Getting Ready for your Puppy and “The First 48 Hours”

Getting ready for your puppy and the first 48 hours of having your puppy is a bit overwhelming if you don’t know what you are doing, or if you haven’t had a puppy in a while.  The following is a document from Purina that is very helpful with getting ready for your new puppy;

 

 

 

 

Health Recommendations

Shots:

There are three seven-way booster shots that we recommend after receiving your new puppy.  We recommend a nine, twelve and fifteen week shot.  These shots help protect your puppy from Distemper, Parvovirus, Adenovirus, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, and 2 strains of Lepto.  After the fifteen week shot, we recommend a seven-way booster shot yearly.

 

We also recommend getting your puppy the bordetella shot, even if you are not planning on boarding your puppy.  The bordetella disease can be passed on in the waiting room of a vet clinic, a puppy park, a store or any other location you take your pet.  This illness can be deadly to your pet, thus we suggest getting the shot every 6-12 months beginning at 12 weeks of age.

 

Lastly, we recommend starting heartworm medication at 12 weeks of age and rabies at four months of age.  These are two more diseases that are deadly to pets and are preventable if you take the right precautions.

 

You can also discuss each of these shots and medications with your vet, as well as the time when they want you to begin them.  Each vet is a little different but essentially will all say the same thing.  Make sure you keep good, current records of what shots and medications your puppy is receiving and/or has received and when the next time will be that they need them.