Puppy and Dog Advice

Our Scott’s For Life Health Plans Link Here

After your puppy’s 2nd vaccination with us, you are invited to attend “Junior Club” nurse consultations. These consultations are offered free of charge to clients, at 4 stages throughout your puppy’s development.

Junior Club 1st- A 30 minute consultation, usually 4 weeks after 2nd vaccination, at approximately 16 weeks old. The nurse will discuss diet, exercise, dental health, a worming plan and flea treatment. Your pets weight will be recorded.

Junior Club 2nd – A 15 minute consultation, usually 4 weeks after 1st Junior Club at approximately 20 weeks old. The nurse will discuss your pets progress, worming plan and records your pets weight.

Junior Club 3rd – A 15 minute consultation, usually 4 weeks after 2nd Junior Club at approximately 24 weeks old. The nurse will discuss your pets progress , worming plan, record your pets weight and discuss the benefits of neutering.

Junior Club 4th – A 15 minute consultation, usually at 9 months. The nurse will discuss an appropriate long term worming and flea treatment protocol, post neutering weight check ( if appropriate ) and answer any other questions you may have.

You will also be issued with a 20% off voucher to spend on one item of any waiting room retail, within one month of this appointment, this excludes any already discounted items.

Dog microchipping can be beneficial because the microchip can be read by a special scanner and that means that your pet is permanently identified. If your dog escapes from the garden and is brought to us or any of the other rescue charities then he/she can quickly be returned to you.

It is a legal requirement for you to have your dog microchipped or you could face a large fine.

The Practice offers a free puppy check. This consultation is with one of our vets. This is a good opportunity to get advice on how to care for your new puppy.

This consultation is for puppies usually less then 12 weeks old, before first vaccination.

Read more about our Puppy Parties here

This virus causes a rapidly fatal disease. The symptoms are diarrhoea, vomiting and marked dehydration. Puppies in particular can die within a few days due to rapid fluid loss. It tends to affect black and tan breeds more than other breeds.

Thanks to vaccinations, parvovirus is now a disease we do not see that often but when it does appear we are still limited in our success with treatment.

There are 2 types of adenovirus, one contributes to kennel cough and the other causes canine viral hepatitis. The latter form attacks the liver producing diarrhoea, vomiting, a painful belly and often death. Vaccination protects well against both types of adenovirus.

This is another virus which forms part of kennel cough. Viral infection can cause anything from a mild to a deep hacking cough, sometimes persisting for weeks. Occasionally infection can also lead to pneumonia.

The yearly booster does not necessarily include parainfluenza. If you require protection against kennel cough, please discuss this with your vet.

This bacterial disease is carried commonly by rats and found in river water. It causes Weil’s disease in humans and can be passed from dogs to us. In dogs Leptospirosis normally presents as acute kidney failure or sometimes as a severe anaemia.

The symptoms are collapse, fever, vomiting jaundice and diarrhoea.

Canine Distemper is caused by a herpes virus. It is one of the agents causing kennel cough and it can also cause severe diarrhoea and vomiting often with pus-like discharges from the eyes and nose.

Brain damage and fitting can occur and the disease is often fatal. Vaccination has fortunately made this disease quite rare.

Whether it’s the UK or abroad and whether you take your pet with you or not, your holidays this year may impact on your pets. We advise you plan ahead for kennel/cattery stays, to ensure your pets’ vaccinations are adequate and in date.

In dogs, Bordetella Bronchiseptica and Parainfluenza (also known as Kennel Cough) are responsible for this highly infectious and easily spread disease.

It is spread amongst dogs, especially where there are many dogs in one place such as in kennels or at dog shows, even at the park or in your own back garden!

Kennel cough is spread easily from dog to dog. Each cough produces minute droplets containing the bacterium and virus. Once in the air the droplets are inhaled by the next dog and so the infection is passed on.

The incubation period for Kennel Cough is approximately 10 days however, the disease can still be spread for a number of weeks after the infected animal has stopped coughing.

By vaccinating against Bordetella and Parainfuenza (Kennel Cough), you will help your dog avoid sneezing, coughing, painful retching and as a result sometimes vomiting, reduced appetite and nasal discharge. Severe Kennel Cough in puppies or older dogs could cause pneumonia if left untreated and in some cases this could be fatal.

When vaccinating your dog against Kennel Cough we recommend you also note the following:

• Your dog is not fully protected from Bordetella until 72 hours after the KC booster vaccine has been given.
• Always check with your kennels first as some may have restrictions and may request e.g. a six week period after the vaccine has been given, before allowing them in.
• Kennel Cough vaccinated dogs can shed the vaccine strain of Kennel Cough for several weeks. Some studies show up to 6 weeks. (Kennel Cough is a live vaccine). Immunocompromised individuals can be at risk e.g. pregnant or on chemotherapy.

Is Your Dog Imported from Outside the UK?

Has your dog bred with a dog that has spent time outside the UK?

Did either of your dog’s parents spend time outside the UK?

If you have answered ‘YES’ to any of these Questions, please download more information here

We recommend that all puppies are wormed every month until they are 6 months old. Puppies are sometimes born with a large number of worm larvae and these can cause serious problems as they mature into adult worms.

Dogs from the age of 6 months should then be wormed every 3 months throughout their life. Not only is it beneficial to the dog to have no worms, but it is also the duty of every responsible dog owner to reduce the risk to human health from the worm larvae.

We advise using worming products available from us.

Puppies should be fed a complete puppy food from weaning to the age of 6 months. After this a dog should receive a complete adult dog food. There are special dietary considerations for older or overweight dogs and large breed puppies. It is advisable to gradually introduce new foods to avoid stomach upsets.

We sell a selection of life stage diets in our waiting room. You can also order pet food using our online shop facility.

Please contact the surgery for more information. You can arrange to speak to one of our nurses about your dog’s diet.

We sell a range of different flea products. Please ask us for advice about Fleas.

Click here to read what our clients have said about us.