Bedale: 01677 422432
Harmby Road, Leyburn: 01969 623024
Masham: 01765 689422
Hollin Rigg: 01969 623422
NEW PUPPY
Getting a new puppy is a very exciting time! There are a number of things your puppy needs
to ensure it stays healthy and happy. It can be difficult to remember what needs doing and
when, so we have compiled this leaflet with all the essential information for the first stages of
your puppy’s life.
Vaccination:
Your new puppy needs vaccinating to protect it from catching some diseases that can be very
serious. The vaccine will protect your puppy against Canine Parvovirus, Distemper Virus, Hepatitis,
Parainfluenza Virus and Leptospirosis. They can catch these diseases from other dogs, from the
environment where other dogs have been and contaminated water. Before your puppy has
completed its course of vaccinations you should not allow it to go anywhere that other dogs might
have been. It is safest to keep it at home and in your own garden.
The first vaccine should be done when your puppy is 8 weeks old,
but it can be done as early as 6 weeks in some circumstances.
The second vaccine should be done between two and four weeks
later, as long as it is at least 10 weeks old. Your puppy will not be
fully protected until 2 weeks after its second vaccination, so you
should not allow it out anywhere where other dogs may have been
until this time. To remain immune from these diseases your dog
will require a yearly booster vaccination.
Worming:
Worming is important in young puppies, as they are more susceptible than older dogs and worms can
make them unwell. We recommend worming with an appropriate product against roundworms and
tapeworms every month until they are 6 months old, and then at least every 3 months. Products from
pet shops may not be active against all the worms that can infect your puppy so please contact us for
advice. Alternatively you can get your wormers directly from us, we only sell veterinary licensed
products so you can be certain that they will be effective in protecting your puppy from worms. The
product we recommend is Milbemax.
Feeding:
Nutrition is essential for young, growing puppies so we advise feeding a good quality, complete food
that is designed for puppies. These foods contain all the energy, protein, calcium, vitamins and
minerals your puppy needs to grow properly. The food we recommend is Hills Vet Essentials Puppy,
it is only sold at vets and is clinically proven to be beneficial to your dog’s health. Young puppies
should have access to food all the time so they can eat little and often and get all the nutrition they
require. For large breed dogs we recommend feeding a specific large breed puppy food and
continuing with this until they reach maturity. When changing your dog’s food onto an adult food, you
should make the transition gradually over the course of 7 days. Start feeding a little of the new food
with the existing food, then gradually change the ratios, so by the end of the week there is more new
food than original food. This will avoid upsetting your dog’s stomach.
There are some foods that are not good for dogs and some that can be very harmful. In general it is
best not to feed any human food to puppies. At best it can make them fussy eaters and in more
serious cases it can make them ill.
 Milk (other than from the mother) is not digested well by dogs and can cause diarrhoea. If you are
feeding a good puppy food they will get sufficient calcium from this so milk is not necessary.
 Pork or bacon can make puppies sick.
 Chocolate is poisonous to dogs. The higher the content of cocoa the more toxic it is.
 Onions can cause defects in your dog’s blood cells that can result in anaemia.
 Grapes and raisins
Microchipping:
Microchipping of all dogs will become a legal requirement in 2016.
A microchip is the size of a grain of rice and contains a unique
code that can be used to identify your dog if it should go missing.
It is inserted into the scruff of your puppy’s neck, just like a
vaccine injection and remains there for the life of your dog.
The price of the microchip includes lifelong registration with the
national database, Pet Log. All vets and dog wardens
will have a microchip scanner, so if your dog is found it can be
identified and returned to you. We recommend getting your puppy
microchipped at its second vaccination.
Neutering:
We recommend that you get your puppy castrated or spayed. It has great health benefits for your dog
and also reduces the number of unwanted animals. Neutering at the ages recommended will not
have any adverse effects on growth or personality of your dog.

Male dogs: Castration can be done from 6 months old. It can make dogs easier to train and
reduces mating and aggressive behaviours. The risk of testicular cancer and prostrate
hypertrophy is eliminated by castration.
 Female dogs: Spaying can be done around 6 months old depending on the breed or three months
after a season. Spaying before the first season reduces the risk of mammary cancer to less than
1%. Spaying after this still dramatically reduces the risk of mammary cancer and also eliminates
the risk of womb infections (pyometra) and ovarian cancers.
Although it may seem like a nice idea to have a litter of puppies, it involves a lot of time, effort and
money to produce a healthy litter and there can be complications, which may be detrimental to your
dog.
Flea and Tick Treatment and Prevention:
Dogs can pick up fleas and ticks from the environment, which can make them very itchy and can also
transmit diseases. We recommend either Bravecto, a three month palatable tablet or Activyl, a 1
month spot on which also repels ticks. Both products will kill fleas and ticks within 24hrs and will
provide long reliable protection to your pet.
Other products are available in pet shops, but are usually less effective. Some products do not
actually kill fleas. You can check the product with us if you are unsure. It is important to treat all cats
and dogs in the household to protect from flea infestation. NEVER USE A FLEA TREATMENT
FORMULATED FOR DOGS ON A CAT, IT CAN BE FATAL.
When controlling fleas it is important to realise 90% of the flea population exists in the environment.
The flea eggs and larvae live in carpets and furniture and anywhere that is warm and dark. They
develop there until an animal comes by, which they then jump on to and bite. Therefore to ensure you
get rid of all the fleas you need to thoroughly clean your dogs bedding and all areas where your dog
likes to lie, including the car. Remember to move furniture when hoovering as flea larvae like to move
under furniture where it is dark. We also recommend using a household spray, which will kill any
eggs and larvae in the house. The spray we recommend is called Indorex and it lasts for one year
after application.
Insurance:
As we never know what will happen with our puppy throughout its life, pet insurance is popular as
many vets bills will be covered. When selecting a policy it is important to look at what is covered so
you know what they will pay for. Some policies will cover a condition, such as diabetes or skin
allergies for life if you continue with that company, whilst others will place restrictions after a specified
time. It is also worth checking what the excess is, as this will vary between policies.
Teeth and Examination:
It is a good idea to get your puppy used to being examined
and having its teeth checked. This means it will be less
distressed if it needs to be examined at the vets. It also
means you can keep an eye on what is normal for your
puppy, so you will notice any abnormalities. Have a look at
your puppy’s paws, look in its mouth at its teeth, look at its
fur and skin and have a good feel all over its body regularly.
Health care diary for ……………………………………………….
Month
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Vaccination
Worming
Flea and Tick
Treatment
Other