Puppy and Dog Care
VACCINATION
Puppies need to be vaccinated against parvovirus, hepatitis, distempr, kennel cough, lepto ictero & lepto australis.
These vaccinations are given as a course over a period of time from 6 weeks of age. As an adult, he or she will need to receive a yearly booster vaccination against these diseases.
WORMING
Puppies should be wormed regularly with a gastrointestinal wormer, to prevent dangerous intestinal worms such as hookworm, roundworm, whipworm and tapeworm. If possible, weigh your puppy first as worming medications are given according to weight. we suggest 'Drontal'
A puppy should be wormed
Fortnightly until 16 weeks of age.
Monthly until 6 months of age
PUPPY NUTRITION
When you welcome a new puppy into your home, as well as looking after the puppy's health with regular worming and vaccination, you must also look after its health by providing a source of food that is of good nutritional value.
Dogs should be fed a food that is appropriate for the breed, age and activity level. If the puppy starts off with good dietary habits it will help eliminate dietary problems such as diarrhea, weight loss or weight gain, calcium deficiencies or losses, pancreatitis and even tooth decay and arthritis etc.
Here at Mackay Pet Superstore, we stock a variety of quality products to meet different nutritional requirements as well as different budgets. A chart is attached that lists the various products, the details of the product as well as an approximate cost per day for feeding an average sized breed of puppy.
Apart from a good quality dry food or wet food, puppies also need to be supplied with a variety of dental care products. These come in the form of such things as rawhide chews, dental toys such as Kong’s, raw bones etc.
Puppies DO NOT need milk once they’re weaned from their mothers. Water is enough. If you do wish to give milk you should use products such as Animalac or Divetelac. These are powdered milks designed specifically for young animals. Puppies tend to be lactose intolerant so should not be given cows milk or other dairy products.
Puppies should never be given human chocolate. There are some chocolate treats available for puppies, but these should only be given in moderation to prevent obesity and dental problems.
You should also avoid giving table scraps as our food served on our tables at home are full of preservatives and artificial colouring. Onions are also a definite no as onions can actually kill a dog by causing severe enteritis. Vegetables can be given in small amounts as well as pasta. Rice can be given also.
Last of all NEVER GIVE COOKED BONES as they can splinter and break easily and cause blockages resulting in expensive operations and sometimes death.
HEARTWORM PREVENTION DOGS & CATS
Heartworm is a parasite that infects both cats and dogs. Heartworm is usually fatal to both species. Dogs with adult heartworm in their lungs and heart can be treated but treatment is expensive and can also be fatal.
Prevention is much better, cost effective and easy to administer.
The common mosquito carries heartworm from animal to animal. They cannot be passed on to humans. The heartworm life cycle is very simple. A mosquito will have a blood meal from an infected dog or cat. It will ingest microfilaria (young heartworm) in this blood meal. The microfilaria develops into infective larvae while in the mosquito within 14-21 days.
When the mosquito next bites a dog or cat, it injects it with the larvae. These larvae then migrate through the animal’s tissues. These immature heartworm grow and develop over a period of 2-3 months. They then migrate and from 70-120 days post infection stages of heartworm may be found in the heart or pulmonary artery. It therefore only takes about 4 months for young adult heartworm to develop from the larvae. These young heartworm lodge in the heart and lungs and associated blood vessels. It only takes 1 heartworm to kill an animal. Adult heartworms can be up to 30cm long.
Symptoms of dogs infected by heartworm are coughing, bloating of the body, lethargy, vomiting, and heavy continuous panting.
We sell a variety of heartworm preventions here at Mackay Pet Superstore.
Understanding the Tick Problem
One of the biggest worries facing pet owners on the eastern coast of Australia is the possibility of their dog dying from tick poisoning. Known as “paralysis tick” or “dog tick” in NSW and “scrub Tick” in Queensland, Ixodes holocyclus normally feeds on bandicoots and possums which become immune to its poison. It is capable of attaching to dogs, cats and even humans and will cause symptoms of poisoning in all three.
The young adult female tick transfers onto the dog as it brushes through foliage. Life Cycle of the Paralysis Tick The paralysis tick uses three hosts to complete its life-cycle. The female paralysis tick can lay up to 3000 eggs.
When the eggs hatch the larvae climb onto vegetation and attach to the first host. After engorging on the host’s blood each larva drops to the ground, moults and becomes a nymph. The nymph attaches to a second host and again engorges on the host’s blood. After engorging the nymph drops to the ground, moults and attaches to the third host. After engorging on the third host the female paralysis tick will drop off the host onto the ground to lay her eggs. The female paralysis tick can suck more than 100 times her weight in blood.
A Serious Pest – The Brown dog tick
The brown dog tick is a serious pest of dogs in northern Australia. The brown dog tick can also be found almost anywhere in Queensland, along the coastal and inland areas of NSW, in Melbourne and in the northern part of South Australia. The brown dog tick has no native host. It is often carried on the dog into the house, where it can become a household pest. Life Cycle of the Brown Dog tick The brown dog tick uses three hosts to complete its life cycle.
The female brown dog tick can lay 2000-5000 eggs in her lifetime. The development of the eggs is dependent on a temperature of 20 degrees C or above. This tick will happily complete its entire lifecycle in the house, using the dog as its host for each stage of the lifecycle.
The Bush Tick – not a Natural Australian
The bush tick is not indigenous to Australia. It is thought to have been introduced with Indian cattle earlier this century. Cattle are the normal hosts for the bush tick however it can also be found on dogs. The bush tick is common along the coast in NSW, Qld, WA and parts of Victoria. It too uses three hosts to complete its lifecycle. Mackay Pet Superstore sells a wide selection of tick and flea preventions and controls.