New Puppy Visits

What to expect when you come in for your first visit

Getting a new puppy is extremely exciting, but it can also be stressful! Everyone wants to keep their puppy as healthy as possible and we're here to help. Below we have outlined a typical puppy exam to try and prepare you!

What to bring...

1. Prior records. We ask a lot of questions the first time we see your puppy because we want to know as much as we can about their lifestyle in order to make the best recommendations for him or her! We will ask about any prior medical history and vaccines, so bringing a copy of your records from the breeder or shelter will help us understand what has already been done for your puppy.

2. A list of medications. Most puppies won't be on medications when you first bring them home, but if so, we want to know the strength, dose, and frequency. This also includes any vitamins, supplements, or flea/tick/heartworm prevention you may give.

3. A list of foods they eat in a day. We want to make sure your puppy is getting everything they need to meet their nutritional requirements, so knowing the brand, flavor, and amount fed to your dog each day is important to us. We'd also like to know about any snacks or treats you feed - this includes table scraps! We won't shame you, we understand sneaking a little treat here and there, but we want to make sure these are safe for your pet!

4. A fecal sample. Yep, we want your dogs poo. We recommend bringing in a fecal sample every year to evaluate for intestinal parasites. This sample goes to the lab and comes back within 2-3 business days. Many puppies carry intestinal parasites and many de-wormers aren't able to treat every parasite out there. By identifying what parasite your puppy has, we can make better recommendations to treat and prevent infections moving forward.

Before you check-in...

We recommend that puppies be carried into the exam room, rather than be allowed to walk in on their own. While we take time to disinfect our hospital, there are many sick animals that visit the vet regularly and puppies do not have a fully developed immune system, nor have they been immunized against common diseases. By carrying your puppy directly into the exam room, they are less likely to be exposed to disease causing pathogens that could be on the ground. We also recommend letting your puppy go potty at home before coming to the vet - grass around the hospital is shared by many dogs!

Vaccinations

Vaccine recommendations vary depending on a pet's lifestyle and risk of contracting disease. Below are the vaccinations we most often discuss.

• Rabies: This disease is caused by a virus carried in mammals that is fatal. Rabies vaccines are required by law unless your pet is immunocompromised and your veterinarian deems appropriate to not vaccinate. Vaccination requires a single dose and all dogs must be vaccinated by 16 weeks of age in New York State. The first rabies vaccine provides coverage for 1 year. Vaccination after the initial booster provides coverage for 3 years. We often recommend an additional dose if your pet is exposed to wildlife.

• Distemper: The distemper combination vaccine contains multiple components preventing highly contagious viruses. While variations exist, the vaccine we use prevents against canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus type 1 (hepatitis), canine parainfluenza virus, and canine parvovirus. This vaccine starts at 8 weeks of age and continues every 3-4 weeks until 16 weeks of age, then the following year. If your dog is older than 16 weeks and has not had a distemper combination vaccine, they should get a series of two vaccines 3-4 weeks apart then again the following year. After the booster 1 year later, this vaccine is administered every 3 years.

• Lepto: Leptospirosis is a highly contagious, deadly bacterial disease carried in wildlife (raccoons, skunks, squirrels, opossums, rats, etc.) transmitting the disease through their urine. This disease can be transmitted to humans. Infections occur whilst swimming or simply being exposed in your backyard. There are different strains of leptospirosis in which no vaccine covers all of them. Our vaccine covers the 4 most common strains (L. icterohaemorrhagiae, L. canicola, L. pomona, L. grippotyphosa). Leptospirosis is a series of 2 vaccines 2-4 weeks apart starting at 12 weeks of age, then annually thereafter. This vaccine can also come in combination with the Distemper vaccine and/or the Lyme vaccine.

• Lyme: Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) transmitted through tick bites. While the primary sign of lyme disease is lameness, lethargy, and anorexia, clinical signs are not always apparent. If untreated, lyme disease can cause damage to the kidneys, which can be fatal. In conjunction with year round flea and tick prevention, we highly recommend this vaccine to provide your pet with the most protection. The lyme vaccine consists of two initial vaccines 2-4 weeks apart starting at 12 weeks of age then annually thereafter. This vaccine can also come in combination with Lepto or as a Distemper/Lepto/Lyme combination.

• Bordetella/Parainfluenza: This oral vaccine protects against Bordetella bronchiseptica, a bacteria that is one potential cause of Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRDC) as well as parainfluenza virus, which is also a contributor. It is commonly referred to as kennel cough, though we are moving away from this description as we find more bacteria that contribute to that disease process. While any dog can be exposed, dogs who go to group classes, boarding, dog parks, or any other area where many dogs gather, are at a higher risk. This vaccine can be given to puppies 8 weeks of age or older then annually thereafter.

• Influenza H3N8/H3N2: This vaccination prevents against the two most common strains of influenza virus infecting dogs. This is also a lifestyle vaccine recommended for dogs with an increased exposure to the airborne pathogens. We commonly see these exposures at dog parks, boarding facilities, groomers, veterinary hospitals, dog shows, group classes, etc. We typically start this in dogs 12 weeks and older. It is boostered 2-4 weeks later and then yearly for continuous coverage.

Parasite control

Parasites pick on our pets! They can cause itching, irritation, weight loss, and diarrhea. Many parasites transmit disease. Some parasites that your pet can attract can even infect humans - yuck!

Fleas and ticks are the most commonly noted parasites because they're more readily seen and identified by owners. Fleas find your pet and thrive off of drinking their blood, leaving your pet feeling itchy. Many pets have allergies to flea bites which can cause severe itching, leading to hair loss, sores on the skin, and secondary bacterial infections. In severe cases, fleas can lead to anemia, or low red blood cell counts. Fleas can also carry tapeworms which are ingested by the pet when grooming, thus leading to an intestinal infection with tapeworms. Once fleas find your pet, it can be very difficult to get rid of them. We usually say it takes 3 months of consecutive treatment of all furred animals in the home, as well as heavy vacuuming of the home (daily) and laundering of pet bedding to clear fleas from the house. Fleas are not the only external parasite we face.

Ticks have become a larger issue for our area in the last few years. We are seeing the emergence of tick-borne diseases, such as lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis. These diseases are spread after only a few hours of tick attachment. Unfortunately, ticks also pose a threat to humans when they are carried in the home by our furry friends. So what are we to do?

Fortunately, there are many great options for flea and tick prevention. We typically do not recommend over the counter options as many have been found to be less effective in the last few years as our parasites are developing resistance to these medications. We do recommend year-round prevention for all of our pets. We have found that these parasites are adapting to our winter conditions and we find infections all year. But what about the parasites inside your pet?

Heartworm disease and intestinal parasites usually can't be detected from just looking at your pet. A majority of intestinal parasites can be ruled out by sending a fecal sample to the lab. These parasites can come from exposure to infected feces from other dogs or wildlife (even just walking through infected soil then later licking their paws) or from eating prey that is infected. Many parasites can survive in the soil for a period of time, even after the feces has been cleared away. Another big concern about intestinal parasites is that some of them can be transmitted to humans, causing skin and eye lesions. Heartworm disease is caused by a parasite spread by mosquitoes. It takes 6 months for the immature heartworm (microfilaria) spread by the mosquito bite to develop into an adult heartworm. While this disease is less common for us in the north, we did diagnose two cases at RAVH in 2021 and another two in 2022. Heartworms actually develop in the vessels of the lung and back up into the heart, thus leading to heart failure and causing damage to the lungs. Common symptoms include coughing, working hard to breath, weakness or collapse. The disease can be deadly and treatment is not only a long process, but the injections required for treatment can be very expensive. We routinely test for heartworm disease (as well as Lyme, Ehrlichiosis, and Anaplasmosis - those tick-borne diseases from above) once yearly on a 4dx SNAP test. Heartworm infections and a majority of intestinal parasite infections can be avoided with monthly heartworm prevention. Aimed at killing off microfilaria (with the bonus of treating a wide array of intestinal parasites) it is important that we give this preventative on time each month to avoid those microfilaria from reaching adulthood. It is our policy to test dogs for heartworm disease before initiating prevention to avoid potential life threatening reactions that can occur if administered to an infected dog.

We do carry and recommend a combination medication for flea, tick, and heartworm prevention (including some intestinal parasite coverage) called Simparica Trio, but we also have other options that can be combined to best fit you and your pet's needs.

Spaying and neutering

Your adorable puppy might be the sweetest, cutest one out there, but is it an appropriate candidate for breeding? We often hear that people want to "get one litter" out of their dog before spaying or neutering, but we encourage owners to breed responsibly. By this, we mean to encourage people to answer a few questions before making this decision. First, is your dog a great example of the breed? In other words, does your dog have proper conformation, coloring, and abilities that the breed is known for? Does your puppy have any potential abnormalities that could be spread genetically, such as hip dysplasia, poor dentition, or retained testicles? Do you have a home planned for each puppy from the litter? Depending on the breed, dogs can have anywhere from 1-15 puppies - that's a lot of puppies to find homes for. With 3.1 million dogs entering shelters each year, we want to be sure we aren't accidentally contributing to that number.

If you decide that breeding is not in your future, we recommend spaying and neutering your pets. For female dogs left intact, they are at greater risk of developing mammary cancer as they mature. Additionally, intact females can develop pyometra, or an infected uterus. This requires emergency surgery to correct and can be life threatening. Male dogs who are left intact are more likely to display roaming behaviors (running away from home), urine marking, and aggressive behaviors. Additionally, male dogs that remain unneutered tend to develop large prostates that can cause urinary issues in their future.

We tell owners that we recommend spaying and neutering after 6 months of age. Some owners, particularly of large breed dogs, elect to wait until they are more skeletally mature, around 1.5-2 years of age. Each option has potential risks and benefits, which we can discuss in detail at your appointment.

Planning for the future...

We recommend seeking a trainer for your new dog. Ideally, this trainer should focus on positive reinforcement. We don't recommend seeking out trainers who support punishment techniques or teachings based off of "dominance theory" as research has found these methods to encourage fear which can lead to aggression. We are happy to provide owners with contact information for trainers we know of in the area.

We discuss what it will look like owning a dog as they get older. Many dogs will require joint supplements between 5-9 years of age to help slow the progression of arthritis (the recommended age varies based off of breed, medical history, and performance level). We recommend all dogs over the age of 7 have yearly lab work performed to help identify disease processes early - early detection is key to managing many diseases. Many dogs will require a dental cleaning at some point in their life. This is under general anesthesia and can also involve dental extractions. We will discuss dental care at your visit, but even with daily brushing, some dogs still require a professional cleaning.

At the end of the day, this first visit is for us to share information with you and answer any questions that you have! If you're thinking of adding a new member to your family, we hope this helps you prepare for your first visit!

Still have questions? Call the hospital to set up an appointment or send us an email at info@romanacresvet.com!