Puppy Health Care

Bringing home a new puppy is an exciting time. Proper health care in the first year of life sets the foundation for a happy, healthy adult dog. This guide outlines essential aspects of puppy care, including vaccinations, parasite prevention, nutrition, training, desexing, and insurance. But most importantly if you have any questions, come in for a chat.

Parasite Prevention for Puppies

Puppies are highly susceptible to parasites, which can affect growth and overall health. While some parasites can cause gastrointestinal disease, malnutrition, anaemia and be passed onto humans, others can be life-threatening for your pet. To reduce the risk of zoonotic disease (diseases transmitted by your pet), we recommend regular deworming, disposing of your pet’s stools on a daily basis and good hygiene practices for the whole family.

Intestinal Worms

• Begin worming at 2 weeks of age
• Continue every 2 weeks until 12 weeks
• Then monthly until 6 months
• Adult dogs are usually wormed every 3 months

Common worms include roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, and tapeworm.

Fleas & Ticks

• Year-round prevention is recommended

Prevention is certainly easier than management when it comes to fleas, with 95% of a flea population made up of unseen eggs, larvae and pupae. Ticks, especially the Paralysis Tick, can have fast, life-threatening effects on your pet. Alongside year-round prevention, we recommend avoiding overgrown bush areas and making daily tick searches a normal part of your pet’s cuddle-time.

Heartworm

• Monthly prevention starting at 8–12 weeks of age

For the most complete parasite coverage, we recommend annual injections administered alongside a tasty wormer. Until your puppy is of a suitable age and weight to receive these, a monthly chew offers protection.

Talk to our team about what suits your pup as well as your lifestyle best.

Behaviour & Early Training

Early training and socialisation are just as important as medical care.

Socialisation

• Introduce your puppy to new people, environments, sounds, and other vaccinated dogs
• The critical socialisation period is 8–16 weeks of age but remember to avoid unvaccinated dogs and public areas until your puppy is fully vaccinated
• Crate training is ideal to offer your puppy a safe space at home as well as stress-free transport to the vet, park or holidays

Making touching and looking a normal part of everyday life for your pup helps at vet visits as well as when you may need to medicate your pet in the future.

• Lift the lip, open the mouth to assist with dental care and administering tablets
• Holding the paws helps with nail clips
• Patting and flipping the ear flaps means that we can examine for ear infection and you can administer ear drops if required throughout the pet’s life

Training Basics

• Toilet training
• Name recognition
• Sit, stay, and recall
• Walking on a lead

Use positive reinforcement (rewards, praise, play) and avoid punishment-based training.

Desexing Timeframes

Desexing helps prevent unwanted litters and can reduce the risk of certain health and behavioural issues.

General Guidelines

Recent research has identified certain breeds that are predisposed to certain conditions if desexed too young. For this reason, our vet team will discuss your pet’s needs with you during their vaccination health checks. Thinking about your lifestyle and preferences is also important as an adolescent male or female dog brings with it extra responsibilities that we appreciate will not suit everyone.

• Small to medium breeds: 5–6 months
• Large and giant breeds: 9–18 months (timing may vary)

Our veterinarians can help determine the best timing for your puppy based on breed, size, and health.

When its time for desexing, your puppy will stay with us for the day. The surgery is performed under a full general anaesthetic with pain relief on board. While your puppy might feel back to their normal self by the next day, rest is required for 10-14 days after the procedure until they visit us again for their post-op appointment for stitch removal.

Regular veterinary check-ups, preventive care, and early training will help your puppy grow into a healthy, well-adjusted adult dog. If you ever have concerns about your puppy’s health or behaviour, our veterinarians are your best source of advice.

🐾 A healthy puppy today means a happier dog tomorrow.