New Puppy Info

Congratulations on the addition of your new family member!

Have questions about training your new puppy? Ask our staff! We also refer patients to Dog Trainer’s Workshop in Fountain Inn for training.

Training Information

Your puppy will give you unconditional love and friendship that cannot be replaced. We, at Emerald City Animal Hospital want to help keep your puppy as healthy and happy as possible. To ensure your puppy receives complete preventative care to protect against disease, we recommend a series of four (4) visits. During these visits, your puppy will receive the following to maintain good health:

Puppy Vaccine Protocol

6 Weeks

  • 1st Puppy Wellness Exam
  • DHPP Vaccine *1
  • Deworming
  • Heartworm & Flea Prevention
  • Client Education

9 Weeks

  • 2nd Puppy Wellness Exam
  • DHPP Vaccine *1
  • Fecal Exam For Intestinal Parasites
  • Heartworm & Flea Prevention
  • Client Education

12 Weeks

  • 3rd Puppy Wellness Exam
  • DHLPP Vaccine *2
  • Heartworm & Flea Prevention
  • Client Education

15 Weeks

  • 4th Puppy Wellness Exam
  • DHLPP Vaccine *2
  • Rabies
  • Heartworm & Flea Prevention
  • Client Education
  1. DHPP- Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, and Parainfluenza
  2. DHLPP- Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parvovirus, and Parainfluenza

The doctor may customize the visits according to your pet’s needs.

Please monitor your puppy for any vaccine reactions such as vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, pain at the injection site, hives, swelling of the face or breathing problems. These problems are not common but they can happen. Please call us immediately if you have any concerns so that the doctor can determine what treatment your puppy needs.

!!!We advise leaving your pet at home until it is fully vaccinated!!!

Basic Dog & Puppy Information

NUTRITION

Good food and plenty of fresh water are needed to allow your puppy to reach its full potential. We recommend feeding your puppy a good quality puppy food for the first year of life. After reaching one year old, you can slowly switch your dog to a good quality adult dog food over 7-10 days by mixing the two foods together.

Brands We Recommend
Purina Pro Plan, Royal Canin, & Hill’s Science Diet

SPAY & NEUTER

All pets not being used for breeding purposes should be spayed (females) or neutered (males) between 5 and 6 months of age. It is preferable to spay the females before they come into heat to drastically decrease their chances of developing mammary cancer.

There has been new information about spaying and neutering larger breeds at a later age. Our staff will be happy to discuss this with you.

HEARTWORMS

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal condition caused by parasitic worms living in the heart of our pets. Heartworms are transmitted when a mosquito bites an infected animal and then bites your pet. These adult worms can grow up to six inches long and can eventually cause severe respiratory disease, congestive heart failure, and death. Although there is a treatment available for canine heartworm disease, it is painful and can be dangerous for the dog. The treatment is also very expensive. We recommend monthly heartworm prevention year round for all dogs. At each yearly exam, a simple blood test will be done to ensure your pet is free of heartworms.

Brands We Recommend
Heartgard Plus or Interceptor Plus

FLEAS & TICKS

Flea and tick control is important in keeping your pet both comfortable and healthy. In addition to causing allergic reactions, fleas and ticks can spread disease and parasites. These problems can be reduced or prevented with routine flea and tick control.

Brands We Recommend
Nexgard or Bravecto

YEARLY EXAM

After your puppy, has gone through the series of puppy vaccines, it is recommended that your dog come in yearly for a comprehensive physical exam. Internal parasite testing, heartworm testing, and booster vaccines are also a part of this visit.

INTESTINAL PARASITE EXAM (FECAL)

Animals are susceptible to many types of intestinal parasites including worms. To determine if your pet is carrying any intestinal parasites, we must analyze a stool sample to look for their eggs. We recommend this test twice yearly. Tapeworm eggs are rarely found on the intestinal parasite exam therefore we rely on you to let us know if any are present. Tapeworms resemble rice and can be seen in the stool or on the hair around the tail or anus. If any parasites are detected, we will provide the proper medication to treat them.

MICROCHIP

A microchip containing a unique identification number is inserted under the skin of your pet. This may be done at any time but is convenient to do the day your pet is spayed or neutered. Using a special scanner, veterinarians and local humane societies can read the chip, identify the pet, and contact the owners if the pet has been lost.

SENIOR CARE

Your dog is considered a senior at the age of 7. We recommend annual blood work and urinalysis. Additionally, we recommend bi-annual exams on senior patients for proper screening, disease prevention, and monitoring.