Visit the Vet Soon for a Healthy Start

As soon as possible after you adopt your puppy, take him to your veterinarian. At this time, a schedule can be worked out for needed vaccinations to protect your newcomer from a number of viral and infectious diseases. Make certain to keep these appointments so your pup will get all the shots he needs to get off to a healthy start. He should also be examined and treated, if necessary, for external and internal parasites.

Bring any immunization information you may have received when you adopted your puppy to your veterinarian to begin a case history for future reference. It's a good idea to keep your own medical record. You may need it for reference if your pet's veterinarian is not available.

Ask any questions you might have. Make a list of questions as you think about them to take with you so you won't forget. Write down any instructions or advice the vet tells you so you can refer back to it.

Ask about your puppies nutritional needs and feed a high quality diet designed for puppies. A wide variety of diets and formulations are available and your veterinarian should be your primary source of information as to the best choice for your puppy. The amount fed will vary with the type of food and the individual dog, but in general, should only be as much as the puppy can consume in 5 to 10 minutes at a given meal. Puppies are usually fed 3 times daily when between 6 and 12 weeks old, 2 times daily when 12 weeks to 6 months old, and may be fed 1 or 2 times daily when older than 6 months. For certain large breeds of dogs, your veterinarian may recommend that several smaller meals be fed rather than 1 large meal (even when your dog becomes an adult) because an association has been suggested between the consumption of large meals and a serious medical condition called gastric dilatation/volvulus or "bloat."