Inoculation & De-worming
preventative vaccination is very important.
if buying a new puppy, ensure that the puppy had its first inoculation and de-worming. insist on the vet chart as proof. some breeders will inoculate the puppies themselves. that is also good, but still insist on the proof in the form of a sticker on the vaccine vile. please don't accept the breeders word for it, there must be proof. ask the relevent questions before viewing the puppies.
there is currently a parvu virus (cat flu) epidemic and this virus is highly contagious and mostly very costly to treat and more often than not, deadly.
dogs
preventative vaccinations
1 distemper
an often fatal viral disease. initially a purulent ocular and nasal discharge which progress to nervous symptoms like nerve twitches and convolutions.
2 hepatitis
a virus affecting the liver
3 "parainfluenza"
a virus affecting the upper respiratory system referred to as "kennel cough"
4 leptosirosis
a bacterial disease of the liver and kidneys
5 parvovirus (cat flu)
a highly contagious viral disease of young dogs. loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhoea. (difficult to treat and more often that not, deadly)
vaccination schedule
puppies:- 6 weeks; booster:- 10 & 16 weeks
adult dogs:- annually
rabies:- 4 months:- booster:- 1 year after the first and then every 3 years
biliary in dogs
there is NO VACCINE available against this tick-born disease.prevention is the best achieved by proper tick control. symptoms are a high fever, listlessness and pale mucous membranes.
sterilisation
females:- from 6 months of age
males:- from 10 months of age
worms
most young animals have worms and should be de-wormed at ± 6 weeks with the first vaccination. regular de-worming every 6 months is recommended. the most common tapeworm in dogs and cats are transmitted by fleas and de-worming goes hand in hand with a flea control program.
dental care:- teeth should be examined regularly for tartar.
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