We only go to the veterinarian’s office when we HAVE to go.  Why?  Because that is where the SICK pets go!  Sick and contagious pets hang out in the waiting room and then your healthy pet can contract an illness while going for a routine exam just by sniffing around the area.  And most dogs get very stressed when going to the vet.  If possible, this is to be avoided.  And it is easy to become proficient at giving booster shots and de-worming.

We have done a lot of research as to the correct way to establish a de-worming program for our pups and dogs.  As a result, our critters are parasite-free and healthy.

DISCLAIMER:  We are not veterinarians and do not hold ourselves out to be veterinarians.  The information here explains the procedures that we use and have found to be effective with our dogs – based on the references below and our communications with veterinarians and other breeders.

We buy our pet care products and medicines from www.AlliVet.com.  They are a fine company with the best prices.

An annual vet exam will fill in any voids in your program and let you know how it’s working out through blood and fecal testing, but you will save yourself a ton of money doing most of it yourself.  (Rabies shots are one immunization that only a vet can do.)

De-Worming

2 drugs are needed for our program at home:  Pyrantel Pamoate for intestinal worms and Ivermectin 1% solution for heartworms.  Both are inexpensive and effective.

Also, we remove feces from the dog’s area daily.

Pyrantel Pamoate — Pyrantel Pamoate suspension is a dewormer for the removal and control of mature infections of strongyles, pinworms and roundworms in dogs, cats and horses.  One brand name is called “Strongid”.  See petMD here.  We administer 1 cc per 10 pounds of dog weight.  Safe for pregnant females.  Administered to pups every 2 weeks, starting at 2 weeks of age through 10 weeks.  Monthly thereafter.

Ivermectin 1% —  This is a sterile solution that is primarily used in cows and swine, but is the active ingredient in “Heartgard®”, an overly-expensive edible product for dogs.  You can use Heartgard® if you prefer; we do not.  Dogs must not be infested with heartworms when using this or they could die.  Have the dog tested prior to administration.  See petMD here.  Side effects do occur in some dogs, so read the petMD file!  We administer just 0.1 cc per 10 pounds of dog weight or 1 cc per 100 pounds.  Considered safe for pregnant females. We administer monthly in warm weather and every other month in Winter.

Vaccinations

Giving dogs their shots is not very difficult, but it takes 2 people: one to hold the dog still and one to give the shot.  My wife holds the dog in the sitting position and turns the dog’s head toward me in a curve.  This makes the skin at the neck slack.  I tug on the loose skin to pull it away from the body of the dog by 1 inch and inject into the loose skin.  This keeps the dog from experiencing greater pain and an injection into the muscle is not necessary.  Distracting the dog with a spoon of peanut butter also helps.  See these videos for demonstrations and more information than is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zyNzDtBCfI

We vaccinate our pups using Canine Spectra 5 which is commonly called a “5-way”.  Spectra 5 is a convenient, ready-to-use syringe that provides 5-way protection against canine distemper, hepatitis, adenovirus, parvovirus, and parainfluenza. Shipped with ice packs to ensure freshness.  All pups get this shot at 6 weeks of age.  It takes time for them to build up their resistence to illness, so we do not allow pups to go outside at all.  Also, we recommend keeping your pup inside until 10 week of age – just to be safe.  We have coyotes in our area and they’re known to carry parvo, so we do the best we can to reduce the chance of illness.  Vaccinate your pup at weeks 6-8, 10-12, and 12-16.  Then again at 1 year, just to be safe.  (If immunized before 5 weeks, the desired effect will be greatly minimized by the colostrum that is the mother’s milk.)

Spectra 9 is for adult dogs only and also protects against Leptospira.  After the first year of age with the dog being fully immunized, we switch to this for their annual booster at age 2 years and up.  (Some sources express concern about Leptospira vaccinations, so you may go with a “7 way” without Lepto.)

References

• The American Board of Veterinary Toxicology (ABVT): Ivermectin Toxicosis
• VetInfo.com, “Canine Hookworm and Roundworm Treatment With Strongid T”
• https://www.cuteness.com/article/use-equine-wormers-dogs
• http://www.petmd.com/pet-medication/pyrantel-pamoate
• http://www.thedogplace.org/parasites/dog-wormers-dosage-chart_lanting-09.asp
• http://www.1800petmeds.com/education/how-to-deworm-dog-5.htm
• http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/parasites/f/FAQ_tapeworms.htm
• http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/deworming-dogs-puppies?page=3
• http://labradoodle-dogs.net/forums/12-business-issues/8358-worm-schedule-pregnant-dogs.html
• http://www.thedogplace.org/parasites/dog-wormers-dosage-chart_lanting-09.asp
• http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2013/jan/toxic-ivermectin-and-safe-use-of-ivermectin-29671
• http://dogaware.com/health/ivomec.html
• http://dogaware.com/health/heartworm.html