Category Archives: puppies

Neutering your pet

Neutering your pet – what you need to know.

Have you heard that old rumour – you should let your dog have puppies before you neuter her? Well, did you also hear almost 50,000 pet dogs are being dumped in Britain every year! If your bitch has puppies (some produce up to 12 puppies in 1 litter) can you find forever homes for each and every puppy? And for the cat lovers – did you know the UK cat charities are reaching crisis point, due to the cat population being out of control!

The benefits of neutering can be applied to most species.

Neutering your pet can be done from as young as 4 months of age in rabbits and ferrets.

Cats – most cats are neutered from around 5 months of age.

Dogs – we normally advise puppies wait until they are at least 6 months old. Most small and medium sized female dogs are neutered around 6 months of age ( before they have their first season). Most small and medium sized dogs are neutered between 6-9 months of age.

Large and giant breed dogs such as Dobermanns , Rottweilers, Great Danes, may be better neutered at an older age of around 12-15months â€“ between first and second seasons for females or when fully grown for male dogs.

Neutering your female will stop her coming into season or heat, this can be messy time and last for up to 3 weeks. It can also prevent unwanted male attention, phantom and actual pregnancy. It can also dramatically reduce the risk of mammary cancer developing when they are older, and prevents ovarian cancer and pyometra’s (uterine infections) which can be fatal.

Timing of neutering Mammary Tumour risk

Before first season	0.50%
After first season	8.00%
After second season	26.00%
After third season or over 2.5 years age	40.00

Neutering your male can reduce: Urine spraying and marking, dominant behaviour, humping, testicular cancer and in cats can reduce them straying too far from home, which results in a much lower risk of road traffic accidents.

Neutering your pet

Owners have a responsibility to care for their animals needs, pregnant and nursing animals need extra food, care and attention. When the babies are old enough you will need to find homes for each and every one and ensure that they are wormed, flea treated and all puppies over 8 weeks old legally have to be micro-chipped. We also recommend as soon as your animal is old enough (8 – 9 weeks), to protect them against potentially fatal infections.

Neutering pets, is something we perform on a regular basis here at Young Veterinary Partnership and we always recommend neutering your pet unless you plan to breed. It is a day surgery procedure (they are dropped off in the morning for the procedure and go home the same afternoon).

The morning of the surgery we ask that you do NOT give your kitten, puppy or ferret any food (this rule does NOT apply to rabbits). An empty stomach reduces the risk of vomiting under anaesthetic.
Firstly we will book you a ‘Pre Op’ appointment, the morning of the surgery your pet will have a full health check with one of our experienced vets.
Your pet will then be transferred to our kennels area and given a pre anaesthetic injection by our nursing team, to keep your pet calm and stress free.
The surgery will usually takes less than 1 hour.
Once fully awake and recovered your pet will be able to go home the same day.
We ask than once home your pet is given a ‘light’ meal’ as they may feel slightly nauseous – we recommend a ‘recovery pack’ – this is specially formulated easily digested tinned food for pets following surgery. Alternatively you can feed boiled chicken and rice.

Then 7 – 10 days following surgery we ask that your pet returns for his or her stitches to be removed (please note male cats do not have stitches so do not need to return).

Your pet may be quiet for a day or so but we should bounce back to normal, within a few days. Contact us today if you would like to book your pets neutering surgery.

Did You Know an un neutered female cat can produce 18 kittens per year, which can end up with 20,000 descendants in just 5 years!

Did You Know female cats can get pregnant from 4 months of age!

Did You Know neutering your rabbit can reduce cancer and urinary tract infections.

We hope the above has helped you decide to neuter your pet, if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask any of our friendly team.

Is your pet due a trip to the vet?

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We want your pet to be as happy to see us as we are to see them!

One of the first things to help create this trust is to drop in, particularly when your pet is young if you need a reason, our nurses and reception team love cuddles with your puppies and kittens and usually have a spare treat or two for them but we also offer free weight checks. This allows us to keep a record ensuring they’re growing up and gaining weight as they should be.

If you are nervous about the visit don’t be! Our staff are highly experienced and have seen and heard it all. If it concerns you then please ask us , no question is too silly. Remain calm and ‘normal’ as your pet will pick up on any anxiety you may be feeling.

When visiting with cats we strongly recommend travelling your cat in a secure carrier not in your arms, even the calmest of cats can get stressed. If you have time, leave your carrier out a few days before your appointment, so your cat can climb in without being rushed. Try leaving a few treats and toys inside to tempt an investigation! Placing a towel over your carrier in the waiting room can help anxious cats â€“ if you need one just ask us.

When travelling with dogs Invest in a doggie ‘seat belt’ or secure caged area of your car. If your dog suffers car sickness travel them on an empty stomach. Allow plenty of travel time so you are not rushed or late. Please keep your dog by your side in the waiting room. A vet practice can be a stressful place for pets and your laid back family dog could become stressed and snappy towards other dogs.

Practice ‘vet checks’ at home. Your pet is never to young or old to do this training: Gently look inside your pets eyes and ears, teeth and mouth, practice lifting each paw in turn and nail clipping this is something that can be done at home, check out our free guide> Cats and Dogs. Feel your pet all over from toe to tail. Spend 5 minutes a day practising the ‘all over’ handling and your pet will find an examination ‘normal’, when they come to us.

If you are coming in for a specific problem i.e. behaviour or tummy troubles write a diary of events and problems. Try to include what foods they’ve eaten, treats, where they have been park , swimming, times of day all of these things may be useful when finding a diagnosis.

Please ask our vets to write notes for you to take home if you are concerned you may not remember something that was mentioned or bring a friend or family member for help and support.

We do our very best to ensure that you are seen on time at you appointment time but emergencies and unpredictable cases can happen so please bear with us, our reception team will endeavour to keep your updated if the consultations are running a few minutes late.

Puppy care- feeding, vaccinating, worming, and training

How to care for your puppy:

Make sure that you have suitable transport for your new puppy. Puppies may be put in a collapsible cage in your car, which ensures they are safe during a journey. Be sure to have them on a lead/harness so that they can’t run away. Also before your puppy has its first vaccinations it is imperative that your puppy does not touch the floor outside (other than your garden) and is only introduced to dogs that are vaccinated.

Night Time:

Your puppy may whine about being left alone for the first few nights. Soft toys can be good company. If you are planning to train them to use a crate you can cover the crate to make them feel more secure. Leaving a radio station on (eg. Classic FM) quietly in the background can also help them to feel more secure. Sometimes a ticking clock can provide some company. A covered hot water bottle may also be a very warm friend (care though- it should be hand hot only – any hotter can cause burns).

Training:

Make sure to train and handle your puppy from an early age. Plenty of handling will make them comfortable with human contact. Reinforcing good play behaviours with treats is also recommended. When doing any training always give verbal praise first, and immediately after give a little treat. Eventually your puppy will be happy to receive the verbal praise alone. Get the puppy used to being checked over (like at the vets). Lift and handle the ears, try getting a dog toothpaste and brushing their teeth, with a finger brush. Lift and handle the paws. Be sure to expose your puppy to as many different people as possible whilst it is developing. This can include a person in uniform (eg. A postman), someone wearing a hat, someone with a beard even! Puppy classes are a great way to socialise them. Other puppies will help to teach your puppy how to behave in social situations.

For further tips on training your puppy see our other puppy and dog training blog post here

1^stVaccinations:

This can be done on the first vet check between 8-10 weeks of age. The 2^ndvaccination is 2-4 weeks after. Until a week after the 2^ndvaccination it is imperative that you keep the puppy away from un-vaccinated dogs and do not place him/her on the floor in public spaces where viruses could be on the ground.

Worming and parasite control–

Puppies will need to be wormed as most will have picked up worms from their mother. This can be done with either tablets, or with a spot on treatment, which will treat other parasites such as fleas and lungworm. Your vet will advise on the most appropriate treatment.

Exercise:

Puppies do not need long walks – they only have little legs! Puppies aren’t considered fully grown until 6-18 months of age (larger breeds mature more slowly). It is then that a good exercise plan can be implemented. Larger breeds especially may be prone to bone and joint problems, and should not be over exercised, when growing.

Food:

Little and often. A puppy’s tummy is very small and so their food intake needs to be split between 3-4 meal times. Find out what your puppy has been fed on at the breeder’s and try to maintain that regime for continuity. If your puppy has diarrhoea, give them boiled chicken and rice. Introduce any new puppy foods gradually over 3 days, as a sudden change in food will often cause a digestive upset.

Play:

Puppies like to chew a lot especially during teething between the ages of 3 and 6 months, when they will lose all of their milk teeth. Provide rubber Kongs or rope chews. Avoid bones as they can crack their milk teeth on these. Play is an important way of learning for your new puppy and can be a lot of fun too!

Finally enjoy playing with your puppy – they grow up much too fast, and send your cute pictures to our facebook page here !

A case of Tetanus in a puppy

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Upright ears in a case of tetanus

tetanus

A case of Tetanus: This is Barney Barnard a 6mth old Border Collie puppy. When Barney was 3mths old he came to us showing some very unusual signs. He was unable to eat properly, his ears were erect, lips pulled back and he walked with very stiff front legs. After some tests and research Barney was diagnosed with Tetanus and started on intensive treatment. We are all very pleased that after a long 3mths of treatment Barney appears to have made a full recovery. The pictures show Barney with signs of Tetanus and as he is recovering.
Tetanus is an uncommon disease in dogs. Tetanus is caused by a bacteria called Clostridium Tetani, which is found in soil. Dogs can get Tetanus if the bacteria gets into wounds or from chewing sticks. This bacteria produces a toxin which causes paralysis. Cats can also get this disease but they are more resistant to it. The signs for Tetanus start appearing 5 – 18 days after the infection.
The main clinical signs we look for are:
*Stiff legs and a short, shuffley walk,
*Elevated tail,
*Contraction of the muscles in the face so it looks like the dog is smiling.

Luckily it is a very rare condition, so we hope we don’t see another case for a long time !

Tips on – How to choose a puppy

“Dogs are a man’s best friend”

Getting a puppy is a very important and exciting decision. A puppy can add so much joy and companionship to your life. We love seeing puppies here at Young Veterinary Partnership and enjoy, even more so, helping you to look after them as best as possible. When you decide to get a puppy you have to be sure that you can commit time towards exercising it, keeping it company and socialising/training it so it becomes a well-mannered adult dog.

Choosing your puppy:

The Breed: Choosing the appropriate breed for you is critical. A smaller dog breed may be more appropriate for your lifestyle. Seeing both parents of the puppy can help you assess possible future temperament (and future size). Some breeds may be more ‘highly strung” than others, some need more exercise, some need more coat care and grooming than others. Although most puppies are healthy, certain breeds may have an increased incidence of specific medical problems. This information is readily available these days on sites such as Wikipedia, specific breed websites and the kennel club. Taking out insurance at as soon as you get your puppy is a good idea.

The Breeder: Make sure your puppy comes from a reputable breeder where the mother is up to date with her vaccinations. The puppy should have also been wormed regularly throughout their first few weeks and may have had a flea treatment before being re-homed. Ideally the puppy should be around 8 weeks old before bringing them home. Keeping mother and puppies together upto 8 weeks, has been shown to reduce the risks of behavioural problems developing later. From April 2016 all puppies should be microchipped.

Charities: A great way of you re-homing a puppy. As a policy the puppy has usually had its first vaccinations and is microchipped for you. The charity may even have neutered them, if he/she is old enough. Charities often ask for a small donation towards adopting the puppy. Dogs Trust and Battersea dogs home may have suitable puppies or young dogs for rehoming.

Make sure that your puppy is fit and healthy when you choose it:

Hips/Elbows/Eyes: The parents of some pedigree litters have to undergo compulsory scoring of their hips (for hip dysplasia), elbows (for elbow dysplasia) or eyes (for cataracts and retinal problems). This reduces the risk of the puppies developing these problems (but doesn’t eliminate the risk), by only using parents with good scores for breeding. Make sure that the parents’ scores are of an acceptable standard for their breed. Visit www.thekennelclub.org.uk for more information.

Eyes: Bright wide eyes. No discharge.

Nose: Wet nose. No discharge.

Mouth & Teeth: No teeth out of place. Fully erupted. Milk teeth are usually bright white and look shiny.

Weight: A healthy weight where you can feel the ribs but not see them. Make sure the puppy doesn’t have a pot-belly as this could indicate a worm burden. This can be easily rectified by a wormer from a vet.

Appetite: A good appetite indicates a healthy puppy.

Toileting: Normal urination and defecation. This should be normally formed, no blood in it and not watery. Sometimes you can see evidence of worms in the faeces, if this is the case he will need worming by a vet.

Further information about different dog breeds can be found at www.dogstrust.org.uk

Choosing your puppy

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New research published in the Veterinary Record has proved the importance of seeing your pups’ parents when choosing a puppy.
Owners who had seen neither parent are 4 times as likely to need to take their dog to see an animal behaviourist. Owners who had seen just one parent (usually the mother) are 2.5 times as likely to have behavioural problems with their dog than owners who had seen both owners.

Seeing the mother allows you to assess the mother’s temperament, its condition and the puppies rearing environment. Ideally your puppy should not be separated from its mother until 8 weeks of age, which also reduces the chances of future behaviour problems. We recommend an eight week health check up with your vet, when the first vaccination can be administered. See www.youngvets.co.uk for contact details of your nearest surgery in Ealing, Brentford, Chiswick or Hounslow.

Puppy and dog training tips

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Puppy training tips

Puppy and dog training is essential for all, and time taken early on with the basics will go a long way to prevent behavioural problems developing later in adulthood.

Remember that there are only two basic training techniques-

1- reward for good behaviour, and
2- being ignored if badly behaved.

Always reward your puppy/ dog with verbal praise FIRST and a small treat such as a dog biscuit SECOND, for any good behaviour. It is important that you consistently keep this order so that the dog can learn that verbal praise is likely to be immediately followed with a treat. Treats should ONLY be given as rewards for good behaviour not just for being “cute and cuddly.”

Over time you should start rewarding good behaviour with praise only sometimes, and do not give a treat every time, but this will only work if you have followed the guidance above regarding the order of rewards.

You should still follow praise with treats often enough to make the good behaviour for praise only, worthwhile to your dog. The combination of praise plus treat , and praise only, for good behaviour is more effective as a training method than giving a treat every time.

DO NOT shout or try to tell your dog off if badly behaved. They will think the attention they are getting is a reward, so your effort will be counter-productive.

If your puppy or dog is badly behaved, they should be ignored, and you may want to put them out of the room, or if using a crate you could put them in the crate.

Dogs behave like pack animals, and in any pack there will be a leader. The leader receives the most attention.

As your puppy grows into adulthood, sometimes they may try to become higher up your “family pack” and become dominant over one or more people in the house.

Male dogs can be prone to this type of behaviour. To prevent this happening it is important not to give immediate attention when they want it particularly when returning to the house or first thing in the morning. I would suggest you make a drink and wait a few minutes for your dog to calm down and THEN turn around and greet the dog.

In this way attention is always given on your terms, and this reinforces the fact that your dog is the lowest member of your family pack. It is important that ALL family members follow this advice.

Finally puppy classes are excellent and important ways to socialise your puppy with other dogs and people and are best done at 10-16weeks of age.

Category Archives: puppies

Neutering your pet

Neutering your pet – what you need to know.

Is your pet due a trip to the vet?

Puppy care- feeding, vaccinating, worming, and training

How to care for your puppy:

A case of Tetanus in a puppy

Tips on – How to choose a puppy

Choosing your puppy

Puppy and dog training tips

Puppy training tips

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