Basic puppy health guide for new owners: vaccinations, feeding & care
Bringing home a new puppy is exciting, and understanding puppy health care is essential for giving them the best start in life. From puppy vaccinations to feeding, vet visits, and preventative care, this short guide covers a few basics that all puppy parents should know.
Why puppy vaccinations are important for health
Maintaining good puppy health starts with vaccinations, which protects dogs from serious and potentially fatal diseases. Puppies are more vulnerable to infectious diseases than adults and are generally given their primary injections around 8 weeks old. If your puppy was vaccinated by the breeder or rescue centre, you should have received a vaccination card when you brought your puppy home. Show this to your vet to make sure they get the additional vaccination they need or make an appointment to start vaccinations as soon as you get your puppy home.
What vaccinations do puppies need?
There are four main diseases that are vaccinated against to protect your puppy’s health:
Canine distemperThis disease can affect dogs of all ages, not just puppies. Spread via saliva, the symptoms are a high fever as well as coughing, vomiting and diarrhoea, and often death. Dogs who survive may develop neurological problems in later life.- Infectious canine hepatitisThis is passed on through bodily fluids from infected dogs. It is an unpleasant disease, which can result in a nasty cough, like kennel cough, or liver disease and failure.
- ParvovirusThis disease is passed on from an infected dog through their poo/vomit. It mainly affects puppies and causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea. Puppies who contract parvovirus often die.
- Leptospirosis (Lepto)Lepto is transmitted through infected water. It causes high fever, vomiting and diarrhoea and can result in liver failure and death.
- Kennel coughThere is a vaccine available for kennel cough. However, this is not routinely given to dogs. If your dog is likely to spend time at boarding kennels or doggy day care, where there are high numbers of dogs, you should consider having your dog vaccinated against kennel cough. Ask your vet for advice.
Puppy vaccination schedule and boosters
To ensure their immune system stays strong and to protect against these diseases the WSAVA recommends that booster vaccinations for distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus (DHP) are given every 3 years. The leptospirosis vaccine booster should be given annually.
Microchipping and puppy health
Microchipping is important for puppy health because it provides a permanent method of identification. This leads to faster reunions in the unfortunate situation where a puppy becomes lost, reducing the time your pet is away from their home.
A microchip is a small electronic chip, similar in size to a grain of rice, that is implanted under the dog’s skin, usually around the scruff of the neck. When scanned it contains a unique number that links to the database where the owner's details are stored.
Since April 2016 it has been a legal requirement for all dogs over 8 weeks of age (in England, Scotland and Wales) to be microchipped and registered.
Breeders are responsible for microchipping puppies before selling them and owners are then responsible for updating details on the database if they move house or change phone numbers (the breeder should give you paperwork when you collect your puppy allowing you to do the update easily).
If contact information is not kept updated and your dog is found as a stray, they may not be able to be reunited successfully. Please note: there is often a small charge to update contact details and this often depends on the database your microchip is registered to.
What to feed a puppy for good health
Whilst puppies are growing, the correct nutrition is important for their development and to keep your puppy healthy. A balanced diet will help them grow into a healthy adult dog.
To begin with, find out what your puppy has been fed by the breeder or rescue centre and stick with the same food until your puppy has settled in. It is fine to change your puppy’s diet but this needs to be done gradually over a number of days otherwise it may give them an upset stomach.
You can buy puppy food in most supermarkets, pet shops or online, and you can often buy food directly from vets. For great information and independent reviews on puppy and dog food, head to All About Dog Food. Use the instructions on the packet about how much and how often to feed your puppy as a guideline, but be aware that some puppies need more or less food than is suggested due to differences in metabolism, activity levels, health conditions and weight. The instructions will usually be based on your puppy’s ideal weight as an adult. If you are unsure or need support on diet you can ask your vet.
How often should you feed a puppy?
Puppies have small stomachs so they should eat little and often. This helps maintain blood sugar levels and reduce puppy biting, as a hungry puppy is often a bitey puppy. A puppy will usually need 3-4 smaller meals throughout the day when they first arrive at 8 weeks old but the number of meals can reduce, and portion sizes increase, as they get older. Follow the guidance from the pet food manufacturer.
Depending on your dog food of choice will depend on when they can switch to the adult equivalent. Some brands say your dog will need a diet formulated for puppies until they are 9-12 months, depending on their size.
Raw diets and puppy health
Raw feeding is a diet of raw meat, offal and bone and sometimes fruit and vegetables. This can be homemade or bought via a supermarket or pet store. Supporters of raw diets for dogs say that it is more natural and closer to the diet that dogs would have lived on in the wild and is easier to digest. Dogs fed a raw diet tend to fart less too and have smaller, more solid poos which are easier to pick up! The concerns are that it may not always be nutritionally balanced - particularly if homemade - to support puppy health and development. Some commercial raw diets are sold as complete meals, but others are described as complementary. It’s important to check the information on packaging carefully. There are also food safety risks associated with raw meat, such as chicken although normal kitchen hygiene can reduce the risks. All commercial producers of raw diets must comply with stringent food safety regulations.
Puppies can be fed a raw diet, just like adult dogs. However, it is important they are fed a formula designed for puppies. You can buy commercial raw diets for puppies. If homemade, you will need to carefully research your puppy’s nutrition needs to make sure they get everything they need. Remember to change your puppy’s diet slowly, over a few days, to avoid tummy upsets.
Human foods puppies can and cannot eat
There are many foods that we eat that dogs can enjoy too. These include tasty snacks such as cheese (in small amounts), pate, peanut butter (which make great fillers for a Kong, Lickimat or Toppl). Dogs can eat fruits (except avocado - see below), including bananas (but watch the calories), sliced apples (remove the seeds first as they are toxic) and blueberries.
Counting calories is important for puppy health. Remember that treats contain calories so factor these in when calculating how much to feed your puppy or dog and introduce new foods gradually to their diet.
There’s also a list of things that are poisonous to dogs and should never be fed to them. These are:
- Chocolate
- Avocados
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants (often found in cakes)
- Onions, garlic and chives
- Macadamia nuts
- Xylitol - an artificial sweetener used in foods
If you are concerned that your dog has eaten any of these items, you should contact your vet for advice.
Your puppy’s first vet visit
It’s a good idea to let your puppy settle in for a few days first, but you should register with a vet as soon as possible. On the first visit, the vet will carry out a puppy health check. This involves examining their eyes, ears and teeth, weighing them and listening to their heart. Ask your vet what your dog’s ideal weight should be as an adult. You will need this information to make sure you feed your puppy the right amount of food. Feeding guidelines, which you will find on your dog food packaging, are based on your dog’s ideal weight as an adult.
At 8 weeks old your puppy will need their first round vaccinations to protect them from infectious diseases. Some, but not all, breeders will give puppies their first vaccinations before they go to their new homes. Take with you any paperwork given to you when you collected your puppy, so the vet can see what vaccinations they have already had and what they need. Your puppy will need a second set of vaccinations about two weeks later to complete their primary course of vaccinations.
At this first appointment, your vet or vet nurse will also advise you about what worm and flea treatment you will need for your puppy and how often this needs to be administered.
After your puppy has had their primary course of vaccinations they will need to have an annual booster to protect them from infectious diseases (then every 3 years after that). They will also need a health check. This is offered every six to 12 months, depending on how your local vet operates. Your vet will examine your dog and check their weight at these appointments.
Signs of poor puppy health
Routine check ups are essential for maintaining puppy health and wellbeing. However, if you see any of the following signs, it might indicate they are unwell and you should seek further advice from your vet immediately.
- Sudden loss of appetite
- Change to drinking habits/increased thirst
- Sudden and unexplained decrease in activity levels
- Persistent vomiting or diarrhoea
- Excessive coughing, wheezing or laboured breathing
- Unexplained weight loss or gain
- Changes in behaviour or mood
Managing puppy healthcare costs
Most vets offer dog and puppy health care plans. These cover annual vaccinations, and a year’s worth of prescription flea and worm treatment (although you should research if regular and constant chemical parasite control is necessary for your dog). They also include health checks every six to 12 months. You pay a monthly subscription for this annual plan.
It’s a good idea to get pet insurance for dogs. This can cover any unexpected costs in the event of your dog being seriously ill, injured or in need of surgery. Shop around to compare pet insurance for your dog and check the small print for what’s covered and what’s not and what the increases in premiums are as they age.
A number of animal welfare charities e.g. Blue Cross, PDSA and the Dogs Trust, can help with vet bills for families on low incomes.
Keeping your puppy healthy
Testimonials
What Clients say
about Puppy School
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“We loved it! Even though Otis is a timid dog, his confidence has grown! ”— Taylor
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“I can’t imagine a tutor better than Kelly. She was so reassuring and helpful, and skilled in getting us through the exercises. Her fondness for the dogs and enthusiasm was obvious.”— Emma
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“It’s a fantastic course. The small sizes also really allow for personal tailoring if the exercise to suit my puppy. Neal made me so at ease when I struggled with something and there was never a I time I felt embarrassed to ask him to reexplain something I was struggling with.”— Daniel
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“Definitely a great basis for puppy training and we will be attending more classes. Also liked the fact it was a small class.”— Jeff
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“Loved this course, so helpful and Claire is an amazing tutor.”— Luke