Puppy Advice - Margetts & Associates
Congratulation on your new member of the family. Having a new puppy will bring much joy however there are down sides and if you expect a little trouble it will be easier to handle.
Your new pet may well have the odd little pet of its own! For example fleas and lice. At first vaccination we will give you a free puppy pack which contains your puppyʼs first Frontline Combo spot on treatment for external parasites. Please use it and if you wish carry on applying at recommended intervals.
We are all for implanting these fabulously clever little devices. About the size of a small grain of rice they are injected beneath the skin between the shoulder blades at the base of the neck. This is nearly always painless and we recommended it at the second vaccine when the puppy has grown a bit and has settled in the new home or at neutering time when the pup will be unconscious anyway.This is a one off permanent thing and is very worthwhile. (see our article on microchipping)
Many new owners ask if we recommend any particular diet. All of us use well known proprietary brands to feed our pets but we make no stipulation as to which you should use. All of the well known brands are well researched, carefully prepared and beautifully presented. You make the choice but whatever you choose to feed puppy make any changes from what was being fed at the breeder very slowly. Gradually mix more new diet into the old diet day by day until you achieve the change over. If you do it suddenly you invite tummy upsets.
We recommend neutering for both males and females. It has some definite health benefits in the long term and eliminates unwanted pregnancy. We are happy to neuter from five and a half to six months of age which is before a bitch puppy will have had her first season. You will hear all sorts of stories about worse ill effects if bitches are spayed young. This has quite definitely not been our experience and we actually encourage early spay (see our article on neutering)
At your pupʼs first visit we will supply you with a month of free insurance courtesy of Pet Plan. Take it you might as well. Pet Plan will then contact you to see if you want to continue with the insurance.