Dog Advice


The health and happiness of your canine friend is about more than just feeding them right. With expert advice from our vets, you can provide the best care for your dog at all stages of their life.

Puppies

Bringing home a new puppy is an exciting time for all the family to enjoy. However, preparation and patience is important for your new furry little friend. Here you can find friendly tips and advice for your new pup!

Ideally, puppies should stay with mum and the litter until at least 8 weeks of age. By this stage, it should also have had its first vaccination, including a vet check, and a microchip implanted.

If this is not the case or you are not sure, we recommend you bring in your puppy, with any paperwork you received, to see one of our vets.

Your puppy may not have been in the car before, so please keep it well restrained. If it is a long ride, please make scheduled stops. It is not yet safe for your puppy to wander around public areas, so consider carefully where you plan rest stops.

Your puppy will need to be fed between 2 to 4 times daily, depending on age and breed. Fresh, clean water should be freely available to your puppy at all times.

We recommend premium puppy food designed for your type of puppy. The following brands are excellent quality nutrition for your puppy: 


  • Royal Canin
  • Delicate Care

We recommend that your puppy gets fed a large part of its daily food in a treat toy, such as a Kong. This way, your puppy spends at least some of the time you are away entertaining itself by trying to get to its food.

The first few nights will be an adjustment for your puppy.

It is best to try and keep your puppy awake in the evening. After some fun play time, dinner and a trip outside for a last ‘wee’, put your puppy to bed. You may consider giving your puppy a favourite chew treat/toy to take to bed.

This routine should mark the end of interacting with your puppy for the day. Even if your puppy cries or barks (a little), you should avoid giving it any attention. The more consistent this routine is, the faster your puppy will learn to settle down for the night.

Adult Dogs

As we become older we notice changes in ourselves, like human’s, dogs also experience change as they mature.

Becoming an adult occurs between 1 to 2 years for dogs. Smaller breeds stop growing earlier, while giant breeds can take up to 2 years to reach full size.

Small dogs live longer and age slower (4 years per human year), while giant breeds have the shortest life span and age quickly (7-13 years per human year).

  • Small breeds < 10kg reach adulthood at around 9 to 12 months
  • Medium breeds 10 to 15kg reach adulthood at around 12 months
  • Large breeds 25 to 50kg reach adulthood at around 12 to 18 months
  • Giant breeds 25 to 50kgs reach adulthood at around 18 to 24 months

We recommend yearly health checks as this will help our vets pick up any health concerns early on. 

  • Allergies
  • Bad breath and tooth decay
  • Grass seeds
  • Coughing and sneezing
  • Vomiting and diarrhoea
  • Injuries, such as wounds, sprains, strains
  • Lumps and bumps
  • Bladder infections
  • Anxiety and other behaviour concerns
  • If you suspect your dog may have one of these conditions or symptoms, please contact us or your local vet.

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