The healthy puppy
A healthy puppy is full of energy when he wakes from a nap. He plays enthusiastically and looks bright and bouncy. He sleeps often, deeply and quietly, although he may twitch his paws and make little sounds when he is dreaming. Many new puppies will get mildly upset tummies with the stress of moving home, and for the first few days some puppies will be carsick each time you take them out. This is normal.
Since puppies are so small, they can go downhill rather fast if they get sick. So it is important to contact your vet if an upset tummy does not clear up quickly, or if you have any concerns at all.
The following are reasons to call your vet without delay:
If your puppy seems listless or won’t eat.
If he has persistent diarrhoea, or is sick more than once within forty-eight hours, or twice in a week.
If your puppy swallows anything you think may harm him, cries for no apparent reason or in an unusual way.
If your puppy’s breathing is noisy or laboured.
If he drags one of his limbs, is unsteady on his feet, or seems to be limping.
If your puppy has a discharge from any part of his body.
If your puppy cuts himself, falls badly, or just seems generally off colour.
If you are in any doubt about any aspect of your puppy’s health or behaviour, call your vet. He won’t think you are making a fuss and would rather see a healthy puppy than risk not seeing a sick one.
There are a number of routine healthcare procedures that your vet will recommend you carry out at regular intervals for your puppy. These include treating him for internal and external parasites, and protecting him from serious diseases with a course of vaccinations.
Many people will be happy to have their puppy vaccinated at his very first veterinary appointment, but increasingly I am coming across people who are concerned about the risks of vaccination in general, or of over-vaccination in particular.
I think it is important that these risks are addressed and not dismissed out of hand. So we will be looking at how vaccinations work, and how safe they are, before we move on to some of the other routine healthcare procedures that you will need to consider.
Since puppies are so small, they can go downhill rather fast if they get sick. So it is important to contact your vet if an upset tummy does not clear up quickly, or if you have any concerns at all.
The following are reasons to call your vet without delay:
If your puppy seems listless or won’t eat.
If he has persistent diarrhoea, or is sick more than once within forty-eight hours, or twice in a week.
If your puppy swallows anything you think may harm him, cries for no apparent reason or in an unusual way.
If your puppy’s breathing is noisy or laboured.
If he drags one of his limbs, is unsteady on his feet, or seems to be limping.
If your puppy has a discharge from any part of his body.
If your puppy cuts himself, falls badly, or just seems generally off colour.
If you are in any doubt about any aspect of your puppy’s health or behaviour, call your vet. He won’t think you are making a fuss and would rather see a healthy puppy than risk not seeing a sick one.
There are a number of routine healthcare procedures that your vet will recommend you carry out at regular intervals for your puppy. These include treating him for internal and external parasites, and protecting him from serious diseases with a course of vaccinations.
Many people will be happy to have their puppy vaccinated at his very first veterinary appointment, but increasingly I am coming across people who are concerned about the risks of vaccination in general, or of over-vaccination in particular.
I think it is important that these risks are addressed and not dismissed out of hand. So we will be looking at how vaccinations work, and how safe they are, before we move on to some of the other routine healthcare procedures that you will need to consider.
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