6-month routine care program for your new healthy puppy

Congratulations on your new family member. While you might just want to play and cuddle with your new puppy (and who could blame you, puppies are adorable), you want to make sure it gets a happy and healthy start at life. You might not have thought of it before so we’re here to help with some tips on how to care for your pet in the first 6 months of its life.

Your 6-month program

2 weeks

1 month (4 weeks)

  • Intestinal Worming Treatment

6 weeks

2 months (8 weeks):

  • Intestinal Worming Treatment
  • Distemper, parvovirus and hepatitis vaccinations
  • Begin Flea Prevention Treatment

10 weeks

  • Intestinal Worming Treatment

3 months (12 weeks)

  • Intestinal Worming Treatment
  • Distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis, and bacterial and viral Kennel Cough vaccinations
  • Heartworm Prevention
  • Begin Tick Prevention Treatment
  • Have puppy microchipped by 12 weeks of age

Note: Full immunity should be achieved by the end of 3 months

4 months (16 weeks)

  • Intestinal Worming Treatment
  • Distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis, and bacterial and viral Kennel Cough vaccinations

18 weeks

  • Quarantine your puppy for at least 10 days after their last vaccination. Once complete, your puppy is free to walk outside and play in the park without the risk of infection.

5 months (20 weeks)

6 months (24 weeks)

  • Complete Intestinal Worming Treatment
  • If you haven’t done so already, have your puppy desexed
  • Register your new puppy with your local council

Glossary

Intestinal Worming Treatment

Roundworm, hookworm, tapeworm, whipworm – these are all annoying parasites that, if not treated, cause your little bundle of joy to have a loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea and even, in severe cases, death. Treat your pets with an all wormer as per the above schedule.

Heartworm Prevention Treatment

Heartworm disease is an awful disease, spread by mosquitoes, which can be fatal by causing damage to the heart and lungs. Keep your puppy safe from the pesky mozzies with a simple injection or spot on medication, such as a topical solution or pill.

Vaccinations

Common infectious diseases can be nasty so ensuring your puppy receives all the relevant vaccinations to protect them from distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and bacterial and viral Kennel Cough.

Flea Control

Fleas are a constant nuisance for dogs, especially when they roll in the grass while playing. A simple topical solution or tablet keeps your puppy healthy and those pesky fleas away.

Desexing

This is strongly encouraged when your puppy is 5-6 months old. Dogs who have been desexed have reduced risk of cancer, tend to live longer, have a calmer temperament, less likely to ‘mark their territory’ and less likely to wander off.

Tick Prevention Treatment

As with fleas, dogs are prone to ticks when they play outside as ticks are a natural parasite found in the great outdoors. When the tick attaches itself to a dog, they secrete a toxin that can cause fatigue, difficulty breathing, collapse and death. Daily checking of your puppy’s body is still the best method for prevention along with sprays or tick collars.

Council Registration

Councils across Australia require domestic dogs to be registered. In tandem with this, you are also required to have your dog microchipped. Money saving tip: you may be eligible for a discount on your registration fees if your puppy has been desexed.

We know that was a lot of information to take in! But it’s important to tick off all your puppy’s medical requirements to give it a long and healthy life. If in doubt, always check with your local vet and with pet insurance, it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Routine care is a popular addition that covers the costs of preventative treatments, vaccinations, regular heath checks, worming treatments and more.

6 Oct 2017