Our puppy wellness plan is a great way to ensure your puppy is getting everything he needs during this very important stage of his life. From preventative care to behavioral and training recommendations, there is so much to discuss, and you will be provided with reading material to take home and share with the family.
We need to see your puppy every 3-4 weeks from 6-8 weeks of age until about 4 months of age. During these visits, we will perform a thorough physical exam, cover the core vaccines recommended for your pet, submit a fecal test to screen for internal parasites (a very common finding in puppies, no matter from where you get your puppy!), administer deworming treatment, and perform a complimentary nail trim. We will also discuss prevention for heartworms, fleas and ticks. This is a great time to bring up any questions or concern you may have as well.
Video Transcript:
Hi, I'm Dr. Moore from Lone Star Animal Hospital. We wanted to talk a little bit about what to do when you're thinking about adopting a puppy and some of the things that go along with it. So I've got Bodie here with me. He’s just woken up from a nap. I've got some questions written down that are very common questions. So I've got somebody who's going to help me read some of those questions and I will answer them for you. What's the first question?
How do I need to prepare when adopting a puppy?
So, when you're preparing to adopt a puppy there are a lot of things to think about. Do you have another dog or cat? Do you have a yard? How are you going to exercise this puppy? If you have an existing pet already, are they going to be dog-friendly? Be thinking about a lot of those things when asking yourself how this adoption is going to go. And just think about how it's going to change your life because puppies really do take a lot of time. They're well worth it, but they do take a lot of time.
What should I expect during a wellness exam for my puppy?
We see puppies about every 3-4 weeks once they're adopted if they're truly puppies and again when the puppy vaccination schedule mandates. We’re going to do a thorough nose-to-tail exam, listen to the heart and lungs, feel the belly, and make sure the pup doesn’t have ear infections. We also make sure the growth rate is appropriate and that you've got a healthy puppy. We'll talk about some testing and things like that as well. And these puppy visits are a great time to get all of your questions answered.
What about preventative care for puppies, as far as vaccination and things like that?
We will go through a schedule. Here at Lone Star Animal Hospital, we actually have a puppy book that we'll give you that does a really good job of outlining that so that when you get home you have something to kind of fall back on and review. But in general terms, we vaccinate puppies about every 3-4 weeks and so they'll need a booster vaccine on that schedule. Around the three-month mark is when puppies can get rabies and leptospirosis. Leptospirosis will get boosted once. Rabies is actually just a one-time vaccination for a puppy. Bodie's really decided nap time's over. He's got to go play. We'll also talk about internal parasites, heartworm prevention, and how to prevent internal parasites should that be an issue. So there are a lot of preventative care discussions that'll happen at these visits as well.
What do I need to know about puppy nutrition?
That's a very good question. It can be a really broad question. I will say dogs that are going to be about 45 pounds or over really need to be on a large breed puppy diet. One that's formulated for bone growth for these large breeds. In general, a puppy diet is what we prefer for these growing dogs and so it’s based on what breed of dog you've got...Bodie knows we're talking about food. Based on what breed of dog you have, we can make some more specific recommendations for you.
What type of puppy behaviors should we be prepared to deal with, and how we deal with them?
We always try to talk about crate training and potty training—all the basics. We've got some good ideas on what typically ends up working for crate training and for potty training. A lot of positive reinforcement and just being very consistent with your training are both really important and mainstays of the training. Beyond that, take note of very specific concerns that you're coming up against or challenges that you're experiencing. Be sure to bring these up at these visits so that we can help brainstorm and come up with some good solutions. Also, take some puppy classes to help with some of this.
How about puppy socialization, training, and environmental enrichment?
Very, very important. Peak socialization for puppies is 10-12 months of age, so we love to get these puppies into puppy classes around that time and then moving forward. It's fun for them. It's fun for you. You're going to learn a lot about just basic puppy obedience, and it's just so important to get them so socialized.
Thanks so much. Any questions feel free to give us a call and make an appointment.
Every pet is different, and we will discuss a tailored plan for your pet during this stage, but this package covers what all puppies should have. (It does not include additional treatment for positive fecal tests, nor does it include additional exams, treatments or medications needed by your puppy due to illness or injury.)
Schedule Your Puppy’s Visit
Scheduling an appointment is easy—just give us a call, send us an email. We look forward to meeting your new addition!