Getting your first dog is exciting, but it also means a long-time commitment to healthy and safety of your new pet. You can enjoy the journey of puppyhood (including the less glamorous tasks of potty training and housebreaking), but there some some essential care tips that every dog owner needs to know.
Here are some healthy and safety guidelines that you should follow as you bring a new puppy into your home.
1. Stay on Top of Vaccines
Many puppies come from breeders who have already provided rounds of shots of the puppy. However, your puppy will need more rounds, depending on how many they have already had, throughout the first year of life. These shots are non-negotiable. They help protect against terrible and often fatal diseases, including rabies and parvo.
As your puppy moves into adolescence and then into adulthood, they will still need booster shots every so often. Don't skimp on your dog's vaccines. Make a vet fund to be sure you can stay on top of this basic cost.
2. Get your dog spayed or neutered.
Unless you are specifically acquiring your puppy from champion bloodlines to breed working dogs or to carry one with breeding your own line of puppies, you should have your dog spayed or neutered as soon as it is healthy to do so. Some breeders require that you spay or neuter as part of the contract, and only experienced owners should take on the responsibility of breeding healthy pups.
Spaying and neutering helps prevent diseases (including cancer) and it helps make caring for your dog easier. Not only will males have fewer behavior problems, but females will not have periods of being in heat where they are messy in the house. It also prevents unwanted pregnancies where the puppies produced may not be healthy or go to good homes.
3. Choose healthy food.
Feeding a dog doesn't seem too challenging, but puppies thrive best on special food that is free of most grain fillers. If you spend a little extra on higher quality puppy food (not adult dog food), your puppy will have healthier teeth and gums, a shinier coat, and better stools. Try not to give your dog human food as puppy. If you give in with human food from the table, your dog develops a taste for it, and this can lead to behavior problems later.
For more information, contact a vet in your area, such as from Animal House Veterinary Hospital.
Share27 September 2017
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