Tag Archives: puppy

Are you anxious about a trip to the vets?

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We want your pet to be as happy to see us as we are to see them!

 

One of the first things we would recommend as soon as you bring your new pet home, once they have settled drop in and see us. The more you and your pet drop in the less anxious you both will be. Why not take advantage of our free weight checks? Regular weight checks ensure that your puppy or kitten is growing at a healthy rate. Perhaps you’ve adopted a dog from a re homing center – drop in and say hi to the team we love meeting your pets.

 

If you or your pet are nervous, don’t be! Our staff are here to help you and we have seen and heard it all before. No question is too silly, if it is concerning you. We understand that you know your pet better than anyone else. Remain calm and ‘normal’ your pet can easily pick up on your anxiety.

 

When visiting with cats we strongly recommend travelling your cat in a secure carrier not in your arms, even the calmest of cats can get stressed. If you have time, leave your carrier out a few days before your appointment, so your cat can climb in without being rushed. Try leaving a few treats and toys inside to tempt an investigation! Placing a towel over your carrier in the waiting room can help anxious cats if you need one just ask us.

Visit a vet

 

When travelling with dogs Invest in a doggie ‘seat belt’ or secure caged area of your car. If your dog suffers car sickness travel them on an empty stomach. Allow plenty of travel time so you are not rushed or late. Please keep your dog by your side in the waiting room. A vet practice can be a stressful place for pets and your laid back family dog could become stressed and snappy towards other dogs.

 

So you’ve done ‘Puppy School’ but have you ever though about practicing ‘Vet Checks’ on your dog or cat. Your pet is never to old to start this type of training: Gently look inside your pets eyes and ears, teeth and mouth, practice lifting each paw in turn. Feel your pet all over from toe to tail. Spend 5 minutes a day practicing the ‘all over’ handling and your pet will find an examination ‘normal’, when they come to us.

Passionate about pets

If you are coming in for a specific problem i.e. behaviour or tummy troubles write a diary of events and problems. Try to include; Anything they’ve eaten, where they have been and times of day all of these things may be useful when finding a diagnosis.

If you are nervous or worried, please ask our vet to write notes for you to take home and help you understand anything that was mentioned. Alternatively bring a friend or family member along for support.

In practice emergencies can and do sometimes happen, we will do our best to see you at your appointment time but please bear with us if we are running a few minutes late. Our reception team will keep you as updated as possible.

We understand that each pet is an individual and that owners know their pets better than anyone else, we will listen to your concerns and worries that you may have. You are welcome to visit any of our surgeries and meet our friendly, knowledgeable teams.

 We look forward to meeting you and your pet soon.

 

 

How to care for your new puppy

Cavalier.

Red Cavalier puppy.

 

How to care for your puppy:

Make sure that you have suitable transport for your new family member.  Puppies may be put in a collapsible cage in your car, which ensures they are safe during a journey. Be sure to have them on a lead/harness so that they can’t run away. Before first vaccinations it is imperative that your puppy does not touch the floor outside (other than your garden) and is only introduced to dogs that are vaccinated.

  • Night Time:

    Your puppy may whine about being left alone for the first few nights. Soft toys can be good company. If you are planning to train them to use a crate you can cover the crate to make them feel more secure. Leaving a radio station on (eg. Classic FM) quietly in the background can also help them to feel more secure. Sometimes a ticking clock could provide some company. A covered hot water bottle may also be a very warm friend.

  • Training:

    Make sure to train and handle your puppy from an early age. Plenty of handling will make them comfortable with human contact. Reinforcing good play behaviours with treats is also recommended. When doing any training always give verbal praise first, and immediately after give a little treat. Eventually you will be able to give verbal praise alone. Get your new dog used to being checked over (like at the vets). Lift and handle the ears, try getting a doggie toothpaste and brushing their teeth, with a finger brush. Lift and handle the paws and nails. Be sure to expose your puppy to a number of things whilst it is developing. This can include a person in uniform (eg. A postman), someone wearing a hat, someone with a beard even, farm animals, traffic – these are all things that puppies can find scary. Socialisation classes are a great way to introduce them to training and other puppies, will help to teach yours how to behave in social situations.

  • 1stVaccinations: This can be done on the first vet check between 8-10weeks of age. The 2ndvaccination is 2-4weeks after. Until a week after the 2ndvaccination it is imperative that you keep the puppy away from unvaccinated dogs and do not place him/her on the floor in public spaces where viruses could be on the ground.

  • Worming and parasite control:

    Puppies will need to be wormed as most will have picked up worms from their mother. This can be done with either tablets, or with a spot on treatment, which will treat other parasites such as fleas and lungworm.

  • Exercise:

    Puppies do not need long walks – they only have little legs! They aren’t considered fully grown until 6-18 months of age (larger breeds mature more slowly). It is then that a good exercise plan can be implemented. Larger breeds especially may be prone to bone and joint problems, and should not be over exercised, when growing.

  • Food:

    Little and often. A puppy’s tummy is very small and so their food intake needs to be split between 3-4 meal times. Find out what routine the breeder’s had and try to maintain that for continuity. If your puppy has diarrhoea, give them boiled chicken and rice. Introduce any new foods gradually over 5 days, as a sudden change in food will often cause a digestive upset.

  • Play:

Puppies like to chew a lot especially during teething between the ages of 3 and 6 months, when they will lose all of their milk teeth.  Provide rubber Kongs or rope chews. Avoid bones as they can crack their milk teeth on these.  Play is an important way of learning for your new puppy and can be a lot of fun too!

Finally enjoy your new family member and take lots of pictures – as they grow up too fast !

 

A case of Tetanus in a puppy

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Upright ears in a case of tetanus

Upright ears in a case of tetanus

tetanus

tetanus

A case of Tetanus: This is Barney Barnard a 6month old Border Collie puppy. When Barney was 3months old he came to us showing some very unusual signs. He was unable to eat properly, his ears were erect, lips pulled back and he walked with very stiff front legs. After some tests and research Barney was diagnosed with Tetanus and started on intensive treatment. We are all very pleased that after a long 3mths of treatment Barney appears to have made a full recovery. The pictures  show Barney with signs of Tetanus and as he is recovering.
Tetanus is an uncommon disease in dogs. Tetanus is caused by a bacteria called Clostridium Tetani, which is found in soil. Dogs can get Tetanus if the bacteria gets into wounds or from chewing sticks. This bacteria produces a toxin which causes paralysis. Cats can also get this disease but they are more resistant to it. The signs for Tetanus start appearing 5 – 18 days after the infection.
The main clinical signs we look for are:
*Stiff legs and a short, shuffled walk,
*Elevated tail,
*Contraction of the muscles in the face so it looks like the dog is smiling.

Luckily it is a very rare condition, so we hope we don’t see another case for a long time !
French Bulldog puppy.

How to choose a puppy

puppies-labrador-retriever west london vet

“Dogs are a man’s best friend”

Getting a puppy is a very important and exciting decision. A puppy can add so much joy and companionship to your life. We love seeing puppies here at Young Veterinary Partnership and enjoy, even more so, helping you to look after them as best as possible. When you decide to get a puppy you have to be sure that you can commit time towards exercising it, keeping it company and socialising/training it so it becomes a well-mannered adult dog.

Choosing your puppy:

The Breed: Choosing the appropriate breed for you and your lifestyle is critical. Seeing both parents can help you assess possible future temperament (and future size). Some breeds may be more ‘highly strung” than others, some need more exercise, some need more coat care and grooming than others.

The Breeder:

Make sure your buy from a reputable breeder where the mother is up to date with her vaccinations. The littler should have also been wormed regularly throughout their first few weeks and even had a flea treatment before being re-homed. Ideally they should leave the bitch at around 8 weeks of age (not before). Keeping mother and puppies together up to 8 weeks, has been shown to reduce the risks of behavioural problems developing later. Some breeders may even do a first vaccination and a microchip.

Charities:

A great way of you re-homing. As a policy the puppy has usually had its first vaccinations and is microchipped for you. The charity may even have neutered them, if he/she is old enough. Charities often ask for a small donation towards the adoption.

Make sure that your puppy is fit and healthy when you choose it:

Hips/Elbows/Eyes: The parents of some pedigree litters have to undergo compulsory scoring of their hips (for hip dysplasia), elbows (for elbow dysplasia) or eyes (for cataracts and retinal problems). This reduces the risk of the puppies developing these problems, by only using parents with good scores for breeding. Make sure that the parents’ scores are of an acceptable standard for their breed. Visit www.thekennelclub.org.uk for more information.

Eyes: Bright wide eyes. No discharge.

Nose: Wet nose. No discharge.

picture credit trendhunter.com

       Dogs nose. Picture from Trendhunter.com

Mouth & Teeth: No teeth out of place. Fully erupted. Milk teeth are usually bright white and look shiny.

Weight: A healthy weight where you can feel the ribs but not see them. Look out for signs of a pot-belly as this could indicate a worm burden. This can be easily rectified by a wormer from a vet.

Appetite: A good appetite indicates a healthy hound.

Toileting: Normal urination and defecation. This should be normally formed, no blood in it and not watery. If you can see evidence of worms in the faeces, he will need worming by a vet.

Further information about different dog breeds can be found at www.dogstrust.org.uk

Choosing your puppy

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New research published in the Veterinary Record has proved the importance of seeing your pups’ parents when choosing a puppy.
Owners who had seen neither parent are 4 times as likely to need to take their dog to see an animal behaviourist. Owners who had seen just one parent (usually the mother) are 2.5 times as likely to have behavioural problems with their dog than owners who had seen both owners.

Seeing the mother allows you to assess the mother’s temperament, its condition and the puppies rearing environment. Ideally your puppy should not be separated from its mother until 8 weeks of age, which also reduces the chances of future behaviour problems. We recommend an eight week health check up with your vet, when the first vaccination can be administered.  See www.youngvets.co.uk for  contact details of your nearest surgery in Ealing, Brentford, Chiswick or Hounslow.

Breeding a litter of puppies

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Many people will decide to let their bitch  have a single litter of pups. Most bitches will have a healthy litter of pups without needing any medical intervention. The following is some pointers about the processes involved, and an indication of what is normal.

The mother should be up to date with vaccinations before she is mated.  Bitches ovulate around 12 days after the onset of the season, and will normally stand to be mated once the blood spotting has stopped. Two matings 2 days apart at this time are ideal. Once pregnant a monthly treatment with a  spot on wormer (Stronghold) will reduce transmission of any  worms to the puppies.

The normal gestation period is 63 days (9 weeks), but the time from mating to giving birth can be 63 days +/- 1 week.  Providing a warm bed in a quiet and draft free region of the house is a good idea. The mothers rectal temperature will normally drop  1-2 degrees C within 24 hours of giving birth.  Once second stage labour has started, and the mother starts strong contractions, a puppy should be produced with 30 minutes.  Veterinary attention should be sought if strong contractions have been seen for more than 30 minutes, or if weak straining has been seen for more than 4 hours, or if fetal fluids were seen more than 3 hours without a puppy being produced.  Puppies can be produced at intervals ranging from 5 minute to 2 hours. The mother should break the umbilical cord instinctively and lick the puppy clean which stimulates the puppy to breath. If the mother is not doing this then the face should be cleaned of  fetal membranes with a towel , and then  the towel is   used to rub the puppy gently but briskly for 30 seconds, to dry them off and stimulate breathing.

The temperature in the puppy area should be kept warm – around 30 C at birth. Infra-red lamps can be ideal to provide this heat.

Puppies normally feed every 2-3 hours for the first few days after birth. The first milk produced in the first 24 hours is called colostrum, and boosts the immune system. Thus is is very important that all puppies suckle this early milk. They should gain 5-10% of their body weight each day and should weigh double their birth weight by day 10-12.

They should be lifting their heads by 3 days and crawling by 7 days but are usually unable to stand until the end of the third week. They will spend 80% of their time sleeping.  Body temperature is lower (35-37C) in new born  puppies than an adult dog. The normal breathing is 10 to 20 breaths per minute at birth, increasing to 15-40 breaths per minute by 7 days old. (the smaller the breed the higher the rate).

The puppies eyes are closed at birth and normally open at 2 weeks, and the ears are also closed at birth and open at 14-16 days. There is normally no discharge from the eyes or nose.

Worming can be started from 3-4 weeks of age, and repeated every 2 weeks with panacur. Solid foods can be started from 3 -4 weeks of age by mixing a good quality complete puppy food with some powdered formula bitch milk ( lactol),  four times daily.

See www.youngvets.co.uk for contact details for your nearest vet surgery in west london.

 

Puppy toilet training tips

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Puppy toilet training should begin as soon as you get them home.

Newspaper training

  • Place  newspaper on the kitchen floor, and after each meal pick him/her up and put them on the newspaper. If he urinates or defaecates on the paper reward him with attention such as “good boy!” and give him a little treat with one of his puppy biscuits.  Do this after each meal and he will soon learn that he is praised and receives a treat each time he does this.
  • If you come in and find that he hasn’t used the newspaper, do not tell him off, just ignore him for a few minutes. Being ignored is the best way of disciplining a puppy, as he really wants your attention.
  • Once he starts using the newspaper regularly, reduce the amount of paper put down and move it near to the back door.
  • When he is using this newspaper regularly, put some lightly soiled newspaper outside the back door and start placing him on this after each meal.
  • Once he has the hang of this remove the newspaper and start placing him further into the garden after each meal. It can help to put him on different surfaces so that he doesn’t develop a preference for doing it only on one surface. try concrete surfaces, grassed areas, areas with and without trees.
  • Finally you can start to vary the routines and vocal cues, so that he doesn’t become too habitual. This can help avoid problems in the future if his circumstances are changed, such as if an unfamiliar person is caring for them.

Crate training

Your puppy is introduced to a plastic crate or cage, by being fed in it, having toys thrown into it and eventually being closed in for short periods.

  • The crate should be large enough to turn around in, but should not be too large or your puppy may rest at one end and toilet in the other end.
  • After a few days you should be able to keep your puppy in the crate for a few hours.
  • You can work out the length of time between toileting for your puppy by using the number of months age, plus one if a small breed, or plus 2 if a large breed. Thus a 2 month old labrador can wait 4 hrs, but a 2 month old pekinese 3 hours.
  • The puppy should be taken outside to eliminate  and should be praised and then given a treat if it does so. It should also be taken outside after each play session and meal, but should be kept in the crate at all other times.