PUPPIES:RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEW OWNERS

Congratulations on the acquisition of your new puppy. Owning a dog can be an extremely rewarding experience, but it is also a large responsibility.

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. Your puppy will be less likely to use family members for these activities if you provide adequate puppy-safe toys. 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. Kong toys, Gummabones and Nylabones are always good chewing choices.

How to  discipline a puppy

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 fatal diseases of dogs. Fortunately, we have the ability to prevent several of these by vaccinating your pet. 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 depending on several factors.

The routine vaccination schedule will protect your puppy from seven diseases: distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza virus, parvovirus, and rabies. These are included in one injection that is given at 6-8, 12, and 16 weeks old. Rabies vaccine is given at 12 to 16 weeks of age. There are several other optional vaccinations that are appropriate in certain situations.

Your puppy should receive a kennel cough vaccine if a trip to a boarding kennel or groomer is likely or if it will be placed in a puppy training class.

Lyme vaccine is given to dogs that are exposed to deerticks because Lyme disease is transmitted by ticks so only dogs that go into areas where there are infected ticks need this vaccination.

Leptospira bacteria are carried mainly by rats and other rodents, but can also affect almost any mammalian species, including people. Infected or recovered “carrier” dogs can also act as a source of the infection. Ingestion of infected urine or rodent-contaminated garbage is the most important means of transmission, but some forms of the bacteria can penetrate damaged or thin skin. For instance, when dogs swim in contaminated water, they may become infected through their skin. The incubation period (from infection to onset of clinical signs) is usually 4-12 days.  Annual boosters may be needed to maintain best immunity.

Giardia is an intestinal parasite for which there is also a vaccine.  This reduces more the shedding and the symptoms than the cause of the disease but thus also diminishes the spread of giardiosis.  A dog becomes infected with Giardia when it swallows the cyst stage of the parasite. Once inside the dog's intestine, the cyst goes through several stages of maturation. Eventually, the dog is able to pass infective cysts in the stool. These cysts lie in the environment and can infect other dogs. Giardia may also be transmitted through drinking infected water.

Why more than one vaccination for my puppy?

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, which 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.

Puppies and 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. Even if we do not get a stool sample, we recommend the use of a deworming product that is safe and effective against several of the common worms of the dog. We do this because our deworming medication has no side-effects and because your puppy does not pass worm eggs every day so the stool sample may not detect worms that are present. Additionally, some of these internal parasites can be transmitted to humans. Deworming is done now and repeated in about 10-14 days. It is important that it be repeated because the deworming medication only kills the adult worms. Within 3-4 weeks, the larval stages will become adults and need to be treated. Dogs remain susceptible to re-infection with hookworms and roundworms. Periodic deworming throughout the dog's life may be recommended for outdoor dogs.  The CDC in the United States recommends deworming every 2 weeks until 3 months of age and then monthly until 6 months old for all puppies then 4 times annually due to the prevalence of worms in the environment, the health hazard to humans and pets and even with regular fecal examinations, it is possible to miss the shedding stage of the worm and thus have a “negative” fecal that is incorrect.

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 it’s 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. Tapeworm infections 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, and 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 live in your bloodstream and cause major damage to the heart and lungs. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes. Fortunately, we have drugs that will protect your dog from heartworms. These drugs are very safe and effective if given regularly. Prevention is preferable to treatment and much much safer.

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.

There are lots of choices of dog foods. What should I feed my puppy?

Diet is extremely important during the growing months of a dog's life. We recommend a NAME-BRAND FOOD made by a national dog food company (not a generic or local brand) and diet MADE FOR PUPPIES. This should be fed until your puppy is about 12-18 months of age, depending on its breed and 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. In Canada, look for foods approved by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA).

Table foods are not recommended.

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 eating the same food day after day, week after week.

How often to feed my puppy?

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 is weight gain after the optimal size is reached, this method of feeding should be discontinued.  It also makes house training very difficult if you are free feeding your puppy.

Housebreaking my new puppy

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)      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.

b)     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.

c)      A common housebreaking technique is creating 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.

d)     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.  (this will train your dog to use only one area of the yard that you wish it to use)

e)     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.

f)       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.

g)     This routine should be repeated every hour or two throughout the day, especially after meals and naps.

h)     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.

i)        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. Many good cleaners exist and can repel your puppy from going back to that same area.

j)        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.  Positive reinforcement always works better than negative!

Socializing my puppy

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.

Fleas

Fleas do not stay on your puppy all of their time; occasionally, they 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 four months of age. Be sure that any flea product you use is labeled safe for puppies. Most flea products in the veterinary clinic are safe for puppies so ask about what would be best for your puppy.

Puppy teething

Chewing is a normal puppy characteristic. The puppy’s baby teeth are present by about four weeks of age. They begin to fall out at four months of age and are replaced by the adult (permanent) teeth by about six 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. (chew toys, kong toys, gummabones, nylabones) You should provide puppy-safe items such as nylon chew bones and other chew toys so other objects are spared.

Hiccuping and puppy breath

These are normal. Many puppies experience episodes of hiccuping that may last several minutes. This is normal and will not last but a few weeks or months. All puppies have a characteristic odor to their breath that is commonly called “puppy breath.”  It is also normal and will last only until the puppy matures.

Trimming my puppy's sharp toe nails

Puppies have very sharp toe nails. They can be trimmed with nail trimmers made for dogs and cats. If you take too much off the nail, you will cut into the “quick”and 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  (kwik stop works very well and is painless) available.

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 your puppy to be sure the black material is due to ear mites and not infection. Accurate diagnosis is important for proper treatment.

Spaying my dog

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 six months with the risk of pyometra each time (infected uterus).

Spaying is the removal of the uterus and the ovaries. Therefore, heat periods no longer occur. In many cases, despite your best efforts, the female will become pregnant; spaying prevents unplanned litters of puppies.

It has been proven that as the female dog gets older, there is a significant incidence of breast cancer and uterine infections if she has not been spayed. Spaying before she has any heat periods will virtually eliminate the chance of either. If you do not plan to breed your dog, we strongly recommend that she be spayed before her first heat period. 

Neutering my dog

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.

Advantages of neutering my male dog

·         Reduces the risk of prostate cancer and prostatitis

·         Reduces the risk of hormone-related diseases such as perianal adenoma

·         Eliminates the risk of testicular cancer

·         Removal of sexual urge which results in less roaming behaviors

·         Reduction of certain types of aggression

Is neutering performed for any other reason?

The operation may be performed to treat testicular tumors and some prostate gland conditions. It is also used to control hormonal (testosterone) dependent diseases such as anal adenomas.

Neutering may also be used in an attempt to treat certain forms of aggression.

Can you recommend something for pet identification?

The latest in pet identification is microchipping. This tiny device is implanted with a needle much like administering an injection. A special scanner can detect these chips; veterinary hospitals, humane societies, and animal shelters across the country have these scanners. A national registry permits the return of microchipped pets throughout the United States and Canada. We strongly recommend microchipping all pets.  

IMPORTANT BONE DISEASES OF GROWING DOGS TO KNOW ABOUT

There are many causes of limping and lameness in young dogs. Most of these are relatively minor and will resolve without medical or surgical intervention. However, there are also causes that are more serious and, if not treated promptly, may result in permanent lameness and/or arthritis. The large breeds of dogs (i.e., whose adult weight is over 60 pounds) have several bone diseases that occur during the period of rapid growth (up to 2 years of age). Because of the possibility of permanent lameness, we recommend an accurate diagnosis if lameness lasts more than two weeks. X-rays are performed to diagnose the cause of lameness. Several radiographs are often necessary in order to get an accurate look at various bones and joints.

Types diseases

The following diseases are common causes of lameness in growing puppies:

Rear legs only

1. Hip Dysplasia is an improper formation of the hip joint(s). The hip joint is a “ball and socket” joint. Hip dysplasia results in the ball not being round, the socket not being deep, and the two not fitting together properly. Hip dysplasia has two common causes, genetic and diets. A dog of the high-risk breeds for hip dysplasia should not be bred before radiographs of the hips are taken. Large-breed puppies should be fed a special diet to help reduce the risk of hip dysplasia.
    
2. Dogs with severe hip dysplasia have great difficulty going from a lying to a standing position and are in pain when they walk. Dogs with mild hip dysplasia may show no signs of lameness. However, as the dog ages it will usually experience difficulty rising and may be reluctant to run and play. There are several choices of treatment depending on the severity. Some dogs can be treated with medication while others will require surgery.

Front legs only

1. Elbow Dysplasia is a lack of fusion of the top of the ulna at the rear point of the elbow. This is more properly termed ununited anconeal process. When this part of the ulna does not fuse, the joint is unstable and is quickly subject to arthritis. Dogs with this disease are lame on the affected leg(s) and they may cry when the elbow is extended. Treatment requires surgery. The results are much better if surgery is done before secondary arthritis affects the joint(s).
2. Fractured Coronoid Process is the fracture of a small process (boney protrusion) on the radius within the elbow joint. When this process fractures, pain and joint instability result. Unless surgery is done promptly after the fracture occurs, return to normal use of the leg is unlikely.  

Front or rear legs

1. Panosteitis is an inflammation on the surface of the long bones. This is also termed "long bone" or "growing pains."  This may occur in more than one bone at a time and may cause lameness in one bone or leg and then another. It is self-limiting but may recur until rapid growth is over. The pain may be relieved with several types of medication.  
2. Osteochondrosis dissecans (OD or OCD) is a defect in the smooth cartilage surface within one or more joints. It most commonly affects the shoulder joint but the elbow,  hip, knee, or the stifle may also be involved. Some of these defects may heal with strict rest and restriction of activity for several weeks. Most cases of OCD result in a piece of cartilage breaking off and floating freely in the joint. This causes pain, which varies from mild, intermittent limping to intense, constant pain. Surgery to remove the defective cartilage is the recommended treatment in this case.  
3. Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy (HOD) is inflammation in the growth plates of the long bones. It usually causes swelling and pain in the joints, which may lead to fever and loss of appetite. It is self-limiting in most dogs with no permanent damage. However, some dogs may suffer permanent damage to the growth plates resulting in deformed legs. Treatment is with medication to relieve the pain and suppress the inflammation.