Brushing Teeth
Starting to brush your puppy’s teeth at a young age can be a pleasant and fun experience. You should aim to brush their teeth daily (ideally!) because by the time dogs reach the age of 3, 80% of them will have some degree of dental disease. The extent of dental disease depends on different factors such as their diet (dry food is better for teeth than wet food), whether they chew their food or not (the action of chewing allows for cleaning of teeth), their breed (small dogs are especially prone to dental disease), whether they are on dental-specific food (such as Hills t/d), and more! Routine cleaning is available through us, but preventive care through brushing and dental food, is most important.
As mentioned before, you should start brushing your puppy’s teeth as soon as possible so they can get used to the sensation and hopefully learn to enjoy it. You can use the dual-end toothbrushes available here or a regular toothbrush but the toothpaste should be enzymatic dog- safe toothpaste (that is also yummy!). Do not use a human toothpaste as it can be toxic to your dog.
Lyme vaccine
This is generally for dogs who are exposed to ticks through roaming in long grasses and forested areas or who go camping or to cottages. However, these days we see an increasing number of tick bites in the city! Lyme disease is spread by ticks and can manifest itself as lameness, lethargy, fever, inappetence, swollen lymph nodes, etc.
Bordetella vaccine
This is for dogs who are in close contact with other dogs, particularly in but not limited to, daycare, grooming, dog parks, or boarding type situations. This is also known as kennel cough and leads to a severe “honking” cough.
Leptospirosis vaccine
This is for dogs who tend to drink from puddles and stagnant water or anywhere that disease-carrying wildlife may urinate. Leptospirosis is a type of bacteria that can harm a dog’s liver and kidneys. Leptospirosis is zoonotic which means it can also spread to humans.
[1] DAPP vaccine – DAPP stands for Distemper, Adenovirus, Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus.
[2] Core vaccines for dog are those that are strongly recommended to be administered to ALL dogs. The DAPP and Rabies are two core vaccine in dogs.
