HEALTH AND WELFARE VETERINARY ADVICE.

This advice is of a general nature and comes to you as a courtesy from Mr. Holmes MRCVS, veterinary surgeon and Fillapet formulator !

Please always ask  and rely on your local vet for specific advice about your puppy/dog.

Have you got or are you planning to get a new Puppy?

Always visit the breeder to see the whole litter and find out a little bit about the parents.
If it is a larger breed have both parents had their hips examined to see if there is a problem with hip dysplasia? Labradors and Collies should also have an eye certificate and breeders of Dalmatians should be aware of the difficulties with deafness in some family lines and might have information for you about hearing tests.

Find out when the pups were last wormed and get a diet sheet. Young dogs have little resistance to worms and need to be dosed at least every four weeks. When they grow older they are not so vulnerable as a partial immunity develops so dosing two or three times each year will normally be sufficient.

It is always better to keep the pup on the food that he or she is familiar with at first. You can make changes if you wish after a week, but it is a big thing going to a new home so do not make things even more difficult by introducing new feeds.

There is always a great deal of excitement when your pup first comes into your house, but remember for the new arrival it can be a daunting experience especially if he has had to travel some distance. Make sure you have a bed ready somewhere quiet which he can retreat to and recharge his batteries.

You should never pull your new dog out of his bed. This is his special place where he needs to feel secure, let him decide when he wants to leave it.

All pups will be unsettled for the first two or three nights in their new home, this is quite normal. Get him to play in the early evening if you can before his last feed so that he will feel the need to sleep. It often helps to make his bed as cosy as possible at first. Put a hot water bottle under the bedding and a radio left on quietly may help if he stirs during the night. Try to establish a routine right from the start. If you should have to go to him at night see if you can comfort him with a few words. It is not wise to bring him upstairs, as he will never settle on his own if you start to do this.

We like to do health checks on new puppies, to ensure that there are no congenital conditions that may limit your new pup's life. We also need to make sure that they are settling into their new environment and free from any parasites. This examination usually coincides with the first vaccination.

It is quite normal for puppies to want to chew. Their gums get sore as their permanent teeth start to come through so it is better that you are prepared for this and have some chewable toys ready for him to use. If your pup has a strong urge to gnaw at things, try the nylabone chews, as these are virtually indestructible and should survive his worst efforts. Older dogs will sometimes chew to relieve tension so it is better to have something available when he is left on his own rather than risk your shoes and furniture. You may need to take particular care if your dog likes to chew that he does not try electrical flexes and small objects from children's toys that he could swallow. That is why it is better that he is used to being left in one particular room where the floor is easy to clean and all of the hazards can be removed.

House training need not be that difficult if you establish a routine for your puppy right from the start. Dogs associate punishments with only what has gone on immediately before. It is no good coming back to find an accident and thinking that punishment will have any effect, it only causes confusion. Far better to have a positive approach rewarding your pup when he does things right and ignoring his mistakes. Try to organize things so that there are few opportunities for things to go wrong.

Dogs need a regular routine so that they know when they are likely to be fed and exercised. They need to know what you are likely to expect them to do at different times of the day. You cannot expect him to restrain himself in the house if he has no idea when he is next going to be let out. Let him go out after each meal and make a huge fuss of him when he performs in the right place, puppies are always eager to please, but they do need to know that they are doing the right thing.

Newspaper is useful to use by the door at night, it is better to do this than to get up if you hear whimpering. As he grows bigger the wetting at night will stop, but it might be much more difficult to get him out of the habit of waking you and having your full attention. Dogs live in a world of smells that is alien to us. When you do have accidents it is important to eliminate all traces of the smell or he will associate that place with somewhere to empty his bowels. Odour Eliminator is good in this situation, it is a biological product containing bacteria that breakdown the proteins that cause the smell leaving no trace. Clean the area first with detergent and water, but do not use any disinfectants, as the bacteria will not be able to work.

Right from the start your puppy should be taken out;

First thing in the morning

After he has been sleeping

After each meal

Last thing at night and

Whenever he circles, sniffs, seems distressed or whines.

Remember it does not help to rub his nose in the mess, this is very traumatic for a puppy and will make him afraid of you. Only scold him if you catch him having an accident, a firm word is all that is needed, do not make a lot of fuss. Do not give any punishments if your pup has diarrhoea, these things are beyond his control. Some puppies lack confidence and will urinate as an act of submission, do not punish him for this it will only make things worse.

People who study the behavior of dogs know that they pass through critical periods in their development when they learn how to interact with people and other animals. If these critical periods are missed you might have a lot of problems trying to change things when he is older. It is very important to find time to socialize your puppy properly. If the risk from disease is small take him for short walks, get him to meet people and watch traffic so that he will not be alarmed by it when he is older. It is quite all right for your puppy to meet other dogs that you know have been vaccinated. Be a little careful meeting strangers until the vaccination course has been completed.

Take him for short car journeys, preferably not soon after he has been fed.

Let him meet young children and take him to a busy shopping street so that he will have a chance to get used to crowds of people and lots of activity.

Book him into a puppy training class so he can meet other puppies and get to learn the basics of good behavior. In the first few months spend as much time as possible with this new addition to your family. Try to find him at least one new and challenging thing to do each day and encourage him to do new and different things whenever you can.

Puppies should be vaccinated against Distemper, Viral Hepatitis, Parvovirus, two types of leptospirosis and a viral component of Kennel Cough.

It is important to get the timing right as the vaccine will be neutralized by the immune system of the pup if the mother was properly inoculated and no protection will be given. The trick is to allow any immunity the young pup has acquired from his mother to fade away before the injections are given, this usually means waiting until ten weeks of age. It is quite safe for your new pup to meet quiet dogs that you know have been vaccinated but not wise to walk where others have been until after the second part of the vaccine course in two weeks.

It is of concern that too many dogs are not vaccinated or have had their initial course but no annual boosters. The diseases we see and try to treat are Leptospirosis regularly, parvovirus from time to time and occasionally distemper. These are all distressing and almost always fatal conditions.

Your dog does not need to go near others to go down with leptospirosis, as rats carry this disease. Often, the course of events is so rapid that you may not even have time to get your pet to the surgery before it is too late.

Please do not take risks with these diseases, the vaccines we use are safe and effective and they are the only way to protect your pet.

WORMING.

Young puppies have little or no immunity to the two types of round worms and because of the way the worms work within the animal are often present when the pups are born. Modern wormers have a pleasant taste and are easy to give, panacur is particularly good for puppies. Start at three weeks and continue every three weeks until twelve weeks of age. After that dose each month until your pet has reached six months of age. In adult dogs the majority of the sticky worm eggs that are ingested will be rejected by the defense mechanisms of the host so a dose two or three times a year will keep him worm free. If there are a lot of dogs that you regularly come into contact with or if your pet is on any drugs that suppresses his immune system more frequent dosing may be necessary.

Whilst it is true some dogs do get infectious bronchitis when in boarding kennels, we also see cases in working dogs because they do not need to be in very close contact to pick up the disease. Kennel Cough can be serious, there are several organisms that are involved to start the coughing, but nearly always it is a bacterium that initiates the process. There will be some response to antibiotics but the coughing will continue for ten days or more and during that time your pet should be encouraged to rest. Some times Kennel Cough can progress to cause pneumonia and it is particularly problematical in older patients.

If you dog is visiting boarding kennels, going to shows or goes anywhere where he will meet other dogs it is wise to have him vaccinated with the intranasal vaccine, Intrac to protect him from this distressing condition.Most kennels now require this vaccination before accepting your dog as a boarder. A single vaccination dose lasts 12 months.

It is very rare to get any side effects from the dog vaccines. After a time levels of protection decline so it is essential to repeat the injections each year. We have never had to treat any of the diseases in dogs that have been fully vaccinated. We do encounter difficulties in individuals where annual boosters have been missed. Pregnant bitches should not be vaccinated because the viral components could cause problems with the pups although we have never encountered this it is best avoided if you can.

Intrac is a live bacterial vaccine that needs to come into contact with the lining of your dog's nose to protect him against Kennel Cough. This is a complicated disease, but most serious outbreaks of the infection are initiated by Bordatella brontiseptica, which is in the vaccine. The solution is instilled into the nose and stimulates the mucus membranes to combat the naturally occurring infection for six to ten months. Some dogs are a little concerned when things are done so close to their nose, I think this is because they cannot clearly see what is being done, but the actual administration of the vaccine is painless. The dose should be repeated every six months for dogs that regularly visit Boarding Kennels and should not be given to animals that are on antibiotics for whatever reason as it stops the vaccine working to its full potential.

FLEAS.

There is no stigma attached to dogs and cats having fleas. These parasites like their home comforts and would like to move in with you and your family. It is the cat flea that is the most common on both dogs and cats. Most of their life cycle is spent in your house away from your animals and it is only the adult stage that makes the hazardous journey onto your pet; they need to suck blood to be able to lay their eggs. There are twenty fleas in the larval stage of their development for every adult flea that gets onto your dog. After a while your dog will develop a sensitivity to flea bites if you allow them to bite for some time untreated and he will get very itchy each time he is bitten. Fortunately there are product now that are able to kill the fleas before they are able to bite. Advantage is easy to apply as a "spot on" liquid that goes onto the back of the animal's neck. Within twenty-four hours it gives one hundred percent protection against any fleas bites. One application lasts for a full month, but should always be repeated regularly You should aim to keep fleas out of your house, as just one can lay over 2000 eggs and the full life cycle is complete within two weeks,  a flea population explosion can occur very quickly! If you experience such an infestation, you can either use long-acting, insecticidal sprays on your house interior surfaces, (lasting up to three months), or if it is a very persistent infestation, you may require a professional treatment from either a private pest-control company or your local Council. However, if you use Advantage REGULARLY on all of your pets, you should not need to use these options very often. The very worst thing you can do if there is a flea problem developing at home is to go on holiday! With no animals to feed on hundreds will hatch out while you are away waiting for you to turn the key in the door on your return. Fleas are able to sense movement and carbon dioxide from your breath so they will all jump at once when you first set foot inside the door. When you go away it is a good idea to treat your pets with Advantage before they go to the kennels. If you have seen any fleas at home before your trip then spray the house first to prevent any surprises on your return.

Being over weight is a common problem for dogs. All dogs are different and we tend not to notice slight increases as the weeks go by. Even if you are very careful about what your dog has to eat things can still go wrong if there are opportunities for him to steal food from other pets or if you have young children and he is able to get extra snacks from them. Some dogs have a tendency to put on weight once they have been neutered. You should plan for this and reduce their intake by fifteen percent after the operation if you can. It is always easier to get dogs to gain weight than to lose it.

Sometimes we are not always able to give our dogs as much exercise as we should. Most of the diets are formulated for active animals and may be too high in energy for your animals needs.

Dogs that are overweight live shorter less healthy lives. Being over weight puts an extra burden on bones and joints and can make some animals irritable and uncomfortable. Fat deposits build up not only under the skin, but between the muscles and in the abdomen as well. Fat cells in the liver take the place of the normal tissue and reduce its capacity to function. Obese animals are reluctant to exercise and tend to lose some of their muscle mass because they are not being worked properly. The heart is stressed because it has to pump extra blood to the fatty tissues and will have to work under a higher pressure.

In older patients joints deteriorate faster than we would like, ligaments and tendons will stretch as the gait of the animal changes. Overweight dogs often need to have their nails cut as they take their weight further back on their heals and the nails do not wear so quickly. Obese animals are more prone to developing sugar diabetes and are more likely to suffer from infectious diseases as their immune system is compromised. Sometimes groups of fat cells can start to grow rapidly and form a tumour. These are called lipomas and although they are not life threatening they are best removed surgically as they alter the appearance of your animal and can sometimes get to such a size that the weight of them will be a problem for your pet.

We like to weigh dogs regularly and record their weight. This is the best way to get an idea of what is happening to your dog. Some animals become less active as they get older and suddenly put on weight because they are being fed the same amount of food as they were in the past. Sometimes if we realize something is happening at an early stage you may be able to reduce the amount of the food that is being given and bring things back under control. If we find that your pet is more than fifteen percent heavier that he should be, it is best to reduce his/her calorie intake.

With all new food, it is better if you can introduce him to it gradually over five or six days and measure an exact quantity each time. In general once a day feeding is best, though it can be difficult to alter the feeding habits that he is used to so you may need to give a token extra meal to keep him content.

Regular exercise is an important part of the treatment even if it may take a few weeks to get your companion fit again. Start with two thirty minute walks each day. At the end of the dieting period you will have a new dog so try to give him as much attention as you did when you first met.

Dieting is a gradual process, we will aim to reach your target weight in twelve to sixteen weeks but it can take longer if you have a long way to go.

If you lose weight too quickly there is a tendency for the muscle mass as well as fat to be reduced. Small breeds can lose up to 0.5kg each month, for most dogs 1 kg is good progress although 2kg can be achieved in the larger breeds.

DONT FORGET TO TRY  YOUR  NEW  PUPPY ON FILLAPET !!!