Puppy Health Information
Concerning
Health of puppies, worms (parasites), common illnesses, etc…
After
20 years of breeding, you can imagine I’ve seen it all…and heard it all…so
I am sharing all of this based on that experience, plus the experience of other
seasoned breeders who have even more experience than I do!
If
you breed any number of years, have dogs come to your kennel for stud service,
send your dogs to dog shows, and let your dogs enjoy the outdoors (and pick up
things in their mouths that they shouldn’t!) , there are certain things you
can never get away from…that is parasites and worms. Now, all my pups are raised indoors…the mother is wormed
and treated before she whelps, and when pups are born, their puppy box is
disinfected with “Triple Two” disinfectant (the one used in hospitals!)
every other day. Bedding is changed
daily or more if needed. Pups are
wormed starting at 2 weeks of age and are wormed every 2 weeks after that.
Two stool samples are taken to ensure the fecal float is negative.
I STILL recommend that you take your pup to the vet for a “well puppy
visit” when you get home because puppies CAN reinfest themselves in even the
most sterile environments as ours (they don’t exactly watch where they walk
or what they put in their mouths!)…or a visitor can walk into
my house with eggs or spores on their shoes, and it can be transferred to the
pups. Some spores are
airborne….some are in rain water, some are in puddles outside in the yard.
This is why we are proactive in every way…and also ask you to be as
well.
Certain
bacteria, such as coccidia and giardia may not even show up in a stool sample,
and can lie dormant for years even. BUT
when a pup comes under stress…these bacteria replicate and can then show up
after your pup goes home…it is NOT due to neglect or unsanitary conditions on
the part of the breeder…these are animals, and these things happen.
We do vaccinate all our adult dogs against Giardia as a precaution, but
there are still questions about the effectiveness of this treatment.
We also change our dogs water 5 times a day to ensure fresh water is
available at all times. (Yet I can’t say my dogs don’t occasional drink
puddles in the yard or in the woods when we go on our daily walks, or a for a
swim in our pond…this is almost impossible to prevent!)
I refuse to keep my pups and dogs cooped up in kennels…this is not a
good or natural environment or life for a dog.
We like them to be involved with our family, indoor life, and outdoor
exercise on a daily basis!
All
our adult dogs are treated on a monthly basis to prevent intestinal worms and
any intestinal bacteria.
Just
as we humans transfer flu, colds, and other viruses and germs to each other, why
would we expect it to be any different with dogs???
I’m sure you would NEVER blame a young mother for her “unsanitary
conditions” as the reason her child is sick, and make her feel guilty…why
would you do so with a dog??? I
have had clients literally FREAK over a common puppy parasite or worm, even
though my vet and their vet assure them and say “what’s the big deal??
This is normal. ”
Sometimes one more worming after a pup goes home is needed.
This is when reinfestation is minimal.
THIS
is why you have chosen a PROFFESSIONAL breeder like us....we are proactive...we
are educated in this...we know how to treat and prevent disease and common dog
illnesses.
Also,
there are mites that live on the hair follicles of ALL humans and animals as
well…and at times it flares up when under stress…this can happen
too…although this is rare…we also administer all available flea/tick/hearworm/mite
medication on the market in all our dogs on a regular basis to prevent
infestation.
Unfortunately,
some people expect their puppy to be 100% perfect, and expect them to be 100%
free of anything. We are dealing
with living things….and I often stand astounded at how we screen our breeding
of animals, yet which of us EVER interviewed our partners or future spouses on
all health conditions in their immediate and extended families, and eliminated
them as candidates for EVER producing children, with them, based on this???…It
sounds bizarre, but people literally don’t think of this when it comes to
their dogs…we have to actually be more discriminating with our genetic
screenings and clearances than you and I are with people…amazing but
true…but please don’t miss my point, we are dealing with living things in a
world that is not free of germs or diseases.
With
that said, let me also stress, that although we vaccinate our puppies, there are
STILL viruses out there that do NOT have a vaccine available for them.
This is why we recommend the NuVet supplement.
****Interesting
new information!!! Nuvet was
recently on the news in regards to the Diamond Dog Food poisoning...many kennels
lost all their dogs. One of those
kennels was in GA, one was in NY, and interestingly, the dogs who were on NuVet DID NOT
die...it strengthened their liver...the ones not on Nuvet died of liver failure. Veterinarians in the area researched this incident, and
indeed, confirmed, NuVet literally saved these dogs lives!!****
NuVet
has several ingredients that strengthen the immune system, and over all health
of your dog, making it less vulnerable to viruses, germs and other common dog
illnesses than other, less cared for dogs are
prone to. NuVet will provide
this protection THROUGHOUT the dogs lifetime, I warn people about ever taking
their dog off this supplement…would you suddenly stop taking YOUR supplements
on a daily basis? I’m sure you
wouldn’t, and your family canine member deserves no less…
Facts: Surveys show that 100% of kennel dogs , 50% of pups, and 10%
of other well-cared dogs carry giardia at some time in their life.
This can be picked up from water, the air, or transmission from human to
dog, or dog to dog.
Coccidia
is in the intestinal lining of every dog, when under stress, it tends to
replicate, and even when it does not show itself on a fecal float, it will
appear suddenly after a pup goes home, due to puppy stress in the new
environment. You may be given a 14
day regimen of Albon as a preventative when your pup goes home to prevent this.
Please administer it exactly as given.
Roundworms
– all pups are born with them…sometimes (very rarely) not…we treat
starting at 2 weeks old!
Pet Health Insurance
Although your first step in getting a healthy puppy is starting with the right breeder...many of my clients ask me about Pet health insurance. I have been researching it for months, and finally found one I can recommend.
Since you cannot predict an accident or contractible illness in your pet, pet insurance could be a solution for you. Plus, the cost of vet care and surgery is absolutely astronomical...Most people simply cannot afford the unexpected thousands of dollars incurred in the case of an accident or injury.
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* Choose any veterinarian
* Covers office calls, treatments, injections, outpatient care, hospitalization, diagnostic lab tests, surgeries, prescriptions, emergencies, holistic treatments, x-rays, ultrasound, MRI, annual check-ups, vaccinations, spay/neuter, and even teeth cleaning!!!
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