Southern Cross Puppy School

SOUTHERN CROSS VETERINARY CLINIC
8 SALISBURY AVENUE
MILL PARK
PORT ELIZABETH
SOUTH AFRICA
6001

TEL: 041 373 4243/4236
FAX: 041 373 4258
AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY NUMBER: 082 874 2305
E-MAIL: scvc@corpdial.co.za
www.scvc.co.za

Socialisation is the period between eight and twelve weeks of age when a puppy forms relationships with other dogs, humans of all ages, and animals of other species. What a puppy experiences during this period has an important affect on its adult relationships. Puppies that are exposed to a variety of positive influences during this early learning phase tend to be better equipped socially as adults. We welcome you to attend our Puppy School at Southern Cross Veterinary Clinic.

Our socialisation classes are for puppies under the age of 4 months which have had at least their first puppy vaccination. The classes run for 4 weeks on a Saturday morning. You will learn about housetraining, nutrition, health and behavioural issues while your puppy meets other puppies and different people. The lessons that you and your puppy learn at this important stage will be invaluable as your puppy gets older.

Puppies come in many different shapes and sizes and so their physiological needs are vastly different. A variety of foods have been developed to suit every life stage - these are in line with your pup's age, physical condition and breed features. The food variants include puppy, adult, senior and light.

Your puppy has very specific nutritional needs to develop properly and to pave the way for a lifetime of good health. Your puppy should be fed enough to meet his/her energy needs - the amount to feed will vary depending on the age, size, weight, activity level, temperament and environment. The amount to feed will adjust according to their development.

Your puppy should be fed 3 times a day until about 6 months of age and fresh water must be available at all times. We recommend twice daily feeding from 6 months of age. We recommend twice daily feeding even when your puppy becomes an adult.

Limit exercise before and after meals and avoid feeding your puppy directly before he/she goes to bed.

Once your puppy has been spayed or castrated, you may need to reduce the daily amount of food by about 10% to ensure that he/she does not gain weight.

The trained staff at Southern Cross Veterinary Clinic will help you to select the diet best suited to your puppy and so give him/her the best start to a healthy life.

There are infectious and potentially fatal diseases which can affect your puppy. Ensuring that your puppy completes an initial course of vaccinations and then receives regular boosters is very important. At about 6 weeks of age, the immunity from a puppy's mother begins to wear off so puppies are given their first vaccination at 6 weeks. The second vaccination is at 10 weeks and the third vaccination which includes the rabies vaccination is at 14 weeks of age. This course must be completed before your puppy is fully protected. The protection given by vaccination is not necessarily life-long so repeated vaccination may be necessary to maintain immunity. Our vets will examine your puppy before every vaccination and will delay vaccination if your puppy is unwell. Occasionally there may be a small swelling at the vaccination site and rarely your puppy may be off colour for a few days. Kennels will insist on seeing proof of vaccinations.

Vaccination helps prevent the following diseases:

CANINE DISTEMPER is caused by a virus and dogs can become very ill and many will die. Signs include coughing, nasal discharge, vomiting, diarrhoea and fits. Dogs which recover may have ongoing illnesses for the rest of their lives.

CANINE INFECTIOUS HEPATITIS is caused by a virus which affects the liver and can cause liver failure and death for many. Less severely affected dogs may have a cough, high temperature and develop cloudy eyes.

CANINE PARVOVIRUS is caused by a virus which causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea, usually in young puppies. Many will die. The virus can survive for long periods (about 6 months) in the environment and can be transmitted on your shoes.

LEPTOSPIROSIS is caused by a bacteria. Rats pass the bacteria in their urine and it survives well in moist conditions so dogs which spend a lot of time in water are at risk. The disease can cause jaundice and liver failure.

KENNEL COUGH is caused by a combination of viruses and bacteria which cause irritation to the windpipe resulting in coughing. It will spread rapidly through kennelled dogs, hence the name. The cough is dry and hacking and may sound as if something is stuck in your dog's throat. A young, healthy dog should not be unwell and the cough will go within 2-3 weeks. Keep your dog warm, take the collar off, limit exercise and do not take him to places where he will meet other dogs. If the infection spreads to the chest or if your dog feels unwell, our vets may prescribe some antibiotics.

RABIES is a fatal viral infection, passed from animal to animal via the saliva. After an animal has been infected, the signs will develop in a few weeks. The disease begins with a fever and as the virus spreads to the brain, animals will show a change in behaviour. In most animals aggressive behaviour will be seen together with a fear of water. Paralysis develops within a few days and then death. Vaccination against rabies is compulsory in South Africa.

Worms are a threat to your family as well as your puppy.

Deworm your puppy every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age and then at monthly intervals until 6 months of age. After your puppy has reached 6 months, we recommend deworming every 3 to 6 months.

Pick up your puppy's faeces regularly and use flea control products once a month as fleas are the intermediate host in the tapeworm life cycle.

We stock a wide range of over-the-counter deworming products at Southern Cross Veterinary Clinic.

We see lots of fleas on puppies as Port Elizabeth is the FRIENDLY CITY for fleas all year round due to the climate. This often leads to allergic skin problems. A vicious circle is often created:

-the flea life-cycle takes 3-4 weeks but can be as fast as 2 weeks or as slow as 6 months depending on environmental conditions
-5% of the flea life-cycle (i.e. adult fleas) takes place on the dog or cat - this is what you can see!!
-95% of the flea life-cycle (i.e. eggs, larvae and pupae) takes place in the environment - this is what you cannot see!!

To understand more about fleas and how to get rid of them, please visit this page

Housetraining your new puppy requires time and patience. Most puppies should eliminate within an hour after eating. Take your puppy outside to eliminate after eating, drinking, sleeping or playing. Teach your puppy where you want him to eliminate by selecting an area and praising your puppy after he eliminates in the proper area. Offering your puppy a treat after he finishes eliminating helps to reinforce the correct behaviour.

You will need to constantly supervise your puppy to prevent accidents indoors and your puppy requires frequent outdoor toilet breaks to be housetrained successfully.

Crate training is an excellent way to teach good behaviour. The crate needs to be large enough so that your puppy can stand up and turn around. The crate cannot be any larger than this when using it for housetraining so that your puppy can not eliminate in one area and sleep in another. The crate should contain toys and treats so that your puppy sees it as a safe area and the crate can never be used for punishment.

You need to encourage your puppy to enter the crate on his own by placing treats and toys in the crate. Your puppy will cry at first but never let him out when he is crying as you will reward this behaviour. Open the crate when he stops crying. Take your puppy outside to eliminate before confining. When your puppy first arrives, you will need to take him outside to eliminate every few hours during the day and night.

Crate training helps with housetraining, travelling, stopping destructive behaviour such as chewing and gives your puppy a secure area within your home.

Permanent teeth appear between the ages of 4 and 7 months.

We encourage you to have your puppy spayed or castrated. Spayed and castrated dogs live longer and also have a reduced risk of certain types of cancer and other health problems. Spaying just before the first heat reduces the incidence of mammary (breast) cancer to almost 0%. Castration helps to reduce aggression, tendency to roam and reduces the risk of prostate problems later in life.

At Southern Cross Veterinary Clinic, we normally spay small breed puppies at about 6 months of age and larger breed puppies at 7-11 months of age. We recommend spaying just before the first heat, so regular, free heat checks from 6 months of age is a good idea.

The age for castration depends on how "naughty" your puppy is. We like to wait until full muscle development has occurred (can be up to 18 months for large breed puppies) but if your puppy starts to lift his leg in the house or becomes aggressive then we might need to castrate earlier.

Please contact us at Southern Cross Veterinary Clinic if you have any questions about spaying or castrating your puppy.

We recommend that once your puppy has been spayed or castrated, you should reduce the daily amount of food by 10% to ensure that your puppy does not gain weight.