
It is not particularly offensive or desirable. It is much like the smell of a new car. It is present a few weeks then disappears.
Puppies
also frequently have episodes of hiccups.
They may occur for 10-20 minutes at a time then spontaneously
disappear. They are probably related to
swallowing of air when eating and do not produce any significant distress to
your dog. They will stop as your puppy
gets a little older.
Flea Control
Fleas
do not stay on your puppy all of their time; occasionally, they will jump off
and seek another host. Therefore, it is
important to kill fleas on your new puppy before they can become established in
your house. Many of the flea control
products that are safe on adult dogs are not safe for puppies less than 4
months of age. Be sure that any flea
product you use is labeled safe for puppies.
If
you use a flea spray, your puppy should be sprayed lightly. Flea and tick dip is not recommended for
puppies unless they are at least 4 months of age. Remember, not all insecticides that can be used on adult dogs are
safe for puppies.
There
is a trick to spraying a puppy that will make the outcome safer and more
successful. When a puppy is sprayed,
the fleas tend to run away from the insecticide. If you spray the body first, many fleas will run to the head
where they are very difficult to kill.
The best method is to spray a cotton ball then use that to wipe the flea
spray onto the puppy’s face, from the nose to the level of the ears. That will keep you from getting it in the
eyes and will cause the fleas to run toward the body. Wait about 2 minutes, then spray the back of
the head and the body. Leave the spray
on for about 3 minutes, then wipe off the excess. This will permit you to kill the most fleas while putting the
least amount of insecticide on the puppy.
There
are four products that are given only once per month; some can be used in
puppies as young as 6 weeks. Program is a tablet that causes the adult fleas to lay sterile eggs. It is very effective, but it does not kill
adult fleas that usually live 2-3 months.
Advantage, Frontline Top Spot, and Revolution are the monthly products that kill adult fleas. They are liquids that are applied to the skin
at the base of the neck. They are very
effective and easy to use.
Chewing
One
of the characteristics of puppies is chewing.
Puppies are trying their new teeth so chewing is a normal behavior. The puppy’s baby teeth are present by about
4 weeks of age. They begin to fall out
at 4 months of age and are replaced by the adult (permanent) teeth by about 6
months of age. Therefore, chewing is a
puppy characteristic that you can expect until about 6-7 months of age. It is important that you do what you can to
direct your puppy’s chewing toward acceptable objects. You should provide items such as rawhide
chew bones, nylon chew bones, and other chew toys so other objects are spared.
Trimming Toenails
Puppies
have very sharp toenails. They can be
trimmed with your regular finger nail clippers or with nail trimmers made for
dogs and cats. If you take too much off
the nail, you will get into the quick; bleeding and pain will occur. If this happens, neither you nor your dog
will want to do this again. Therefore,
a few points are helpful:
1.
If your dog has clear or white nails, you can see the pink of the quick through
the nail. Avoid the pink area, and you
should be out of the quick.
2.
If your dog has black nails, you will not be able to see the quick so only cut
1/32" (1 mm) of the nail at a time until the dog begins to get
sensitive. The sensitivity will usually
occur before you are into the blood vessel.
With black nails, it is likely that you will get too close on at least
one nail.
3.
If your dog has some clear and some black nails, use the average clear nail as
a guide for cutting the black ones.
4.
When cutting nails, use sharp trimmers.
Dull trimmers tend to crush the nail and cause pain even if you are not
in the quick.
5.
You should always have styptic powder available. This is sold in pet stores under several trade names, but it will
be labeled for use in trimming nails.
Ear Mites
Ear
mites are tiny parasites that live in the ear canal of dogs (and cats). The most common sign of ear mite infection
is scratching of the ears. Sometimes
the ears will appear dirty because of a black material in the ear canal; this
material is sometimes shaken out. The
instrument we use for examining the ear canals, an otoscope, has the necessary magnification
to allow us to see the mites.
Sometimes, we can find the mites by taking a small amount of the black
material from the ear canal and examining it with a microscope. Although they may leave the ear canals for
short periods of time, they spend the vast majority of their lives within the
protection of the ear canal.
Transmission generally requires direct ear-to-ear contact. Ear mites are common in litters of puppies
if their mother has ear mites.
Ear
infections may also cause the production of a dark discharge in the ear
canals. It is important that we examine
you puppy to be sure the black material is due to ear mites and not
infection. Please do not ask us to just
dispense medication without having the opportunity to make an accurate diagnosis.
Spaying Females
Spaying
offers several advantages. The female's
heat periods result in about 2-3 weeks of vaginal bleeding. This can be quite annoying if your dog is
kept indoors. Male dogs are attracted
from blocks away and, in fact, seem to come out of the woodwork. They seem to go over, around, and through
many doors or fences. Your dog will
have a heat period about every 6 months.
Neutering Males
Neutering
offers several advantages. Male dogs
are attracted to a female dog in heat and will climb over or go through fences
to find her. Male dogs are more
aggressive and more likely to fight, especially with other male dogs. As dogs age, the prostate gland frequently
enlarges and causes difficulty urinating and defecating. Neutering will solve, or greatly help, all
of these problems that come with owning a male dog. The surgery can be performed any time after the dog is 6 months
old.
Breeding
If
you plan to breed your dog, she should have at least one or two heat periods
first. This will allow her to
physically mature allowing her to be a better mother without such a physical
drain on her. We do not recommend
breeding after 5 years of age unless she has been bred prior to that. Having her first litter after 5 years of age
increases the risk of problems during the pregnancy and/or delivery. Once your dog has had her last litter, she
should be spayed to prevent the reproductive problems older dogs have.
Pet Identification
The
latest in pet retrieval is microchipping.
This tiny device is implanted with a needle so the process is much like
getting an injection. Our scanner can
detect these chips; humane societies and animal shelters across the country
also have scanners. A national registry
permits the return of microchipped pets throughout the United States and
Canada. We recommend it.
Emergency Tips
There
are several emergency situations that are common. The following recommendations could be valuable for you to know.
Hit by car. Let your dog stand up by itself.
If it cannot, transfer it to a hard board for transporting. Apply pressure to wounds with soft gauze. Keep your dog warm to prevent shock. An injured dog may bite, even people that it
knows very well. Use caution for the
safety of both you and your dog. Seek
medical attention quickly.
Overheating. If you suspect you dog has collapsed from heat stress, start to
cool it down with a cool water bath, fans, cold compresses, or ice packs. Seek medical attention immediately.
Minor Burns. Treat with cool water and seek medical attention.