Veterinary, Pediatrician, and Stylist Tips For The Week!

April 25, 2017

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Alison’s Tip

Here are my top tips for preparing for a puppy:

Find a trainer early – as early as 8 weeks old. It is always better to have a professional trainer show you the proper tools and methods to work with your puppy. As dogs get older, they develop habits and become more difficult to train.
Crate training is the easiest way of house breaking your puppy. Here are some great articles on how to get started- Crate Training and House Training.
Puppies chew and tear apart everything in sight. Choose toys at the pet store that are indestructible and avoid stuffed animals with stuffing or noisemakers inside. I like products from Nylabone and Kong.
Put away your garbage, make sure they can’t get near the toilet paper, and pick up anything from the floor that is not a toy for your puppy. Puppies eat everything and surgery to remove a foreign body is not uncommon in puppyhood. I promise this one small tip could save you a lot of stress and money.
Play with your puppy’s paws and nails, clean their ears weekly (ask your veterinarian to show you how) and use a dog toothbrush set to get them used to cleaning their teeth at a young age. Getting them accustom to having their nails, ears, and teeth fussed with will help them be more comfortable with the process when they are older.
Bathe your puppy every week or 2 to get them used to bathing and grooming.
Stay informed on parasite control and place your puppy on monthly flea and tick and heartworm preventions. My picks are Heartguard for heartworm prevention and Nexgard for flea and tick prevention.
Spay or neuter your pet (please see my previous blog- Why Should I Spay or Neuter my Pet?).
Make sure your puppy is on a vaccination protocol recommended by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). Discuss with your veterinarian what is needed for your puppy based upon demographics and where you live.
I highly recommend pet insurance! One of my favorites is ASPCA.

Katie’s Tip

As we start to head into the summer months, it is important to keep our children protected from the common illness that can be caused by the pool. Swimmer’s ear is a common infection of the external ear canal caused by water getting into the ear and not properly draining out. Make sure to always dry your child’s ear with a towel after swimming and bathing. To help avoid this type of infection, create your own ear drop, either a 70 percent alcohol solution or a mixture of one-half alcohol, one-half white vinegar. Place two drops in each ear after your child is finished swimming. Happy Swimming!

Carrie’s Tip

Lately, I have been drooling over shoes for spring. I find myself wondering over to the computer and adding everything bright and colorful to my cart. Purchasing them all is a different story haha! With Spring here it is time to amp up your shoe collection right? Here are my must have shoes for spring.