FUR BABY CARE
Owning a new Puppies and kittens can be a very exciting (and busy!) time for pet owners. There are some crucial health care measures that need to be taken to ensure your new furry friend gets the best start in life.
Puppies and kittens need a balanced, premium puppy/kitten food. Pet grow and develop rapidly and have very different nutritional requirements to adult dogs and cats. For example, puppies and kittens require additional calcium and energy to facilitate proper growth of bones and muscles, in dogs this ratio of calcium and energy can be different for small breeds to large breeds.
It’s essential that you discuss the best nutritional plan for your new pet with a trained veterinary professional.
Parasite control is also very important for puppies and kittens as they are more likely to be carrying gastrointestinal worms at this stage in their life. An all wormer tablet should be given every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age, every month until 6 months of age and then every 3 months for life.
For puppies heartworm prevention is even more important – the best way to prevent heartworm is with injectable medication administered by your vet, this removes the possibility of forgetting to give a dose, one missed monthly heartworm dose can result in heartworm infection.
Tick prevention is a must, even in the colder weather. The newer oral tick preventatives and tick collars are highly effective. Most of these products also prevent fleas for extended periods.
Vaccinations are also imperative to prevent deadly infectious diseases such as parvovirus, distemper, hepatitis and infectious canine cough in puppies and feline herpesvirus, calicivirus and feline panleukopenia in kittens. During the vaccination consultation the veterinarian will complete a full physical examination to ensure your puppy/kitten is healthy and fit for vaccination. After these vaccinations are completed your pet will then be able to safely mix with other pets at dog parks and public places without the risk of acquiring these infectious diseases.
Sydney Animal Hospitals offer a free new puppy and kitten health check-ups with our vets, free pet insurance for one month and a free sample bag of Hill’s puppy or kitten food.
For new puppies our vet will also be able to suggest some puppy schools for him/her to attend to receive some basic training and the critical socialisation needed.
If you have a new puppy or kitten contact your local Sydney Animal Hospitals Kellyville 8883 0533 or Norwest 8883 0411 to discuss your new fur baby.
