Parkway Animal Hospital's

PET OWNER'S GUIDE TO

4 to 10 Month Old Puppies

Thank you for allowing us to provide the health care of your new puppy. The following pet care guidelines are offered to help you properly care for your new family member.

Be aware that vaccination against Distemper and Parvovirus usually begin when the puppy is 6-8 week of age. Since your pup is much older than this, you must realize your new pet is in great danger until properly immunized! It takes a series of vaccinations to properly immunize your pup, just as with children. Dogs must be vaccinated for: Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parvovirus, Coronavirus, and Rabies. The complete vaccination series must be completed before your pup is immune to Distemper and Parvovirus.

Your pet can still get sick with these diseases until two weeks after the final injection in the vaccination series. Be sure to return at the proper time for each injection in the vaccination series.

After exposure to a disease, it takes time for signs of illness to develop:

Your pup’s stool will be examined on your first visit for the presence of internal parasites (worms). The deworming medications used will not make your puppy sick. If any signs of illness develop, such as vomiting or diarrhea, please notify the clinic.

We highly recommend premium high quality pet foods because of the nutrient balance and quality of ingredients. They are much more digestible than all cereal-based foods available at the grocery store. Even though it will cost more per bag, it will cost about the same on a monthly basis, because less food is fed. See PREMIUM PET FOODS for more information. It makes housetraining much easier. Feed pups 3 times daily until six months of age; then twice daily after that time. Avoid table scraps.

Spay or Neuter your pup at 5-6 months of age to avoid many future heath and behavioral problems.

In this region of the country some sort of flea control should be used to prevent infestation. There are topical and oral preventatives to choose from depending on which fits your situation best.

Most of the time, over the counter flea and tick preventatives are ineffective after a short period of time. They also have a high incidence of side effects. We carry topical products that we have determined to be safest and most effective for you pet. Advantage and Frontline are the two topical products that we recommend.

Dogs with normal skin should be bathed as often as you feel it is needed. If dry skin is a problem coat conditioners are available that help to prevent this we have high quality pet shampoos, conditioners, and cream rinses available.

OUR MISSION:

"We embrace the art of healing and the science of medicine to enrich the lives of our animal companions.
We support you in making informed decisions that allow your pet to enjoy wellness as long as possible.
Our hospital team inspires an atmosphere of compassion and respect for our patients, our clients, and for one another."