Three Things You Need To Know About Keeping Your New Puppy Safe
If you've recently answered an ad for puppies for sale, you're probably looking forward to welcoming your new bundle of fur into your home. If you've never raised a puppy before, you probably have a lot of questions about the best practices for making sure the puppy grows up happy and healthy. Fortunately, puppies are strong, resilient creatures with the ability to withstand a wide variety of adverse conditions, but that doesn't mean they're indestructible. Few things are more heartbreaking than getting a new puppy and having it meet a tragic end. Following are three things you need to know in order to keep your new puppy as safe and healthy as possible.
Puppies Are Too Young For Traditional Flea Medications
Using traditional flea medications on puppies can result in a variety of health issues. Side effects include respiratory distress, skin damage, and neurological damage — just for starters. However, fleas can also create serious health risks for puppies, such as transmitting tapeworms and causing anemia, so you need to find a safe way to deal with them. Bathing the puppy in warm water, using a flea comb, killing fleas when you encounter them, and washing puppy beds and blankets in hot water on a regular basis to kill flea eggs and larvae help minimize the chances of flea infestations.
Puppies Are Too Young to Go to the Dog Park
Taking your puppy to your local dog park may have tragic consequences. Puppies require a series of shots in order to reach full immunization from common dog diseases such as parvo and distemper, and they can easily contract these diseases as well as internal parasites from other dogs at the dog park. They're also at risk of encountering dogs that like to play too rough and becoming injured as a result.
Puppies Shouldn't Be Fed Human Food
Although it's tempting to spoil a new puppy with tasty treats meant for the family table, this is not advised. Your puppy could experience digestive upsets ranging from mild to fatal as the result of eating human foods, particularly chocolate, garlic, onions, and grapes. Even if you're vigilant about keeping these and other human foods out of reach of your puppy, you still have to keep an eye out for children and others who may think it's okay to slip your furry friend some delicious human food. Keep in mind that buying a puppy is a commitment to providing the animal with a good home and the best possible care. It's also an investment in your own quality of life — dogs can provide years of companionship provided you give them the proper care.
To learn more about caring for puppies, contact a breeder offering puppies for sale in your area.
