Depending on the age you acquire your puppy, they should have had at least one vaccination prior to arrival. Ideally, at least one week should elapse between the first vaccination and entering a new environment.  If your puppy has not been vaccinated prior to arrival, book a vaccination with us as soon as possible. Vaccinations protect your puppy against potentially life threatening diseases. Your puppy will need 3 vaccinations in total 3 weeks apart and then an annual booster. Protection increases over time with each vaccination - you should not consider your puppy fully vaccinated until 1 week after the 3rd vaccination. Between the first and second vaccinations consider your puppy only partially protected - do not take to public dog areas and only socialise with fully vaccinated dogs and other puppies in private areas such as friends houses and puppy pre-school. 

Your puppy should be dewormed every 2 weeks of age until 12 weeks, then monthly until 6 months, then 3 monthly for life. 

Heart-worm is a potentially life-threatening parasite of the blood that is spread by mosquitoes and lodges in the heart. Broadly speaking, there are two options when it comes to protection against heart-worm - a yearly injection (Pro-Heart) or monthly products (eg. Nexgard Spectra). 

Of the external parasites, tick protection is the most important in this area due to the paralysis tick. Common in bushy areas, the paralysis tick releases a neurotoxin when feeding which can be fatal. They are also transmitters of other potentially fatal blood borne parasites. Using our recommended products to protect against the paralysis tick will also provide protection against fleas, other ticks and mites.

There are a plethora of products on the market when it comes to providing parasite protection for your pup. Facts are easy things for marketers to lose in slogans and advertisements and “complete protection” or an “all wormer” is not always what the words would imply. At Port Douglas Vets we only stock what we recommend based on clear scientific evidence. There is not a “one shoe fits all” product but broadly speaking there are two options to provide the necessary protection for your pup as well as regular vaccinations:

Protocol one — Proheart, Nexgard and Milpro

1 — Proheart Injection aligned with your puppies vaccination schedule.

2 — Milpro dewormer every two weeks until 12 weeks, monthly until 6 months, then 3 monthly

3 — Nexgard monthly for flea and tick or bravecto 3 monthly

Protocol two — Nexgard Spectra & Milpro

1 — Nexgard Spectra monthly from 8 weeks of age for fleas, ticks, heartworm and most internal parasites

2 — Milpro all-wormer halfway in between the monthly Nexgard Spectra until 12 weeks, then 3 monthly for tapeworm protection. 

Either protocol is fine if you’re likely to forget or delay a monthly treatment then protocol 1 is best, if you prefer the convenience of a simple monthly chewable tablet then protocol 2 is best. Cost-wise they are much of a muchness. Dr Harry, Dr. Cameron or Dr Melissa will discuss the best fit for your puppy during the initial vaccinations. 

Your puppy should be microchipped before arrival. The microchip is a coded implant that goes under your puppies skin. Should your puppy ever wander astray, the code can be looked up online to find your details and get in contact. 

Register your puppy with the local council as well as online at the Australasian Animal Registry aar.org.au. If your puppy is microchipped by us we will enter your details into the AAR but not the local council. 

Desexing is a surgical procedure performed under general anesthesia. In male dogs it is called castration and involves removal of the testicals. In female dogs it is called a spey or ovariohysterectomy and involves removal of the uterus and ovaries. Desexing prevents unwanted pregnancies, reduces the risk of a variety of  health problems and minimises unwanted or aggressive behaviour - particularly in male dogs. All dogs that are not to be used for breeding should be desexxed.

There is not a universally correct age for desexing. Generally speaking, desexing between 3 and 5 months of age will optimise the aforementioned advantages, minimise surgical complications and the first heat will be avoided. The exception here is Dachshunds and large breed dogs. These dogs are genetically predisposed to developmental musculoskeletal disorders. The sex hormones play an important role minimising the risk of these disorders during the dogs growing phase, therefore delaying desexxing until sexual maturity will help minimese this risk. That said, for some owners dealing with a dog in season may not be an option, or a male dog may be developing antisocial tendencies earlier in life - in which case early desexing may be the better option for you and your puppy. As with parasite protection, Dr. Harry or Dr. Cameron will discuss the most appropriate time for you and your puppy. 

You will likely get some feeding information and advice from your breeder when you get your puppy. It is important to maintain this diet initially before making any changes to smooth out the pups transition and maintain their appetite. The end goal with nutrition is to have a high quality, puppy specific commercial dog food making up >80% of your pups diet. The remaining 20% can be made up of  more palatable food to encourage appetite. Such examples include boiled chicken breast or high quality soft food. Avoid the temptation of feeding your puppy too much soft food or treats to avoid fussy eating habits. 

Home Cooked vs Commercial There is a lot of discussion at present around home cooked diets. There are strong opinions and anecdotes around these diets but unfortunately little evidence based information. A puppies growth (particularly for large breed dogs) is optimised by a delicate balance of micro and macro nutrients. Delivery of these nutrients in the correct ratios reduces the risk of undesirable developmental diseases - primarily musculoskeletal. This balance is delivered by high quality commercial diets. This is backed by clear scientific evidence. As Vets we are bound by a professional code of conduct to give advice based on scientific evidence and should avoid dealing too much in opinions. Therefore at present the “Vets line” is to feed high quality, puppy-specific diets - particularly to large breed and fast-growing (daschunds) dogs.  All that said, the ultimate choice as to how you feed your puppy is yours - our role is to provide you with the information you require to make informed choices. Please talk to Dr. Cameron or Dr. Harry during your vaccination consults should you have any specific queries on nutrition for your pup. 

Conventional wisdom varies somewhat on whether or not to feed dog bones - even amongst vets. There is one thing that is agreed upon that deserves Never feed your dog cooked bones. For raw bones there are benefits and risks to feeding bones and ways to minimise the risks. Bones assist with teething, support Gastrointestinal Tract development,  minimise dental disease and are a good source of dietary fibre. They are also a very effective distraction, aid in training (particularly crate training) and are a preferable chew toy for dog and dog-owners alike than a new pair of birkenstocks. 

The risks of feeding bones to dogs are very small but include gastro-intestinal obstruction, cracked teeth, foreign bodies in the mouth, airway obstruction and constipation. To minimise these risks the following principles should be followed

Never feed your dogs cooked or frozen bones 

Supervise your dog with bones. 

Introduce bones early on - 10-12 weeks is fine. 

Remove the bone once your dog is finished with it - don’t let them bury them. 

Don't give bones that can be swallowed - the bone should be as large as the dog's head. 

Avoid bones with too much marrow or fat on them. 

The best bones to give are long bones with a small amount of lean meat on them. For small puppies rib bones are great. There is little benefit to feeding chicken wings or necks - think of these more as a high caloric treat.

Just like house, contents, and car insurance; there are insurance options available for your dog. Pet insurance is offered by many different companies and can even be included in many cases as part of your own personal insurance.

Pet insurance is similar to other types of insurance- allowing you to make a claim for eligible vet bills. If you are thinking about getting pet insurance for your dog, consider commencing a policy when your dog is young, as most insurance companies won’t cover your dog for pre-existing conditions.

Pet insurance gives you as the owner peace of mind that if an accident does happen to your dog or your dog is diagnosed with a chronic condition; you can do everything possible to ensure your dog is offered the best treatments possible.

If you have any questions regarding pet insurance, please don’t hesitate to contact our team