Good Health starts with Good Nutrition!
NUTRITION
I strongly encourage feeding wholesome, real food, in balance with a good quality kibble. I cannot overemphasize enough the importance of giving a probiotic in the diet (to reduce the risk of BLOAT and to support immune health).
Wholesome, real food would be primarily MEAT (85%) either lightly cooked or fed raw. Raw meat with raw bones (not cooked bones) is very healthy for dogs and it keeps their teeth super clean.
If preparing real food is not for you, I have had great success feeding Northwest Naturals Raw Nuggets and Stella and Chewey’s (found in the freezer section of your local pet store).
VACCINES and FLEA/TICK PREVENTATIVES
I do not recommend ‘five-way’ vaccines (Distemper, Adeno 1 (hepatitis), Adeno 2 (respiratory), Parainfluenza and Parvovirus). Five-way vaccines are very heavy and hard on the immature immune system in puppies and sometimes puppies have ADVERSE reaction when giving multiple vaccines in a single injection.
Most veterinarians do not offer single vaccines unfortunately. When getting your puppy vaccinated at the vet, I suggest the ‘three-way’ vaccines (Distemper, Parvo, Adeno) spaced out -every 3 weeks apart- for puppy shots until 16 weeks old.
The Rabies vaccination should be given SEPARATELY and -four weeks apart- from any other vaccine.
For flea preventative, I use Diamataceuous Earth (DE) food grade.
You can read more about the benefits of using DE for flea control here: https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/5-easy-uses-of-diatomaceous-earth-for-your-dog/
If using a natural flea preventative is not your thing, I recommend TOPICAL flea preventative applied once per month.
I strongly DISCOURAGE ORAL flea/tick preventatives because of the risk of ADVERSE side effects, including but not limited to seizures, and death in some cases. i.e. BRAVECTO, SIMPARICA, NEXGUARD.
Read more on adverse side effects with ORAL flea/tick preventatives: https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/bravecto-nexgard-simparica-oral-flea-tick-preventives-safe/
“If you live to be one hundred, I want to live to be one hundred minus one day – so I never have to live without you.” – A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh