Puppy Growth Stage
After that, and especially in high-risk areas, it would actually be convenient to wait until the puppies or six or eight months old, carrying out a second reading vaccination against all those diseases that are more probable in such places. Likewise, is almost an obligation -- from three months on, despite the fact that is more convenient when they are six or eight months old -- to vaccinate the puppy against rabies and, in places where it is required, identify the puppy with a chip. Finally, it is indispensable that on a yearly basis and throughout her entire life you continuously revaccinate her not only against rabies, but also against all the other diseases for which fat there are vaccines and. This is also true in the cases in which in your house there are other dogs that might go to expositions frequently or might stay in canine residences during some months of the year. So you must immediately vaccinate your dog against parainfluenza (A virus that causes upper respiratory infection, including the common cold and bronchiolitis, most often in puppies) and bordetella (Any of various small, gram-negative coccobacilli of the genus Bordetella, some of which are pathogenic in the human respiratory tract. It includes B. pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough), also on a yearly basis. It is convenient to know what different commercial brands are available on the market, which makes it easier for you to administer them; naturally, the veterinarian is the one who can best advise you on how to map out your vaccination calendar.
Besides the indispensable vaccination program, it is important to periodically deworm your dog against intestinal parasites. Additionally, it is important that you make sure that the breeder from whom you bought the puppy gives you a complete record of the dewormings that he has applied to the dogs; he has to have at least dewormed them two or three times before turning them in. As I mentioned before, from the moment you receive the puppy, you must deworm her punctually every three months, unless you suspect that the puppy (and later the adult dog) might be at risk, like those that are used for hunting or that stroll frequently in the open field with cattle.
On the other hand, the diet during this stage of puppyhood and even, as we'll see later, in teenhood, is very important for the correct development of the animal. From the moment that the puppies are weaned, they have to be fed at least four times a day; once they reach three months of age, you can reduce the meals to three times a day. When they get to be eight months, it's enough to feed them only in the morning and in the afternoon. In any case, nowadays, on the market there are specific formulas of dry food, semi humid or canned food that enormously simplify the task of feeding your dog and they are conveniently made for this fundamental growth stage, providing the exact amount of proteins, vitamins and minerals that are necessary. It's important to respect the instructions of the manufacturer as far as gender, age and weight of the puppy, dividing the recommended daily rations into the number of meals you serve per day, unless the veterinarian indicates another procedure.Go to Teenhood -->
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