Proper care of your dog begins when you first bring it home. If you have a puppy it will need proper care for normal growth, development, socialization, and training. The following arc our recommendations for puppy care.

Your puppy should be immunized against a variety of diseases. This is accomplished by a series of vaccinations beginning at 6-8 weeks of age. We recommend giving a Distemper. Hepatitis. Parainfluenza, Coronavirus. and high titer Parvovirus vaccination at 8 weeks (or younger). 12, and 16 weeks. At 12 and 16 weeks we will add and the Leptospirosis portion of the vaccine. These are combined into one injection. We recommend that a Rabies vaccine be given at 16 weeks of age. Your puppy will have received antibodies to a number of these diseases from its mother in the form of colostrum in the milk. These antibodies both protect the puppy from some diseases and inactivate the vaccines. These antibodies stay in the puppy for 8 to 16 weeks. This is why a series of vaccinations are given based on age and not the total number of vaccines. A puppy vaccinated very young (4-6 weeks) will still need the series of vaccines at 8. 12, and 16 weeks of age. These "booster" vaccinations help maintain a proper level of antibodies to protect your puppy. These vaccines are boostered at 1 year of age.

We recommend that a fecal sample be tested for intestinal parasites as soon as possible. This will allow us to prescribe the correct medications for any parasites your puppy may have. A recheck fecal sample 3 to 4 weeks after medication will evaluate how well the treatment worked and determine if further medication is needed.

We recommend that you feed your puppy a high quality puppy or dog food. We recommend feeding meals 3 times daily until 12-16 weeks, then twice daily. Amounts of food in each meal are determined by the puppy's weight gain and body condition. The recommendations on the food bag are a starting point as each puppy will have different metabolic needs based on exercise, growth rate, etc. Large to giant breed puppies should be fed a diet specifically for large breeds or adult dog food. This helps control some of the bone diseases related to excessively rapid growth.

We will start your puppy on heartworm preventive if it was born during the mosquito season (May to December). Heartworms are transmitted from dog to dog by mosquitoes. If your puppy is over 6 months old we may recommend a blood test to be sure it does not have heartworm disease before starting preventive. The preventive should be given monthly May through December, or year-round. We recommend testing in April or May yearly to be sure infection has not occurred the previous year. if your clog is on preventative year-round (12 months/year) then we recommend testing every 3 years. Heartworms are very common in our area and are much simpler and less expensive to prevent than treat!

We will examine your puppy's teeth as it comes in for routine visits. Dental care is very important to having a happy, healthy pet. We recommend brushing your puppy's teeth daily if possible. Toothpastes made for pets should be used as your puppy will swallow the paste. Human toothpastes are not meant to be swallowed. A pet toothbrush can be useful as the head is shaped for pet mouths but a human toothbrush can be used. You can even use a gauze or a piece of nylon stocking over your finger to clean the outside of the teeth. Brushes are better because they clean in the gingival sulcus (between the tooth and gum). Even with good home care most dogs (like most people) will need to have their teeth cleaned periodically. This requires anesthesia in pets. Giving your dog dental chew toys (such as Dentabone) can help remove tartar and plaque.

We strongly recommend that you have your puppy spayed or neutered. This can be done when your pet is large enough (4 months or older for most). This avoids such diseases as testicular cancer, most prostatic diseases, uterine infections, ovarian cancers, and helps reduce the chances of mammary cancer. Also, many dogs are destroyed at animal shelters every day because there are not enough homes for them. Even if you have homes for puppies. breeding contributes to the overpopulation problem.

We recommend that your puppy attend puppy school and obedience classes. These help to socialize your puppy during critical times in its life and teach it obedience is busy situations. Home training alone will not provide adequate distractions and new situations for the puppy to experience. The doctors and staff at Country side routinely take their new puppies to classes.

We strongly recommend that you crate train your puppy. This is not cruel. Puppies need an area that is theirs (a den would be used in the wild). This will keep them from injuring themselves or destroying things when they cannot be watched. It helps in housebreaking, as they do not like to soil their crate. It also reduces anxiety when they have to be boarded or hospitalized, as they will already be used to staying in a kennel and being alone. Get a crate with enough room for food, water. some toys, and a bed.

Housebreaking your puppy can be a trying task. Most puppies do not have the ability to adequately control their urine or bowels until they are at least 4 months old. They will make mistakes during this time and occasionally up to a year old. Some breeds (such as Dachshunds) may have occasional accidents forever. It is crucial to catch your puppy in the act of urinating or defecating to correct it. They have very short association times so showing it to them later will not help. They will know you are upset but will not relate that to something they did. Sometimes tying a bell to their collar will allow you to know when they have stopped playing and are likely making a mistake. It is more important to go out with them and praise them for going in the right place. A food reward may help with stubborn puppies. Keep trying and please call us if questions arise.

Watch your puppy closely so it is not exposed to any poisons. This may sound obvious but many houses have toxic items that may have been there before you moved in. Pesticides, paints, thinners, cleansers, etc. can be dangerous. The most dangerous are rat poisons such a D-con and antifreeze. This is because they taste good to dogs and are readily eaten. These exposures must be identified and treated immediately to save the puppy's life. Common things such as chocolate, onions, pennies, and even mushrooms outside can be deadly.

Please do not leave your puppy in a car on a warm day. The interior of a car can heat up quickly even with the windows open. This exposure to overheating (hyperthermia) is often fatal even with treatment. Make sure your puppy has adequate shade and water outside in the summer, and shelter in the winter.

We recommend yearly vaccinations for distemper, leptospirosis, hepatitis, parainfluenza. parvovirus and coronavirus. These are all included in one "distemper complex" vaccine. If your dog will be around other dogs (kennels, shows, competitions, etc) a Bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine twice a year is advisable. A vaccine for Lymes disease is available, please ask the doctor if you think your dog may be at risk.

Fecal tests should be done yearly for dogs that are outside frequently or exposed to other animals. This will help us identify and control intestinal parasites. Several heartworm preventives also contain an intestinal worm preventive.

Please keep your puppy at home. It is easy to trust them to stay home but most dogs will leave with the right stimulus (other dogs, children, squirrels, rabbits, etc). Dogs running loose get hit by cars, shot, poisoned, injured, and make neighbors unhappy. They won't get into trouble at home.

We appreciate the trust you have placed in us by allowing us to care for your puppy. We look forward to helping you achieve a long, happy, healthy relationship. Please feel free to call us with any questions or concerns that may arise.