Dog and Puppy Care
Comprehensive Care for Your Adult Canine Companion and New Puppy
Canine Whole Health Evaluation
Keeping your best friend healthy is about more than just vaccines.
We believe in a whole-body, whole-family philosophy that balances the optimum care of your pet with your specific lifestyle.
Each wellness visit includes an assessment and guidance on age-specific behavior & training, environment and risk-based parasite prevention, nutrition counseling, the benefits of supplements, and healthy weight counseling.
Canine Vaccinations
Rabies
- The Rabies vaccine is required by law. This is a universally fatal disease in animals and, yearly, there are multiple positive reports in CO wildlife
Distemper/Adenovirus/Parainfluenza/Parvovirus (DAPP)
- We call these your core vaccines. All dogs should be vaccinated against these illnesses due to the severity and prevalence of the disease
- The four virus prevention affects the brain, liver, respiratory system, and gastrointestinal systems
Leptospirosis (Lepto)
- Colorado is a high-risk area for Leptospirosis. This illness is spread by wildlife such as raccoons, skunks, squirrels, rabbits, or deer
- Lepto can cause mild disease or fatal kidney & liver infections. It is also very contagious to humans
Bordetella (Kennel Cough)
- The Bordetella vaccine protects against a major component of the kennel cough disease complex
- Bordetella is recommended for dogs that attend groomers, boarding facilities, dog parks, or doggie daycare
Parasite Control, Prevention, and Testing
Annual Blood Parasite Testing
- This test ensures the heartworm prevention plan is working in case of missed doses, late doses, medication resistance
- Heartworm preventatives do NOT treat adult worms, only prevent new infections
- Many tick-borne diseases have asymptomatic phases that warrant early detection
Heartworm Prevention and Intestinal Parasite Deworming
- This is super simple prevention is in the form of a flavored treat to give monthly for life
- It PREVENTS but does not treat heartworm infections (spread by mosquitoes)
- If needed, we perform intestinal deworming against roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms
Flea and Tick Prevention
- This is a very simple prevention method in the form of a flavored treat to give monthly from April to October to prevent the infection of fleas and ticks
A Healthy Start for Your New Puppy
A new puppy can be one of the most exciting – and stressful – things a family can go through. Here are some tips to help make the transition as smooth as possible.
8-Week Old Puppies
Most puppies come home with a HUGE transition!
It’s critical to visit a veterinarian immediately after adoption so we can talk you through some common pitfalls and provide tips for success.
Topics we will cover during your first appointment are:
- The gentle approach to housetraining using the
- Puppy-Centric Method
- Creating a safe space in your home for your puppy
- The critical socialization of your puppy (hint, it’s happening now!)
- Proper nutrition – what to feed, how much, and when
- Deworming schedule
- Vaccination schedule
Most puppies come vaccinated & dewormed, so we’ll adjust our plan as needed, but if we’re starting from scratch, most puppies will receive:
- Distemper/Parvo Vaccine #1 of 3
- Oral Bordetella Vaccination
- Start monthly heartworm prevention, continue for life
- Intestinal parasite deworming (given at home at 10 weeks)
- Microchip with lifetime registration
12-Week Old Puppies
This is when your puppy’s personality really starts to shine! It’s also when housetraining & crate training start to become critical to keeping your little rascal safe.
Topics we typically cover:
- Phase training of potty training and utilizing the crate
- Transitioning to less frequent meal feedings
- Early obedience
- Safe and appropriate chew toys
- Communication challenges – what is your puppy trying to tell you?
- How much exercise is too much exercise?
We’ll continue our medical management with the most common protocol being
- Distemper/Parvo Vaccine #2 of 3
- Leptospirosis Vaccine #1 of 2
- Continue monthly heartworm prevention
- Intestinal parasite deworming (given at home at 14 weeks)
- Consider flea/tick prevention depending on the season
16-Week Old Puppies
Your puppy’s graduating! This is the final puppy visit for most pets.
We will cover:
- Troubleshooting any housetraining challenges
- When to transition to adult food
- Spay/Neuter timing
- Obedience and behavioral tips and training
- When can we stop restricting exercise?
We’ll continue our medical management with the most common protocol being:
- Distemper/Parvo Vaccine #3 of 3, 1-year duration
- Leptospirosis Vaccine #2 of 2, 1-year duration
- Rabies Vaccination, 1-year duration
- Continue monthly heartworm prevention for life (may need to change weight classes as the puppy grows)
- Consider flea/tick prevention depending on the season
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