Vaccinations Vet Checks & Desexing
Why Vaccinate?
The major infectious diseases of dogs for example, Parvovirus, Distemper, Hepatitis and Canine Cough are difficult and expensive to treat, can cause suffering and in some instances lead to death.
So rather than treat these diseases, it is far better to prevent them with a planned vaccination programme. The most common vaccination program and the one i use is
First Vaccination (C3) - at 6 weeks (some vets do 8 weeks)
Second Vaccination (C5) - at 10 weeks (some vets do 12 weeks)
Third Vaccination (booster) - some vets will do 2 weeks after the second vaccination, others prefer to wait 4 weeks.
Your puppy has been vaccinated at 6 weeks of age. Your take-home information pack includes their first vaccination certificate or puppy vaccination book.. You’ll need to take this with you to your first vet appointment.
Super important note: Your puppy is not yet fully vaccinated. PLEASE DO NOT take your puppy to public places, but if you do, DO NOT put them on the ground until they have completed their course of vaccinations.
Hopefully you will have booked you Vet appointment for when you bring puppy home, and again for the second vaccination. But if not contact your vet and book in a time for their 2nd and booster vaccinations. They’ll work with you to plan these out at the right time for your puppy’s health and safety.
After their 3 rounds of puppy vaccinations, to maintain immunity against these diseases, your dog should be vaccinated annually.
De-sexing
If you are a Guardian Family for the Caralee Breeding Program, your puppy has not been desexed prior to coming home with you.
If you have requested a late desexing agreement, your puppy has not been desexed prior to coming home with you.
All other puppies will have been sterilised and a certificate included in your information pack and is called a Certificate of Sterilisation. Your puppy will also have a tattoo in his or her right ear that identifies them as having been desexed. Most Councils offer a discount on their Animal registration fees for desexed animals. You’ll need to provide a copy of your dogs sterilisation certificate to your local Council when registering your dog.
Why de-sex?
De-sexing animals comes with a number of benefits including;
They’re healthier - desexed animals have less likelihood of certain diseases and illnesses such as uterine infections and tumours developing in the uterus, cervix and mammary glands in female dogs, and prostrate and testicular cancer in male dogs.
Reduces Desire to Roam - de-sexing can reduce behavioural issues such as the desire to roam, reducing the risk of your puppy being injured in a fight, or being hit by a car. It also prevents unwanted pregnancies in female dogs, and aggression and urine marking in male dogs.
They live longer - research shows that desexed animals can also live longer.
There’s a lot of discussion around the right time for de-sexing animals. Early Age Desexing (EAD) is very commonplace and something advocated by the RSPCA. To learn more, read the RSPCA Article: Why does the RSPCA Advocate Early Age Desexing.
Research - There are fores and against for early age desexing. The research so far doesn’t seem to come to any definite conclusion for dogs that will weigh 20 kgs and under at adult weight. I do have some of the latest research in my library and am happy to share it with anyone interested.
Not Desexing?
Not Desexing - We are happy to not desex puppies if that is your wish. These puppies will be sold with a desexing agreement which stipulates that the puppy will be desexed by 7 months and not used for breeding purposes.
Legal implications are outlined in the desexing agreement and will be unconditionally followed if there is a breach of the agreement. This agreement has already been tried and tested legally.
