Health & Wellness Links

Puppy Wellness Plan

Congratulations! The decision to adopt a puppy is a fun filled, exciting, and challenging time for most new pet parents! At RegionalVet, we are thrilled to share in your joy and want to ensure that your new little one gets off on the right paw!

As a new puppy parent, it is important to know what to expect at your upcoming visits. We've outlined a simple, but comprehensive Puppy Wellness Plan.

"Puppy 1" Visit

Age: For puppies between 8 - 11 weeks of age.

Vaccines & Medications given: 1st Da2pp, Deworming medication

Important items the doctor will ask about: Potty training, what and how much you are feeding the new puppy

Owners should come prepared: With any questions and a puppy fecal sample.

"Puppy 2" Visit

Age: For puppies over 11 weeks of age

Vaccines & Medications given: 2nd Da2pp, 1st Leptosporosis, 1st Corona, 1st Intra- Nasal Bordetella, Deworming, & Flea & Tick Preventative Medication given and Heartworm Prevention provided to go home.

Important items the doctor will ask about: Potty training, what and how much you are feeding the new puppy

Owners should come prepared: With any questions, and a puppy fecal sample.

"Puppy 3" Visit

Age: For puppies over 14 weeks of age, and having already completed Puppy 2

Vaccines & Medications given: 3rd Da2pp, 2nd Leptosporosis, 2nd Corona, 2nd Intra Nasal Bordetella and 1st Rabies 1 year Vaccine. (Clients are provided with a Rabies Certificate to go home.) Heartworm, Flea & Tick Prevention and Deworming medication supplies scripted or provided to go home.

Important items the doctor will ask about: Potty training, what and how much you are feeding the new puppy. At this appointment we also talk about the benefits of spaying or neutering your puppy, we can provide an estimate for the surgery and even set up the appointment for the spay or neuter.

Owners should come prepared: With any questions, and a puppy fecal sample. Also, we will take a blood sample at this appointment in preparation for your puppy's upcoming spay or neuter.

"Puppy 4 / Adolescent Dog" Visit

Age: For puppies between 9 - 15 months old

Vaccines & Medications given: Ensure all vaccines have been given on schedule and update as necessary. Heartworm, Flea & Tick Prevention and Deworming medication supplies scripted or provided to go home.

Important items the doctor will ask about: We will talk about the benefits of microchipping, if your puppy has not already been.

Owners should come prepared: With any questions, and a puppy fecal sample. Also, we will recommend basic bloodwork to be done at this appointment to provide a healthy baseline for your puppy. See why this is important.

Training Your Puppy

Housebreaking
At RegionalVet, we recommend crate training your new puppy. The crate should be no bigger than for the puppy to stand up, turn around, and lay down comfortably. The puppy should be in the crate whenever you are unable to watch the puppy. When you are home with the puppy we recommend taking the puppy out once every 45-60 minutes based on the puppy's needs. (Setting the oven timer is a great way to remind yourself when it's "puppy time".) You should always take the puppy out after he or she wakes up from napping, after play, and about 15 minutes after feeding.

If the puppy does have an accident in the house and you see the puppy in the process, sternly say "No" to discourage the behavior. If you do not see the puppy having the accident, it's best to just clean it up without disciplining the puppy. (After the accident we do not recommend taking the puppy outside after being disciplined, as the outdoors should never be possibly associated with something negative.) When the puppy does successfully eliminate outdoors you should reward him or her with a small treat or positive attention (act like your puppy just solved all the world's problems!). Try to keep puppies on schedule when feeding, taking out, and crating.

Prevent Biting Problems
To avoid problems with aggression in the future, puppy play biting should be immediately discouraged. Your puppy's teeth should NEVER touch your skin. If your puppy starts to play bite, saying "No" in a stern voice or yelping is recommended, and play should be immediately ended, and no attention should be given to the puppy. Make sure your puppy has a lot of teething toys available to chew on to reduce the need to play bite.

Socializing
Three weeks after a puppies "Puppy 3 appointment" we recommend starting a basic training class. This will help with basic commands and socialization. It is very important for your new puppy to get use to many different types of people and other animals to keep them well rounded. Dogs don't hit social maturity until 1-2 years of age so the time before this is best to give them positive experiences making them more excepting of new adventures.