Cherrydale Veterinary Clinic
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Cherrydale Veterinary Clinic Vet Veterinarians Arlington Virginia Arlington VA
Vet Arlington Virginia Arlington VA
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Medical & Surgical Care
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Puppy Wellness
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Nutritional Counseling
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PUPPY WELLNESS PROGRAM

As a client of Cherrydale Veterinary Clinic, at some point you might have noticed the phrase "Emphasizing Wellness and Geriatric Care" on some of our literature. This is more than just a slogan - it is our long-standing and successful philosophy of practicing veterinary medicine and surgery. We feel the most important thing we do here at Cherrydale is to promote preventative care - or "Wellness Care" - beginning with your puppy's very first visit.

Puppy Wellness Program
In fact, in an ideal situation we would like to talk to you before you get your puppy to help you choose a breed which fits your lifestyle. Since this rarely happens, we feel our guidance can be a crucial part of your puppy's first few months, while he or she is rapidly becoming a cherished part of your family. In most cases, you will be visiting us several times during your puppy's first few months so we would like you to feel comfortable asking questions - just remember, that's why we're here! You'll soon learn there is a lot for us to talk about during your puppy visits. This summary of our routine Puppy Wellness Program is designed to give an overview of the following topics:

Vaccination Schedule
Typically, we recommend beginning your puppy's vaccination program between 6 and 8 weeks of age, with boosters every 3 to 4 weeks apart until he or she is 16 weeks of age. In most cases, we vaccinate for the following diseases:

  • Canine Distemper Virus
  • Canine Hepatitis Virus
  • Leptospirosis
  • Canine Parvovirus
  • Canine Parainfluenza Virus
  • Bordetella
  • Rabies
  • In some special cases, we may also recommend vaccination against Lyme Disease or Giardia.

You will find detailed descriptions of these diseases in your Puppy Care Kit which you will receive at your first visit (if you don't receive your Puppy Care Kit, please ask for one).

Deworming
Puppies can pick up intestinal parasites from their environment. But what many new pet owners don't realize is that puppies can also get roundworms and hookworms from their mother before birth. For this reason - and because humans can potentially develop serious problems if exposed to immature forms of roundworm or hookworms - we routinely recommend deworming all puppies several times between the ages of 6 and 12 weeks.

Internal Parasites
In addition to intestinal parasites such as hookworms and roundworms, puppies are also vulnerable to picking up whipworms and tapeworms - and more seriously - heartworms. Roundworm, hookworm, and whipworm infestations are easily prevented by once-monthly medication called Interceptor, which is also an excellent medication for prevention of infections with heartworms. Heartworm disease is almost always fatal and yet highly preventable; therefore we often prescribe Interceptor during one of your puppy's first visits and recommend continuing it throughout his or her entire life.

External Parasites
The most common external parasites we encounter are fleas, with ticks being common in late winter/spring/ early summer. We have a variety of flea control products available which are effective and safe depending on your puppy's age. Advantage, Advantix, and Frontline are also three excellent products used to kill fleas on both puppies and adult dogs. Flea control is a very complicated process so please feel free to ask any questions you have about the variety of flea control options available.

Spaying / Neutering
It is very important to bring your puppy in for one of these common and safe surgical procedures to help lengthen and improve the overall quality of your pet's life.

For females, spaying eliminates or greatly minimizes problems with:

  • unwanted pregnancy, which helps prevent pet overpopulation
  • attraction of male dogs during "heat" cycles
  • potentially life-threatening uterine infections
  • breast cancer

For males, neutering eliminates or greatly minimizes problems with:

  • aggression and dominance
  • roaming, which helps prevent pet overpopulation
  • territorial marking with urine
  • prostate cancer and infections
  • testicular cancer
  • perianal adenocarcinoma (an extremely malignant cancer of the rectum and/or anus)

We hope we've covered all the major topics here but we know new puppy owners - just like new parents - still face new questions almost every day for awhile. Please feel free to contact us at any time. 

 
 

Cherrydale Veterinary Clinic 4038 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22207
Tel: 703-528-9001 | Fax: 703-243-8586