Help with first vet visit??
 

Hi everyone,

My Alfie is scheduled to visit the vet for the first time on the 19th as he will be 8 weeks old. ( I had thought they go at 7weeks, but the vet said 8).

When I called the woman said to bring a sample (Alfie's special makings.. Eww! :rolleyes:) and they can check that.. but its optional.. (we will be doing this... better safe than sorry).

And he will get a Distemper shot and Deworming...

Are there any special things that may not be typical that would be best to have done or checked while there? He will be seen again when he is 12 weeks for another boster of his first shots, his first Rabies shot, and something called Kennel Cough, and then again at 16 weeks for the final boosters.

I will be looking each and everyone of these up on line.... but I love asking you all for advise.. Experts and all.. :D;)

I have been also keeping a log of his eating and relieving habits so the vet can tell me if he is healthy as far as that... Getting him at 4 weeks worried me so much that I want to make sure he is getting everything ++++ that he needs.

Also, we haven't let him outside for fear of him not having his shots already... and he has not been around any other dogs either... after this first dose.. can he start to interact?

Sorry long winded...

I have no advice as I am brand new to this dog thing as well. I love your dog's name though ;). I named my baby Alfie as well!

Good luck with your new little addition!!

Yeay! :woof: for Alfie's everywhere!! LOL

Thanks... I am searching the internet now... eekk there is too much to take in...

How old is your Alfie??

He's 12 weeks old today! yay!

Your little guy must be so tiny at 8 weeks old! Aren't they just precious?

He isnt 8 weeks yet... on the 19th he will be so he is still very tiny... but I think he has doubled in the last few weeks since we got him... (we got him very young.. 4 weeks old)... they are so precious..

Actually I just got off the phone with my hubby and will have to deal with him later.. he called to say he just gave Alfie some chicken soup.. I am going to KILL him.. :rolleyes:

Hi there,
It is important to wait untill all the vaccinations are given, before allowing your puppy to interact with other dogs, or going outside. Your puppy is not protected by just one dose of shots.
4 weeks is way too young to bring home a baby, but, I am glad he is doing well and is healthy.
Rabies shot is not given until four months of age. Bringing a stool sample in is important so they can check for internal parasites. It is common for a young puppy to have them.

The kennel cough vacine is bordatello. I would skip that unless you are going to kennel your dog. If you do elect to recieve it...do not get the verison that is applied to their nose. Lots of puppies contact kennel cough using that method.

Do not let them give him more than one vaccination at each visit. You can space them out a week apart. Definitely get his rabies seperately from the any others.

I'm not sure at what age they can begin heart worm preventative...mine were all already on it...but ask about this and expect him to be tested for heartworms before beginning it.

I think they can begin flea preventative at 8 weeks. I use half a dose of frontline when mine were small and saved the rest for the following month. The half dose was still effective.

A full blood panel (a blood test)...could be performed and it's not typical. It will gave the vet detailed information insuring all of Alfie's organs are working properly.

As MSCAT said, he can't be around other dogs or go to public doggie places like grooming salons, dog parks, pet stores, etc. until he has had all his shots. It is very important that he not walk in areas other dogs are walked either as the risk of deadly parvo is great for puppies.

Puppies normally finish their last round of shots around four months old. Wait two more weeks for full immunity before allowing him to interact with other dogs.

We normally like to wait until 9-10 weeks for those first puppy shots because his maternal antibodies from nursing will kill the virus in the vaccine. Since you got him at only four weeks I assume he was weaned very young, though.

Others have given you great advice. I would piggy-back on their advice and tell you that you should really KNOW your vaccine plan before going in and stick to it. There are core and non-core vaccines - but many, many (in fact, most) vets will try to talk you into getting ALL the vaccines, which is very unhealthy for your baby.

Most folks get the CORE vaccines (Distemper, Parvo, Rabies) and then only get the non-core vaccines if their dogs are at risk (more at risk) of getting the disease against which they're vaccinating. For example, I live in Arizona - and do not allow my dogs to be vaccinated for Lyme, Lepto, Bordatella or anything beyond the core vaccines. So, it's important to know where you stand on that, before you go in for the visit.