The Trophy Guide To Puppy Care
Bringing your puppy home
When your new puppy arrives it inevitably brings a lot of excitement for children and adults alike. However it is likely that the puppy will be frightened and confused. Entering your home the puppy will need plenty of time to settle in, during which it should not be handled excessively, although it will need close supervision and companionship.
Remember that it is still becoming accustomed to its separation from the warmth and security of its mother and the rest of the litter. Consequently, to minimise the puppy’s distress wrap the animal in something warm and soft, hold it close to you and soothe it by talking quietly and stroking gently.
Choose a warm and comfortable environment for your puppy. A strong cardboard box lined with an old blanket will make a comfortable bed that should be placed out of any draughts. Like a new baby the first night in a strange place will be the puppy’s biggest test. It will probably whimper and howl so soothe it if it cries and give it a luke warm hot water bottle. On no account scold it, as this will destroy any trust that the puppy has started to develop in you.
Vaccinations & Worming
During its first few weeks, a puppy is usually protected from disease by antibodies from its mother’s milk. Once this protection has worn off the puppy can fall victim to any of the following diseases if it is not vaccinated. All puppies should be vaccinated against four potentially fatal diseases:
Distemper, Parvovirus, Infectious Canine Hepatitis and Leptospirosis.
o 1st Vaccination 8 weeks
o 2nd Vaccination 12 weeks
In the past the recommendation was to keep the puppy at home until a week after the vaccination course finished. However as the best time to socialise a puppy is between 3-12 weeks of age it is now advised that you expose your pup to the outside world as early as possible.
After the initial vaccination course an annual booster is recommended.
All pups are born with roundworms, which they inherit from their mother in the womb or through her milk. The main roundworms of pups are called Toxocara Canis and Toxascaris Leonina. Humans (especially toddlers) can pick up Toxocara Canis worm eggs if they touch dog faeces and put their hand to their mouth. In exceptional cases this could lead to serious eye damage.
The main point to realise is that each time you worm a pup you will only kill a certain percentage of worms. It is very important all pups are wormed at regular intervals from 2 weeks of age up to 6 months. Most healthy pups have worms without showing any symptoms. If your pup has a lot of worms you may sometimes see the following signs:
o A ravenous appetite
o Weight loss
o A pot belly
o Vomiting & Diarrhoea
o White spaghetti worms in the faeces
Ask your Local Trophy Nutritional Advisor for worming tablets.
Flea Control
Even the best cared for puppies can still get fleas. Fleas are a hazard of modern living because we all have warm, centrally heated houses with fitted carpets where fleas love to lay their eggs. It is important to remember that if your pup has fleas you must treat not only the pup but any other dogs or cats in the house too. You must also treat your pup's bed and the house, as this is where the flea eggs will be laid.
Remember it is always best to start flea control before your puppy gets fleas. That way when the flea bites it will get killed and your pup won't get irritable and itchy. Talk to your Local Trophy Nutritional Advisor about flea control, they can recommend that best product for your puppy.
