Bringing home your new puppy!!

 Welcome!!! We are happy to have you as a member of our extended puppy family. After you have settled in and have time to go through everything in your puppy’s go home bag there are a few things to take care of. Included in your puppy package you will receive his/her reregistration application, which includes free 30 days of pet insurance. You want to get registered as soon as you make it home so the puppy is covered for accidents. You will see a wellness exam sheet from your puppy’s first wellness exam, a vaccination and deworming record with your puppy’s microchip number (microchip is located between your puppy’s shoulder blades), a soft blanket and a sample of food. 

 Puppy diet is a crucial part of your puppy’s health. Basset Hounds may be small in stature, but they are still a large breed. Because of this they need to eat a large breed puppy formula. Large breed puppy food has reduced calories, fat, protein, calcium and phosphorus. This altered formula slows down growth in large breed puppies to aid in bone and organ formation. Your puppy is currently eating Loyall Life Large Breed Puppy food. I recommend feeding a puppy food diet until a year old. Talk to your vet before switching to be sure you get what’s best for the puppy. If you choose to use another brand of food it is crucial to slowly transition your pup to a new brand of food once you get him/her home. Abrupt dietary changes in young puppies can result in dangerous intestinal complications. There is also a possibility that the puppy could develop a fatal condition known as “Intestinal Intussusception”. Please see the recommended transitional feeding schedule. 

 Puppies are eating about ¾ twice per day when they 

go home at 8 weeks old. 

Transitional Feeding Schedule (please note it is extremely important to feed puppies twice per day, this helps with absorption of crucial nutrients).

• 1st and 2nd Days of feeding - Loyall Life Large Breed Puppy food
• 3rd and 4th Days of feeding - 75% Loyall Life Large Breed Puppy food and 25% new food.
• 5th and 6th Days of feeding - 50/50 mix
• 7th Day of feeding - 25% Loyall Life Large Breed Puppy food /75% new food
• 8th Day of feeding - 100% new food.

It is important schedule your puppy’s first veterinary appointment within 7 days of going home. It is best to get this initial appointment scheduled before you pick up your puppy so you can avoid any delays in scheduling. At this visit, your veterinarian should create a vaccination schedule with you (your puppy will need booster shots until after 16 weeks old, create a deworming protocol with you and perform a fecal exam (stool sample test).

This test is very important because parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, giardia, and coccidia are common in all puppies. (30%-50% of puppies contract giardia and/ or coccidia). These organisms live in the ground and can be picked up easily when puppies explore their surroundings. Because puppies are raised together, they may sometimes re-expose one another, which can make complete elimination of parasites more difficult despite careful management. While we follow strict hygiene practices and administer preventative medications, no system can fully prevent exposure. While we run a fecal exam at 5 weeks old and treat if needed,  running a fecal test after your puppy comes home ensures that any parasites are identified early so your veterinarian can treat them quickly and keep your puppy healthy.

 Once you get your new puppy settled in, they need a few more vaccinations to be fully immunized.  It is important to keep your puppy off the ground as much as possible and never allow drinking from a puddle until they have received the 3rd vaccination. Your pup received 1 dose of Spectra 5 which is a 5-way Parvo and Distemper Combo shot at 7 weeks old. This canine vaccine protects against Canine Distemper, Canine Adenovirus Types 1 and 2, Para influenza and Parvovirus viruses. This dog vaccine contains Type 2B Parvovirus for rapid immunity and cross protection against all recognized field strains. Your puppy will need boosters at 11, 14 and 16 weeks old (or as recommended by your veterinarian). Annual revaccination with a single dose is recommended. Remember to only vaccinate healthy dogs. Your pup will also need a rabies vaccine, which can only be administered by a veterinarian as early as 12 weeks of age. I recommend waiting until they are 16 weeks or older. Keep them on a deworming schedule every 2 weeks for as long as your vet recommends.  

 The registration application provided to you in your puppy folder can be mailed in or filled out online. Microchips can be registered almost anywhere. Some popular registries include, Pet Trace, 24Petwatch Registry, IPASSA, Petchipped, Free Pet Chip Registry. Do a little research and find what will work best for you. I would suggest registering with at least 2 of these registries. You can’t go wrong, because getting it done is better than not having it done at all. 

  Your puppy needs to have all of its vaccination boosters in order to be protected from life threatening sicknesses/ diseases. When your puppy leaves my kennel, he/ she will not be old enough to have had all of their boosters. Because of this your puppy is very susceptible to these illnesses, such as Parvovirus. It is crucial to keep your puppy up off of the ground in public areas, and to keep them away from public areas as much as possible. Parvovirus and other illnesses are also carried on the paws and fur of other animals, even fully vaccinated animals. It is very important to keep any animals that reside out of your home (ie. Furry friends of family and friends) away until your puppy is fully vaccinated with all of their boosters.