Dog Wellness

Caring for a dog, especially as a first-time dog owner, can be overwhelming. Your veterinary team is a great resource for information and can help make the addition of a new pet to your home a pleasant experience.
Your puppy will be examined regularly to make sure they are healthy as they grow – this will include listening for a heart murmur, looking for hernias, and making sure the adult teeth are erupting normally. Your puppy will be given vaccines every 3-4 weeks until they are around 4 months old. If you have an older puppy who has not been vaccinated, your vet will be able to determine the best vaccination schedule for them. Vaccines include Rabies, Distemper, Parvovirus, and Bordetella. Other vaccines may be given based on your pet’s environmental risks. These puppy exams are also a great time to discuss spaying/neutering, food selection, and house training with your veterinarian. It is recommended to avoid dog parks and exposure to unvaccinated dogs until your pet is fully immunized.

During your puppy’s visits, you will be sent home with heartworm and flea/tick preventatives. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes and eventually grow to become 6 to 12-inch worms that live inside the heart, obstructing blood flow. Heartworms can eventually lead to heart failure and death in pets. Giving a monthly preventative will prevent this from becoming a concern in your dog. Ticks are an even more frequent threat in Virginia. There are 4 species of ticks that are routinely seen in Northern Virginia. They are a big concern because they transmit illnesses such as Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. We also worry about dogs bringing ticks inside to their owners! Keeping your dog on a tick preventative will minimize risk of these diseases, whether they stay indoors or spend a lot of time outside. There are many preventative options available (topical liquids, chewables, collars), and your vet can help determine which one may be most beneficial for your dog.

Obedience training is very important in developing a strong, positive relationship with your dog. We highly recommend starting puppy classes at a young age to start reinforcing useful commands such as “stay” and “come”. A trainer can help provide input on how you communicate with your pet, and a group class with other puppies is beneficial for socialization.

Adult dogs should be examined yearly, or more frequently if there are medical concerns. Healthy visits may include their annual vaccinations and routine bloodwork. Exams are very important as pets get older because they can expose problems like weight loss, heart murmurs, arthritis, or abdominal masses. Common concerns that warrant a call and/or visit to the veterinarian include vomiting, diarrhea, scratching ears, squinting eyes, and limping. Some problems may require testing like bloodwork and radiographs, but your veterinarian will work with you to determine the best plan for your dog.

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