Caring for Your New Puppy's Health

You fell in love with that fluffy, little puppy and brought him home. He is cute, cuddly, and playful. Reality will set in soon enough and you will realize that your cute ball of fur is also a major responsibility. Dogs are wonderful pets. They bond easily with humans, and become like one of the family.

One of the most important things you can do for your puppy is to keep an eye on your puppy's health. Preventative healthcare for your puppy can prevent sick visits to the vet. It can also prevent sickness and disease that may threaten your puppy's life.

Caring for your Puppy: Vaccines Get your puppy started with a healthy lifestyle by getting him vaccinated. Once the puppy is about six weeks old, and has been weaned from its mother, it is time to get shots. Puppies do not have fully developed autoimmune systems and need the extra protection provided by Core vaccines. Core vaccines include: canine parvovirus vaccine (CPV), canine distemper virus vaccine (CDV), canine adenovirus vaccine (CAV), and rabies. Your puppy may also require additional vaccines depending on exposure to other animals and the home environment. Discuss the need for any additional vaccines with your veterinarian. The initial vaccines should be finished in three visits.

Once the initial vaccines are completed go ahead and schedule your puppy's annual rabies vaccines. Rabies vaccination is required by most states, and is especially important in areas where there is a greater chance that your animal may be bitten by a rabies carrying animal. Rabies is passed through the saliva of infected animals.

Caring for your Puppy: Worming

Worming your puppy every two to three weeks is also important. Most puppies are born with worms. You can first worm your puppy at two to three weeks of age. Puppies may also contract worms from insect bites, or eating feces. Worms are parasites that live off your puppy's body and blood. Worms may infest the heart, intestines, or blood streams. It is important to get worms out of your dog's system as soon as possible.