Congratulations on your new addition! With proper care you should have a long and cherished relationship with your new pet. We often find that clients either haven’t ever had a new puppy or that it’s been a long time. There are really only a few key areas we must focus on with our new pets. So, let’s go over some basics.

1. Physical Exam. All new puppies should be examined by a veterinarian to evaluate for any birth defects and to establish their present health status. Adjustments to their diet and corrective steps for any mild challenges can be initiated with this first exam. With each booster vaccination your pet will receive further exams to assess any changes occurring. Yearly comprehensive physical examinations are vital to maintaining good health. Dogs and cats age much quicker that we do. It’s often said that one of their years is equal to seven of ours. Though there are better formulas to show more accurate aging, this one to seven ratio is essentially right. So, a comprehensive physical exam every year is similar to an exam every seven years for us. It’s always best to pick up changes, however subtle, in the early stages, when we have a better chance of correcting them.
2. Proper Vaccinations. There are a number of severe diseases we can currently avoid by proper vaccinations. Your veterinarian will give you a schedule, especially designed for your pet, showing when and how many of these vaccines are necessary for maximum protection.
3. Proper Nutrition. There are a multitude of pet foods available.As a general rule, puppies should be fed a puppy variety food until ten months of age. We then switch to an adult food until seven to eight years of age, at which time we move into the senior diets. Reduced foods are suggested if and when the need arises for weight control. As far as brand names go, we suggest Eukanuba Puppy food. Eukanuba manufactures extremely well-balanced diets for each stage of your pet’s life, that are very well accepted by our pets.
4. Proper Internal Parasite Control. Many new puppies have intestinal parasites (worms). We can best evaluate this with a small sample of your pet’s feces. You can drop the sample by, in a zip-lock bag, at your convenience. We will have your pet’s weight after its first exam, so you won’t need to bring your puppy in for this step. Medication to eliminate the problem will be dispensed if necessary.
5. Spaying Or Neutering Your Pet. Our standard recommendation is to spay or neuter all pets not to be used in a breeding program at six months of age.
6. Proper Heartworm Control.Heartworm is a devastating but preventable disease, not to be confused with the less-deadly intestinal worms. Your veterinarian will make suggestions on the proper preventive steps to take against Heartworm Disease for your dog.
7. Proper Flea Control And Grooming. There are many excellent flea control products available now. Ask your veterinarian to recommend one for your household. To get the best grooming compliance, we suggest starting very young with bathing, brushing tooth brushing and toenail trimming. We can help you with these steps.
8. Proper Obedience Training And Behavior Modifications. Talk with your veterinarian about what to do, and what not to do, for the proper training of your pet. The number one reason for euthanasia at the shelters is behavior problems. It is our goal to greatly reduce this trend by proper early behavior modifications, as needed.