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Veterinary Visits

We do our best to provide you with a healthy puppy. This process includes selecting healthy
parent dogs, confirming their genetic health through testing, and excellent prenatal care. Once
the puppies arrive, they are kept in a warm, clean and stable enviroment (our home) and receive
constant attention. Our puppy health care schedule follows the below timetable:

2 weeks of age - deworming
4 weeks of age - deworming
6 weeks of age - thorough veterinary exam, 1st puppy vaccination, deworming
8 weeks of age - 2nd puppy vaccination, deworming

By the time you take your puppy home (at or shortly after 8 weeks) they should have a reasonably
good immune system, should be free of worms and have been found to be free of any signs of
illness or disease. In order to continue on the path to good health, we recommend the following
schedule of veterinary care:

- within 3 days of purchase, we recommend a visit to your vet to confirm that the puppy is healthy.
It is up to you to decide if you want to take this step -but if your vet DOES find a serious health
problem, will we refund your purchase and take the puppy back. Refer to the purchase contract
and health guarantee for full details. (note: worms or other parasites are not considered a
serious health problem under this scenario. Even though we take multiple precautions to keep
the puppies worm free, they are able to reinfect themselves by eating any number of strange
items. Deworming is an on-going part of routine health care). At this appointment, please ask your
vet if your puppy requires heartworm prevention treatment - this will vary based on your location.
Also, you should have your vet sign your Trupanion Health Insurance Trial Certificate at this
appointment.

- 12 weeks of age - 3rd puppy vaccine + deworming - ask if you should be providing Bordetella
(kennel-cough vaccine) if your puppy will be going to classes, day care/boarding kennels, or dog
parks.

- 16 weeks of age or later as required by lab- rabies vaccination - It is now recommended that you
do NOT provide rabies vaccination at the same time as any other vaccination or procedure.

- We recommend annual veterinary visits for a thorough exam. You typically do NOT need to
revaccinate your dog unless you live in a high-risk area for a particular disease- in fact, there is
growing evidence that too much vaccination can actually cause other health problems such as
thyroid issues, allergies, or even cancer- and you must work with your vet to minimize these risks
while protecting your pet against preventable deadly diseases. Please do not skip your dog's
annual health exam even if he or she does not require a vaccination - it is so important for your
vet to be able to detect any issues before they get out of hand.

Spaying or Neutering

This can be done anytime between 6 months and 14 months of age. There are many factors to
consider when planning the date of the surgery. If at all possible, please wait until your dog is
done growing (usually around 10-12 months for our labs) but please do consider the following
when making your decision:
a) Avoid unplanned pregnancies - if there is any question about the possibility of your puppy
becoming pregnant, or impregnating another dog, then SOONER is better than later.
b) Avoid sexual behaviors - Sooner is better to avoid issues like humping, marking, or coming
into season
c) Early sterilization can help reduce some types of cancer. However, early sterilization is also
linked to conditions such as incontinence and other types of cancer, hip dysplasia, and more.
Click HERE to see a summary of the research backing this up.
d) Early sterilization can cause your dog to grow taller and possibly can cause performance or
joint issues. Torn cruciate ligaments are significantly more common in sterilized dogs. Dr. Chris
Zink, canine sports vet specialist, recommends to have your dog sterilized at 14 months or later
(or not at all) if he will be in competition or worked heavily.
e) Plan the surgery for a period of time in your life when you can ensure that the dog will remain
clean, dry, and will not be able to lick at their incision. They may be required to wear a cone or be
confined to their crate so plan accordingly.

Additional Vet Care

If you are planning to compete in a dog sport such as field trials or agility, we recommend having
your dog's hips and elbows evaluated once they done growing. The xrays are taken by your
regular vet and sent to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals or to the Ontario Vet College to be
evaluated. Your dog's eyes should also be examined by an AVCO certified vet on regular
intervals.

Also, if you live in an area where heartworm is present, please talk to your vet about heartworm
prevention. In B.C., this area is Kamloops and south. If you are planning to visit a location in the
heartworm region, you should also look into preventative medication. Your puppy will not have
had any sort of heartworm treatment while here as we do not have heartworms in Quesnel.