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When bringing home a newly adopted puppy, it is imperative that you get him/her checked by a veterinarian as soon as possible, not only for his/her own health, but to ensure he/she doesn't bring with him/her any serious communicable diseases, such as Parvo. Ideally, it would be before you even bring him/her home, but you should aim for within 48 hours if the puppy appears to be healthy, and without delay if it is showing symptoms of watery eyes, sneezing, respiratory distress, failure to eat, or diarrhea. Note: You will need to isolate your puppy from other dogs until this veterinarian check is complete. The Physical Exam Your veterinarian will perform a thorough "hands-on" physical exam on the puppy, including: * Checking baby teeth (will determine approximate age) and mouth * Taking temperature * Checking weight * Palpating organs * Listening to heart * Testing muscles and joints for mobility * Checking eyes * Checking ears for mites * Combing fur for evidence of fleas Lab Work In addition, your puppy will have several lab tests performed: Fecal Float You will be asked to bring a fecal sample with you. The veterinary staff will place a bit of this sample into a device that blends it into a sort of "soup," which floats worm eggs so that they can be viewed under a microscope. Fecal floats are primarily used to detect worms - the "Big 3" : hook worms, round worms and/or tape worms. Many puppies from shelters have worms, because of their close contact with other dogs. In fact, some veterinarians will routinely "worm" puppies, e.g. treat them with de-worming medication, either with an injection and/or prescribing oral medication. Fecal matter can also be viewed on a slide to detect Gardia or Hemobartonella, if those are a concern. Blood Tests Your veterinarian may want to draw up a small amount of blood to test for heart worms as general practice, if you live in a "high risk" area, or if you want to put your dog on heart worm medication. It is extremely important to test your dog for heartworm before administering any form of heart worm medication, if your dog is positive for heart worms when preventative medicine is administered he/she can become severely ill. This test is usually done within the clinic in just a couple minutes. If he/she is positive proper treatment medication will be given by the veterinarian. If he/she is negative then over the counter heart worm medication (such as Sentinel) can be given. Vaccines Please remember that your puppy is not completely protected from diseases until he has received the entire repertoire of vaccines listed below. Please keep your puppy in your own home away from other dogs and know the vaccine status of your visitor's dogs. Even if your visitors don't bring their dogs to your house, they can track diseases (such as Parvo) into your home on their shoes etc. 6 to 7 weeks of age: First combination vaccine. (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, Coronavirus) 9 weeks of age: Second combination vaccine. 12 weeks of age: Third combination injection and possibly a LYME Vaccine inoculation. Generally a LYME vaccine is then repeated two weeks later, then once a year. 16 weeks of age: Last combination vaccine. Boosters of combo vaccine are then given annually to continue to keep your dog protected. 12 to 16 weeks of age: Rabies vaccine is given. (Local and State laws apply regarding Rabies vaccine since this can be a human disease, too. Your veterinarian will tell you the proper time intervals for booster vaccines for Rabies.) Special considerations: Many veterinarians believe some breeds such as Rottweilers and Dobermans should have at least two Parvo vaccines with the last one being given at 20 weeks of age. Spay or Neuter Unless this was done prior to your puppy's adoption, you'll need to make an appointment for this essential surgery. Spaying or neutering is beneficial to the health of your dog and helps reduce the number of unwanted dogs in shelters or one the streets. Now you can take your puppy home confident that he/she has a good start on a long and healthy life. |
