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New Puppy Info
Gold Coast Vet Surgery offers a FREE puppy Health Check consultation with one of our vets within the first week of getting a new puppy. This enables us to check your pup over to hopefully give you an independent assurance that you have got a healthy puppy. At this visit we also answer any questions that you may have and go through all of the information that you will need to know with a new puppy. We certainly don’t have a “one size fits all approach” so we will customise things to your experience and your puppy’s needs. We are happy to discuss everything from behavioural issues such as biting and toilet training, through to medical treatments such as vaccinations and preventative measures to control parasites such as worms, Heartworm, fleas and ticks.
Call us today on 5538 5909 to book your Puppy in for a Free Puppy Health Check.
New Puppy Checklist
Vaccinations
Puppies need at least 3 vaccinations before they are fully protected. Most puppies have their first vaccination with the breeder at around 6 weeks of age and shouldn’t go to a new home until 8 weeks of age. We are able to do the second vaccination 3 weeks after the first vaccination with the brand of vaccines that we use, whereas most new owners are told to wait for 4 weeks after the first vaccination.
By doing it a week earlier it means that the puppy course is finished earlier and you can get out walking and socialising your pup in sooner, once the course of puppy vaccinations has been completed.
Worming
Young animals are more susceptible to the effects of worms than adult dogs and also put more silly things in their mouths. They can also contract worms from their litter mates and even their mother’s milk if she wasn’t adequately dewormed. This all means that puppies need more frequent deworming than adult dogs.
Many supermarket worming products contain older ingredients that many worms are resistant to. We stock quality, reliable worm products and can guide you on the best way to use them for your circumstances. For most puppies this means worming every 2 weeks until they are 16 weeks of age.
Fleas & Ticks
If your pup has arrived with fleas you will need to nip the problem in the bud to prevent a longstanding infestation. If they’re free of fleas, then the best that you can do is use a reliable product to keep them that way. Paralysis ticks can be lethal to dogs but until they are going outside, they are less of a concern to young pups.
There is a wide range of flea and tick products available – we can advise you as to which are safe for your age of pup and which type will best suit your needs. Ideally it’s easiest to use one product that will cover them against both fleas and ticks together and one that will not be affected by bathing or swimming.
Heartworm
Heartworm is spread by mosquitos and there is no shortage of mosquitos on the Gold Coast!
There are lots of options for Heartworm prevention and we can discuss the pros and cons of each. But by far the most popular choice is a long acting injection – in adult dogs this lasts a whole year, although because pups are still growing they need an extra top up injection in the first year. This injection is usually given when they are 12 weeks old, together with their third puppy vaccination.
Microchipping
By law all puppies in Queensland are supposed to be microchipped before you get them. But we can scan your puppy and help you to be sure that the microchip is there and working correctly. We will also check that you’ve been given the correct paperwork that matches your pup’s microchip number and we will check the microchip databases to ensure that your details have been registered correctly.
If for some reason your puppy is not already microchipped then we can easily help to implant a microchip and this can be done either at the FREE Health Check Visit or together with a vaccination.
Diet
We can discuss your pup’s nutritional needs and advise on how much, how often and what brands to consider feeding your puppy. Whilst we do stock premium quality dog food for your convenience, we certainly don’t have a one size fits approach, and there is no obligation to purchase from us.
What is important is to consider the priorities in your pup’s diet and this is dictated by their breed. Large breed dogs need a very different diet to small breed dogs, some breeds are more prone to obesity and some breeds get more medical problems such as dental disease, food allergies or skin disease and various foods can target and help manage these issues.
Desexing
Unless you’re planning to show your pup and breed from them one day, we recommend desexing. Not only is it socially responsible in stopping unplanned breeding, but it also has several health benefits for both male and female dogs – reduced risk of mammary tumours and uterus infections in females, as well as reduced risk of prostate problems and testicular cancer for male dogs. Whilst it may calm them somewhat, desexing does not change the personality of your dog.
We recommend desexing at 6 months of age, before the female’s first oestrus cycle, although of course this is less critical for male dogs. But this risk is that delaying castration gives a greater chance for frustrating hormone driven habits to form. There is, however, some evidence from recent research to suggest that delaying desexing of large and giant breeds of dog may help reduce the risk of arthritis later in life so speak to us about a personalised decision for your dog. We also stock a hormonal implant for temporary fertility control of male dogs if you are concerned about the effects of desexing and want to see how they will be once castrated, with the benefit of it wearing off after 6 months.
Socialisation
We strongly recommend Puppy Preschool classes to help develop a calm and confident dog. We also have a strong focus on preventing problem behaviours in the future. Pups need to have had at least their first vaccination and must be aged between 8 & 16 weeks of age at the commencement of the 4 week course.
By coming to Puppy Preschool Classes at the vet we can ensure that the classes are run in a safe & hygienic environment and that the behaviour is closely monitored to prevent inadvertently causing stress or anxiety to particularly shy puppies. An added bonus is by having play time at the vet, puppies come to experience the vet as a FUN place and not somewhere to be scared of in the future!
Pet Insurance
We strongly recommend that you take out pet insurance for your puppy ASAP. Puppies can be very naughty and rather accident prone. Sometimes these accidents can incur you very large vet bills before you’ve even considered pet insurance. As we deal we a lot of insurance claims we are happy to help advise you as to what you should look for when choosing insurance for your puppy. We are not aligned with any one insurance company, nor do we sell pet insurance or receive commissions.
Pet Insurance provides you with peace of mind – knowing that whatever happens, your pet will be able to get the best treatment available, irrespective of cost. Not only does pet insurance cover visits to us as a general practice clinic, but also after hours emergency centre visits or referrals to specialists. Gold Coast vet Surgery is able to process claims directly with most pet insurance providers meaning that you don’t ever have to complete a form, submit an invoice or request a vet history! We will do it all for you.
Call us if you cannot find an available appointment online. Same day appointments are always made for critically ill animals.