Vets Opinions...

[oakway]

I would suggest that you get yourself another vet.

Vaccine works the same way on dogs as it does on you.

It starts working the minute it enters the body.

It may start working right away but you don't get peak/protective antibody levels until around 1-2 weeks after.

My last dog got mince and dry food for most of her life and did well on it so it is defintely not a "terrible diet"

I feed Mindy raw because she is allergic and I know more about nutrition etc now than I previously did.

Sorry Aussielover but we have available, and I use a vaccine that has a 36 hour turnaround.

[Patters]

"We only have a small backyard and we want to give her a good walk"

A puppy doesn't require a "good walk". It can be very damaging to young joints and ligaments. Puppies don't always let you know when they are tired or sore, when there are interesting places to go, smells, etc. I think the protocol of 100m/month of age (I am prepared to be corrected on this) works for most breeds, from Toy to Giant size.

[oakway]

"We only have a small backyard and we want to give her a good walk"

A puppy doesn't require a "good walk". It can be very damaging to young joints and ligaments. Puppies don't always let you know when they are tired or sore, when there are interesting places to go, smells, etc. I think the protocol of 100m/month of age (I am prepared to be corrected on this) works for most breeds, from Toy to Giant size.

Totally agree, people do more damage by walking young immature puppies than most believe. Leave the walking till the pup has some age on it. A back yard with plenty of toys is more than enough.

[Kinkdogg]

If you trust random people on a message board more than your vet, it's time to find a vet that you trust more.

You must not have understood what I said. I was asking people for their experiences and opinions. There is nothing wrong with our vet, he is really good.

Also as I have experienced with other types of forums, a lot of the people on them actually do know more. Don't sell DOL short...

[Kinkdogg]

Thank you everyone for the advise. Can't hurt to hear what other people do or have done even though every dog is different.

[OSoSwift]

The vet I go to uses a vaccine where they need two vaccines the last being at 12 weeks of age, then they say after two weeks they are safe to go. It depends on the vaccination regime your vet uses.

Many vets do not promote raw bones, but many do. I personally feed my raw bones and tried beef tendons etc. The also get Black hawk dry and many other things like mince, Four Legs dog roll, sardines, yoghurt, cream cheese etc

As for exercise, in the first 12 months walking is for socialisation and training only. You should not walk a puppy very far until 12 months of age - especially for a large breed dog. By all means get the dog out and about but it is to get them exposed to lots of different things not because they need to have the pants walked off them. They get more tired from mental exercise than physical.

I would stick with what the breeder has fed the puppy for at least the first month. This helps to avoid tummy upsets etc. Then if you want to, slowly change over to the diet you would like to feed. The best diet for your dog is the one that suits your dog. Some dogs go brilliantly or raw, some don't. Some do best on a mixture, some cannot handle raw at all.

I don't agree with everything my vet says either but they are still a very good vet whom I trust to do the best by my animals - especially when the chips are down.

[Staff'n'Toller]

If I worked at the RSPCA in the hospital, and there was lots of Parvo, then yes I would be taking my outer layer of clothes off at the door and hot washing them (and jump straight into the shower). I would also disinfect my shoes and leave them outside too - where the pup can't chew on them. But that's about as much as you can do.

In regards to bones, yes I don't give access to the marrow because it can and does cause pancreatitis, particularly in adult or older small breeds.

Have done lots of enemas of small dogs who were just fed too much raw bone and it all gets stuck.

In recent history have seen a Border Collie with a large piece of bone lodged in the throat that almost needed specialist surgery to go in and retrieve, and a Boxer with a huge piece of meat and bone that took over an hour with an endoscope to get out.

Just be careful, feed bones that are much bigger than your pup, and watch them all the time. Have some nice tasty roast chicken or sausage to offer in case you need to swap them for their bone.

Edited June 14, 2011 by Staff'n'Toller

[Kinkdogg]

Some great responses here, Thanks again! I'm definitely taking everything on board.

[Oskar & Zsa Zsa]

It is interesting to read how some are flexible on eating regimes and others are clearly defined.. Growing up on a farm, I have a laid back mantality to food. They eat what they would in the wild. Mine get bones and fur and lots of other stuff too. I actually encourage loads of variety with mine. Even my 7 month old puppy gets some variety. He has his regulation meals which are always the same (Minced meat and royal Canin junior) but, the in betweens are varied to extend his palate.

What is interesting, is that when the two of mine are together, a bone is not finished until there is no bone left, however, when on their own, a bone is finished once all the juicy bits of meat are gone from the outside!

They all have differing palates too. Zsa Zsa loves a pigs ear, Oskar prefers a piece of Kangaroo Jerky. she likes dog biscuits, he like liver treats. They are all different.

[Nekhbet]

I find it more worrying that at your pups age it has not left the backyard. That will cause more damage then not feeding mince or not walking it where other dogs have been.