Dog Health Advice

Some helpful info on caring for your dog

Vaccinations

Why do I need to vaccinate my dog?

As a responsible pet owner, you want to make sure that your pet stays fit and healthy. Keeping your dog up to date with their vaccinations is vital to provide immunisation and protection against many life-threatening diseases, for which there may be no cure. 

Vaccinations are also essential if you wish to place your pet in a kennel, as they will not accept them unless you have an up to date vaccination certificate. 


Kennel Cough vaccination

This is also required for dogs and must be given at least 10 days before going into kennels.
If you wish to take your pet abroad, they will require a pet passport and specialist vaccinations will be required for this. 

All pets should have an annual booster to keep them fully protected. It is very important to ensure that you keep these timescales; otherwise, you may need to re-start a full course.


When do I need to vaccinate my puppy?

Your puppy will need a course of injections 2 - 3 weeks apart. They can have their first vaccination any time from 7 weeks of age and finish the course at 10 weeks of age or older. We recommend that they do not go out into public places until 1 week after their 2nd vaccination. 

Older puppies can go out sooner after completing the course of vaccinations.

Neutering

Neutering your dog is a very important part of responsible pet ownership. Unless you wish to breed from your pet or you have an extremely nervous male dog, we recommend that you consider this for a number of reasons. It goes without saying that every year the animal charities are inundated with unwanted animals abandoned due to excessive unplanned breeding.


There are many health-related reasons for getting your pet neutered

For female dogs and cats that are not spayed, they face a higher risk of developing womb infections later in life, which can be fatal and will require major surgery. They are also at risk of mammary and uterine tumours. 

For unneutered male dogs, they can develop prostate and testicular cancer, which can again be fatal or require major surgery. Additionally, males can become more territorial and this can see them becoming aggressive and often sees them getting into fights. 

Please speak to one of our staff for details on neutering.

Worming & Fleas

ALL PUPPIES & KITTENS HAVE ROUNDWORMS!

We recommend that your new pet is wormed for all worms every two weeks until 12 weeks old, then monthly until 6 months old. Worming is recommended every 3-6 months for life as every pet will get worms at some point during their life, which can cause various health problems.


Flea control

Prevention is better than cure…

These is a bewildering array or anti-parasitic products on the market and we will be happy to give advice about the products most suited to your pet’s lifestyle. Flea treatment is advised to be given monthly to prevent a flea infestation on your pet and in your home.


Which skin parasites should I be concerned about?

Cats and dogs can be affected by a number of skin parasites including fleas, lice, mites that live on the skin or in ears and ticks. These can be contracted from other affected pets, from wildlife or from the environment, (this includes your home if one of your pets has brought in fleas!). Signs can include itching (but not in all cases), hair loss, head shaking, reddening of the skin or even sightings of the parasites on your pet.

Dental Disease

Like with humans – your pet can get plaque build-up, gum disease and abscesses, which can be very painful and can lead to them having to have many teeth removed under general anaesthetic. Also, if your pet has dental problems this can affect their ability to eat and can result in weight loss, digestive problems or even kidney disease.

It is important to remember that most dental disease is treatable. Certainly, the vast majority of the disease is preventable.

A frighteningly high percentage of our pets are in urgent need of dental treatment. This means that they are walking around with infection and inflammation in their mouths. Not only is there infection in the mouth - but it can spread to affect the whole body. We can offer preventative dental care including animal toothpaste and toothbrushes.

Feeding

Giving your dog human food can result in obesity as well as digestive problems. It is very important to keep your pet’s weight controlled as overweight pets can lead to them suffering from diabetes, joint problems and teeth problems as well as putting additional strain on their heart.

This can also cause hormonal problems such as hypothyroidism and diabetes. We offer free weight checks with our nurses and receptionists to help monitor and control your pet’s weight and we can also advise on the right diet.

A good healthy diet and regular exercise is recommended not only to keep your pets weight under control but to also maintain good dental hygiene. Giving too many treats or scraps of your food isn’t keeping your pet fit and healthy and could lead to potentially distressing health conditions.