Dog and Puppy Preventive Care
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:
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)
Additional optional vaccines depending on case: Leptospirosa, Kennel cough, Lyme disease (see report)
Vaccines NOT recommended: Corona virus, Giardea (see report)
Parasite Control
De-worming every 2 months for the first year
Recommended:
- Heartworm preventative – start when puppy is 16 weeks old and give each month until 7-10 months of age. At 7-10 months of age give 6 month heartworm injection. Repeat injection biannually for life.
- 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 Nexguard (fleas and ticks), after 6mo of age Bravecto (fleas and ticks) can be used every 3 months.
- Neutering (spay or castrate) after 5-6 mo 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 de-worming varies based on 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
- Nexguard (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 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)