| Puppies love to bite. They do it naturally but it is | | | | without breaking the bank. Understood. Let's find out |
| something that they must be taught not to do. This | | | | how. |
| needs to be addressed while they are young because | | | | Tip #1: Be straight up! |
| dog bites can lead to all sorts of problems including | | | | If your pooch is acting sick and you KNOW he ate |
| legal action. It may seem fun and funny to have a | | | | something out of the garbage-tell the vet! I can't tell |
| puppy biting but a full-grown dog can do a lot of | | | | you how many times we've gone through a list of |
| damage, particularly to children if they are in the habit | | | | expensive (and sometimes unnecessary) diagnostic |
| of biting. Dogs have immense strength in their jaws | | | | procedures to find out that the owner knew all along |
| and even a playful nip can do permanent damage to a | | | | what the problem might be! |
| child. | | | | "Oh yeah-I did notice that I had a sock missing . . ." Ugh! |
| Generally, puppies are taught to control their biting from | | | | We had one gentleman who knew his dog ate a pair |
| their mothers but in most cases we get puppies as | | | | of panties but didn't want to tell us because, well . . . the |
| pets that have been taken from their mothers at a | | | | panties didn't belong to his wife. |
| very young age and it is up to us to teach them as | | | | Fortunately, the dog got better but his pocketbook paid |
| puppies not to bite. | | | | the price. Not sure what happened to the marriage. |
| By letting your dog socialize with other dogs from a | | | | We're not here to judge you-we're here to make your |
| young age they will quickly learn from their elders, | | | | pet feel better! |
| provided they have been taught well, that the desire to | | | | Tip #2: Follow your vet's recommendations when it |
| bite needs to be curbed to avoid retaliation and an | | | | comes to preventative medicine (heartworm |
| ensuing fight. | | | | preventative, vaccinations, blood tests, etc.). Do you |
| The sooner the puppy is taught not to bite by the | | | | think heartworm pills are expensive? Well, the cost of |
| owner or by interaction with other dogs, the less | | | | heartworm preventative is chump-change in |
| aggressive they will become as they grow older and | | | | comparison to what it costs to treat a heartworm |
| the more pleasant they will be to live with. | | | | positive dog. Depending on the dog's weight, a month |
| Taking a puppy to a dog training school will allow it to | | | | of heartworm preventative can cost $3-8. If your dog |
| interact with other dogs where it will quickly be | | | | tests positive expect to pay $500-$1000 (or more) to |
| corrected for any misbehavior. Puppies should | | | | have him treated. Egads! That's a mortgage payment |
| generally learn to interact with other dogs within the | | | | for some folks. And by the way, ALL DOGS are at |
| first three months of their life. The longer this is left the | | | | risk for acquiring heartworm disease, even if living |
| more difficult it becomes for your dog to socialize | | | | indoors. It only takes ONE bite from an infected |
| correctly and they can become dangerous later in life. | | | | mosquito. I've seen all kinds of dogs test positive for |
| As with children, the sooner your puppy can learn | | | | heartworm. The past few months our clinic treated a |
| correct behavior patterns the better they will be in the | | | | Chihuahua, a Bouvier, a Siberian Husky, and a Labrador |
| long term. | | | | retriever. |
| It is also wise to get the puppy to behave correctly in | | | | There has been a lot of discussion lately between the |
| the presence of other animals including cats and any | | | | veterinary community and vaccine manufacturers. |
| other pets that they might come in contact with over | | | | Thanks to scientific advances the immunity provided |
| their life. | | | | by many pet vaccines is lasting longer. Therefore, |
| There are many items that are available from the pet | | | | many veterinarians are recommending giving boosters |
| stores and vets that can give your puppy suitable | | | | on certain vaccines every three years instead of |
| satisfaction to chew and bite upon. This will allow your | | | | yearly. That will save you money! Hopefully your |
| puppy to learn what is right and what is not right to | | | | veterinarian has jumped on this bandwagon. Vaccines |
| bite. | | | | are essential in protecting our pets against deadly |
| HOW TO SAVE MONEY AT THE VET (INCLUDING | | | | viruses. But the less vaccines we have to give the |
| WHAT THE ONLINE PHARMACIES DON'T WANT | | | | better. It all depends on your pet's age and lifestyle. |
| YOU TO KNOW!) | | | | Talk to your vet. Blood tests often reveal hidden health |
| In case you haven't noticed, quality vet care isn't cheap. | | | | problems. If a disease is detected early, it will be both |
| But if it wasn't-I'd be worried. Because it would be your | | | | easier and cheaper to treat-for both you and your |
| pet's health that had to suffer! The cost to run a | | | | veterinarian. Treating diseases involving kidney failure |
| veteinary clinic is more than what many people expect | | | | and liver disease will cost you lots of money if your |
| and most veterinarians retire before their college loans | | | | pet is in the later stages. Even if your pet's blood tests |
| are paid off. | | | | are normal you will have a baseline of his healthy |
| Of course, you probably could care less about all that! | | | | values if there ever is a problem in the future. Not a |
| You just want your pet to receive proper health care | | | | bad investment. |