Sunnyside Veterinary Clinic / Puppy Visit Three

Puppy
Visit
Three

You're all grown up now! As your puppy grows up and prepares to enter the world of the Big Dogs, there are a few things you need to know to make the transition safe and happy.

Vaccinations from Here on Out

We follow the New Guidelines published by the American Animal Hospital Association. Click here for a link with more information. Your puppy has just finished the initial puppy series. The next time we need to vaccinate your puppy is in one year from now. The One-Year boosters are vital for establishing long-lasting immunity. At the one-year visit, we will need to boost everything we have given so far. After that, some diseases, like Distemper, Parvo, and Rabies will only be boosted every three years. Other diseases, like Leptospirosis, Bordetella, and Parainfluenza, will need to be boosted each year.

The annual Physical Exam is very important. Dogs age about seven years for every year that passes. A lot can happen in seven years. I am terrible about going to the doctor myself, but even I go at least every seven years! Each year the veterinarian will examine your dog, and evaluate things like weight, skin lumps, tooth problems, ear problems, etc. The annual exam is the first line of defense your pet has against poor health.

Spay and Neuter Surgery

Every Year Hundreds of Thousands of Dogs and cats are put to sleep just because they don't have homes. Hundreds of thousands more starve, are run over, etc. for the same reasons. In my humble opinion, the only reason not to have your pet spayed ot neutered is if you have firm and definite plans on breeding him or her. Click here for a link to a more detailed discussion on why to spay or neuter your pet.

The Best Time to have your dog Spayed or Neutered is five months of age.
Spaying and Neutering are major surgery, make no mistake about it. Some places do it quite cheaply. Others charge more. The difference is that the Humane Societies and the Pounds do the spay and neuter surgeries kind of like the army does haircuts. Nothing fancy, one size fits all, git-'r-done. There are better ways do do surgery than this.

At Sunnyside Veterinary Clinic, we are leaders in pain management.

We believe that your pets deserve a safe, well-monitored anesthesia. We also believe that surgery requires pain medication for more than a day or two. We have an article that is required reading for all spay and neuter owners. Click here to go the The Consumer Guide to Elective Surgery. In it you will find enough information to help you make some informed decisions and help your pet avoid a "bad haircut" of a surgical experience.

Parasite Control

Far from a favorite topic of conversation, internal parasites, or "worms," as they are commonly called, are nonetheless a major problem. The problem is two-fold: "Worms" not only infect your dog, they can infect your children as well! Dogs pick up worms as microscopic larvae. These larvae are too small to be seen, but are waiting for your dog in the park, on the neighbor's lawn, in the fields, etc. Some dogs may not have any worms, but many do. Many mature dogs have worms and never show any signs at all. There are various tests for worms, some better than others, but even the best have a certain percentage of false negatives. I believe it is best to simply deworm every dog at least once a year. This is cheaper than testing, the deworming medications are safe, and it avoids the potential of a false negative test. The reasons why are serious. There is a considerable public health issue with dog worms. I feel that at a minimum, all dogs should be dewormed at least once a year.

Young children are also very susceptible to dog worms, and can catch them from your dog. Dog worm infections in children can be very serious. Adult humans are at very minimal risk of acquiring a puppy worm infection unless they have an immunosuppressive condition.