The health of your purebred puppies should be of the utmost importance to you.
You want a healthy puppy that is free of parasites and on good food. Nutrition is very important, especially in the first year of life.
There are many diseases that the new puppy can come into contact with and it is these puppy vaccinations that help build resistance to viral attacks.
Although there are multiple ailments and diseases, I will try to briefly list and discuss just a few of the more common ones in this puppy article. As always, puppy vaccinations are the best preventative method.
Parvovirus (parvo). This is a very serious disease. It attacks the intestinal system and is a viral disease of dogs. Parvo is characterized by severe bloody diarrhea and vomiting, high fever, and lethargy. The diarrhea is particularly foul-smelling and is sometimes yellow in color. Parvo can also attack a dog’s heart causing congestive heart failure. Remember, without medical treatment, most puppies die from Parvo.
Distemper. This disease attacks all tissues of the body and can occur by inhalation of the virus in a contaminated area. Signs of the illness often resemble a bad cold with fever at first, although later stages can include vomiting, high fever, diarrhea, seizures, and thickening/crunching of the nose and pads. Death is common, and dogs and those who recover may have future nerve damage. Simple puppy vaccinations are the best prevention.
hepatitis. It is spread through contact with contaminated urine or feces. This affects the kidneys and liver; often, dogs will have a high fever, lack of appetite, bloody vomiting/diarrhea, and depression. Often, affected animals will have chronic health problems, and recovered dogs will pass infected urine for months after infection. Once again, vaccinations are the best preventative method.
Leptospirosis (Lepto). It affects the liver and kidneys and can be transmitted to humans through contact with the urine of an infected dog. Signs such as vomiting and thirst, bloody diarrhea, depression and jaundice may occur. Antibiotic treatment is important although the best prevention is through vaccination.
Rage. Transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal, rabies is another disease that can be transmitted to humans. The disease affects the nervous tissues and causes paralysis and death (always). Again, vaccines are your best weapon against this disease. Below is a short list of other common issues to be aware of.
Kennel cough. Kennel cough deals with bacterial and/or viral infections in the upper respiratory tract. The symptoms of kennel cough are a constant wheezing cough. Highly contagious too!
Other symptoms to watch for in your new purebred puppy:
vomiting Occasional vomiting is not uncommon, but see your vet if the problem persists or if the vomiting is accompanied by blood, diarrhea, or pain.
Diarrhea. It can be caused by a number of things: viruses, food, internal parasites, and bacteria to name a few. Contact your vet if the stool is bloody, continues for an excessive time, or if dehydration occurs. Once your pup has recovered, return him to his food slowly and in smaller but frequent portions.
Constipation. It can also be caused by multiple factors, such as insufficient water intake, illness, or ingestion of a foreign substance. While your vet may need to run blood tests to find the cause, generally a high fiber diet and exercise will help prevent this problem.
Not to scare you in any way, I hope this information reassures you just how important puppy vaccinations are to your new puppies (and their) health. Proper vaccinations are the best prevention in the never-ending war against disease and can save your pup, and yourself, a lot of discomfort, grief and pain, and possibly even death. Here’s to a healthy and happy puppy.