Adding a new puppy to the family can be the first step toward an enriching and rewarding partnership between your new puppy and his or her human family members. We’re here to help you take the next step by providing all the preventive care your puppy will need to live a long and healthy life with you.

During your first scheduled visit to GVH with your puppy we will help you to create a wellness care plan for your pup and we’ll answer all questions you might have about your puppy and how best to provide for his or her unique needs. Your puppy will receive a complete health evaluation and the first in the recommended series of vaccines to be given every 3-4 weeks until your puppy is 16 weeks of age. Your puppy’s bodyweight will be recorded in order to monitor growth and you and your veterinarian will discuss nutrition, feeding, house, crate and obedience training, spaying or castration and other aspects of puppy care. You are welcome to schedule your puppy’s future vaccination appointments during this first visit.

Some Easy Steps to Take to Ensure the Safety of Your New Puppy

Poison Proof Your Home.
Check your home for possible poisons and toxins that your puppy can get into. Common toxins include antifreeze, rat or mouse bait, slug bait, and insecticides. Make sure you keep all drugs and medications out of reach.

Plant Proof Your Home.
Plants are an attractive part of home decorating, however they can be toxic to pets. Be careful what you bring in and note whether your puppy is getting into it. Ingestion of many plants can cause vomiting and/or diarrhea in most pets. Easter lilies are especially toxic and can cause fatal kidney failure. For a more complete list of plants that can be toxic to your puppy please follow this link to ASPCA website’s list of potentially poisonous plants: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/

Check Collars, Tags, and MICROCHIP.
Check your puppy’s neck at least weekly to make sure the collar is still in place and that it is not too loose or too tight. Active pups can easily lose their collar and in many cases their “identification” along with it. Consider having a microchip placed for permanent identification. The procedure is similar to a simple injection. A recent study performed at Ohio State University and published in The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association showed that dogs with embedded microchips were returned to their owners 2.5 TIMES AS FREQUENTLY as dogs without a microchip!

Puppy Proof Your Home.
Prevent common accidents in your home by puppy proofing! Protect your puppy from electrical cords and outlets by keeping cords neatly coiled and inaccessible and using commercially available outlet covers. Remove access to children’s toys, strings or small objects that can be chewed on or swallowed. Don’t allow pets near automated garage doors. Puppies and small dogs can be crushed under reclining chairs and rockers. Fold and secure window blind and curtain cords so they’re not hanging in Puppy’s reach. The real secret to puppy-proofing is to look at your home through the eyes of a dog. Find everything that looks like a swell toy, and if it’s something harmful, get rid of it or make it safe.

Keep Dogs Supervised.
Walks on a leash, supervised visits to the dog park and romps in your fenced in yard are all great outlets for your puppy’s excess energy. Roaming loose and unsupervised is not. Monitor the yard and fence frequently for problems such as loose boards, open trash, and other dangers. Keep pets inside in extreme cold or hot temperatures.

Don’t Let your Dog Ride in an Open Truck Bed.
Dogs that are allowed to ride in open bed pick-up trucks are frequently injured. Sudden starts, stops, and turns can toss your pet onto the road where it may be hit by oncoming traffic. It is estimated that at least 100,000 dogs die this way each year. Leashing your pet in the back does not protect it as dogs can be strangled when tossed over the side. If your pet needs to ride in back we suggest providing a crate safely secured to the cab for him or her to ride in.

Train your puppy.
A puppy with a solid recall that comes running when you call is a much safer puppy in most situations. Basic commands such as sit, down, stay and off will make life easier for you, other family members and house guests. We recommend a few local dog trainers who can lend a hand:

All Things Pawssible
www.allthingspawssible.com

Bark Busters
www.barkbusters.com

Tara McLaughlin
www.gooddog-training.com

Housebreaking help:
http://www.peteducation.com/
article.cfm?c=2+2114&aid=157

Know who to call.
In case of an emergency keep your veterinarian’s number handy as well as the number to your local after-hours emergency hospitals.

Georgetown Veterinary Hospital
200 Georgetown Way
Charlottesville, VA 22901
PHONE: (434) 977-4600
FAX: (434) 977-4604
www.georgetownveterinaryhospital.com/

Greenbrier Emergency Animal Hospital
370 Greenbrier Dr., Suite A-2
Charlottesville, VA 22901
PHONE: (434) 202-1616
FAX: (434) 202-1620
www.greenbrier-emergency.com

VETSS
Veterinary Emergency Treatment Service and Specialty
1540 Airport Road
Charlottesville, VA 22911
Phone: (434)973-3519
Fax: (434)973-6202
www.emergency-vets.com