Puppy Care Basics at Carolina Value Pet Care
First things first, congratulations. I love that you got a new puppy. It's so much fun bringing that into your home, into your family. It's a great experience that everybody should have at some point in their life. We just want to make sure we're doing everything we can to ensure that the puppy is as happy and healthy as possible.
At what age do I need to bring my puppy in for their first veterinary visit?
Typically, right about 6 to 8 weeks of age. That's when they should be weaned off mom. They don't require milk from mom anymore and should be eating on their own. This is a really good time to introduce them to the veterinary clinic. Let them see how we handle them and make it a positive experience. Bring lots of treats with you to make it as happy as possible so they enjoy coming to the vet.
At 6 to 8 weeks of age, they'll come in. We'll probably give them a little deworming medication since they can get some intestinal parasites from their mom. We'll also start some of their vaccines at this time. We're probably going to send you home with a pill that will help prevent heartworm disease, intestinal parasites, fleas, and ticks. We can help you get on a plan to ensure we're preventing all of those types of things.
What vaccines does my puppy need?
At that first visit, around 6 to 8 weeks of age, especially at 8 weeks, we can give our different vaccines safely. We talk about core vaccines and non-core. Core is something we recommend for all puppies, while non-core depends on the lifestyle of your pet. We'll have that conversation with you to figure out what that individual plan should be.
Core vaccines include the distemper combo vaccine. Distemper is one of the viruses we're covering, but there are others as well, like adno virus, parvo virus, and parainfluenza virus. We give that at 6 to 8 weeks of age and booster it every 3 to 4 weeks, about once a month, until your pet is 16 weeks old. At 16 weeks, their immune system is mature enough for the vaccine to last longer. When they're young, the vaccine stimulates their immune system a bit but isn't enough to keep them protected all year long. That's why we do these boosters.
Rabies, of course, is a core vaccine required by law for all dogs and cats. There is no cure for rabies in people or pets, so it's easier and safer to prevent it. We can do that at 12 weeks of age. It won't be their first puppy visit; it'll be when they come back a month later for their rabies shot.
Leptospirosis is a weird bacteria spread by wildlife, specifically through their urine. Even if your dog never goes outside, we can see it in mice and rats. When I worked in New York City, we had some animals that never went outside and still came down with leptospirosis. It's a bacterial infection that affects the liver and kidneys and can be fatal if untreated. We don't give that one at our first visit; the minimum age is 12 weeks old. That would be when they come for their second visit. We'll give them their first lepto vaccine and do one more booster a month later at the 16-week visit. Then they'll be good for the year.
Non-core vaccines
These are more individualized for each patient, and we'll have that conversation with you. Bordetella, especially if you're going to be around other dogs, is that kennel cough bacteria causing a bad honking cough. We can give that one at the first visit. The one we typically use goes right in the mouth or cheek pouch area, so no needle, which is nice. That will last the entire year to protect them from one of the bacteria causing kennel cough. It doesn't prevent against all kennel coughs, but if they get it, it's usually milder if vaccinated. It's required for doggy daycare, grooming, or boarding.
Other ones include Lyme disease, transmitted by ticks. We don't see a lot down here in the Carolinas, but every year reports show Lyme disease spreading further down the east coast. If you're traveling or going to areas with many ticks, it may be something to vaccinate against.
Canine influenza virus is another we may recommend depending on your situation. If you're around many dogs frequently, we see outbreaks of this influenza virus at different times of the year. Those are our different vaccines. We'll discuss and come up with a great plan to ensure you're all protected.
What should I know about parvovirus and my puppy?
I mentioned earlier that parvovirus is one of those core vaccines in the distemper combo. It's one of our more common, really bad viruses puppies can get. I want to ensure you know the signs. Parvovirus messes up their GI system and immune system. It's a bad GI bug causing vomiting and diarrhea, and it also wipes out white blood cells that fight infection. It's a double whammy type of virus, making it dangerous.
It's spread by feces in the environment. If a dog with parvovirus had a bowel movement, even after cleaning it up, the virus can live in the environment for up to six months. Our dog just walks around, steps in it, licks their paws, and can get it that way. Vomiting, diarrhea, progressing to bloody diarrhea, lack of interest in food, and dehydration are signs. If you see these, please let us know right away, especially if your pet wasn't vaccinated yet. These are big red flags to watch out for.
It's important to give that education to ensure you know why we vaccinate. Besides that, enjoy your puppy. Bring them in to see us, and we'll figure out a great plan to keep everything as healthy as possible for your little pup.
When can my puppy start to socialize with other dogs?
Once they're vaccinated, I like to wait until they're fully vaccinated before having them around many different animals, especially ones I don't know the vaccine status of. If I don't know other animals in my neighborhood and if they're not vaccinated, then my pup may not be safe around them. But if you have friends and family whose pets are fully vaccinated, definitely let them socialize. It's a great time for puppies to socialize at this young age. I don't want to wait until they're four to six months old before they start socializing.
Any animal you know is up to date on vaccines is fine for playdates. But I wouldn't bring them to the dog park, a restaurant, a big fair, park, or brewery until all vaccines are completed. It'll be after that 16-week visit until they're safe around everyone else.
What happens at my puppy's first vet visit?
We will do a full exam on your puppy by checking and documenting their weight and temperature, along with a full head-to-tail exam. We will discuss vaccines as mentioned earlier, nutrition, behavior, and anything else you've got on your mind!
We'll probably talk about flea prevention, tick prevention, and heartworm disease prevention—things even our puppies can get. We have different medications depending on what you're looking for. If you're looking for just heartworm prevention, or something that does heartworms, fleas, and ticks, or maybe just fleas and ticks and something else for heartworm, it may be what you've used in the past. We'll discuss this with you. There are many products out there, such as Bravecto for flea and tick, and Seresto Trio, which is a heartworm prevention as well as a flea and tick monthly pill. We'll discuss and pick what we think is best for your puppy.
Your pet’s health matters to us, and we’re here to support you every step of the way. Call (704) 288-8620 or email info@cvpet.com to learn more. If you are ready to join our family, schedule your visit below.