page-header-img

Dog and Puppy Preventive Care

Dog and Puppy Preventive Care

Image by timolina on Freepik

Image by timolina on Freepik

The best way to deal with a medical problem is to prevent it from occurring in the first place.

The following are the recommendations of Mobile Veterinary Service for your dog and puppy preventive care:

Printable PDF – Dog

Puppy needs:

 Initial Vaccines/De-worm

6-8 weeks 9-11 weeks 12-14 weeks
D/H/P vaccine*
Fecal and De-worm
D/H/P vaccine
De-worm
D/H/P vaccine
Fecal and De-worm
Rabies**

*D/H/P = Distemper/Hepatitis/Parvovirus

**Rabies vaccine (Required by Alabama State law)

Canine Vaccine chart

Additional optional vaccines depending on case: Leptospirosa, Kennel cough, Lyme disease (see report)

Vaccines NOT recommended: Coronavirus, Giardia (see report)

Parasite Control

De-worming every 2 months for the first year

Recommended:

  1.  Heartworm preventative – start when the puppy is 16 weeks old and give each month until 7-10 months of age. At 7-10 months of age, give a 6-month heartworm injection. Repeat injection biannually for life.
  2. Flea and tick prevention – Beginning at 8 weeks of age – Frontline TopSpot applied at least every 2 months. After 8 weeks of age, additional options include: monthly use of Comfortis (fleas) and Nexgard (fleas and ticks), after 6mo of age, Bravecto (fleas and ticks) can be used every 3 months.
  3. Neutering (spay or castration) after 5-6 months of age

 Adult Dogs:

1.) Booster vaccine Distemper/Hepatitis/Parvovirus: Annually

2.) Booster additional optional vaccines if used

3.) Rabies vaccine booster (Current rabies vaccine required by Alabama State law)

4.) Fecal testing annually – Additional deworming varies based on the test

5.) Heartworm test annually

Year-round:  Heartworm, and Flea and Tick prevention

Options include:

  • Triflexis (fleas and heartworms) – monthly pill
  • Comfortis (fleas only) – monthly pill
  • Nexgard (fleas and ticks) – monthly pill
  • Bravecto (fleas and ticks)- every 3 months (pill)
  • Proheart6 (heartworms/intestinal worms) – injection
  • Heartgard/Iverheart/etc. (heartworms/intestinal worms) – monthly chew
  • Frontline/Advantix/etc. (fleas and ticks) – topical applications

Our recommendations (current as of 09/2014):

Inside dogs with minimal/no tick problems:   Triflexis  (if it is difficult to pill or to remember to give monthly, then: Proheart6 + Bravecto)

Outside dogs with tick exposure:  Proheart6 + Bravecto (alternative that must be done every month:  Heartgard/Iverheart + Nexguard)