Health Guidelines

Feeding:  

Up to this point your puppy has been fed Nutro Adult Lamb and Rice dog food. This is the dark green bag with burgandy stripes and a picture of an Old English Sheepdog on the front.  Nutro is a commonly available pet food product and meets the required protein level limits. The puppies have been eating their food dry. This will give them something to crunch on while they are teething. Normally, I do not recommend the pet foods advertised for “puppies” or for “large breeds” or for “large breed puppy” because the protein level is too high. The Nutro has a protein content of 21%.  You want your puppy to grow slowly and develop strong legs and sound joints to support its body when it is mature.  

This puppy must now be fed a high quality food with a protein level no higher than 21%. The protein levels vary depending on their age. This puppy must be kept on this lower protein level until at least 8 months of age.  Afterwards, you can switch to any type/brand you want but, for now, it is extremely important that you follow these recommendations. The addition of treats, table scraps, bones, rawhides, etc. all contribute towards the protein level and care should be taken when feeding these items. 

Until the puppy is approximately 4 months old, 3 or 4 meals a day should be plenty.  After 4 months of age and for the life of the dog, 2 meals a day are recommended. If you have been feeding 4 meals, reduce to 3 meals and then to 2 meals.  Amounts vary based on: amount of exercise, food brand and metabolism of your individual dog.  You do not want your puppy/dog fat (especially as a puppy as this contributes to Canine Hip Dysplasia). Once they are 4 months old, you should be able to apply a small amount of pressure while petting the rib cage and be able to feel the ribs but you should not be able to see them.

H.O.D. (Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy)

HOD is a developmental disease in larger breed dogs (commonly the Great Dane, Alaskan Malamute, Weimaraner and Irish Setter). This disease usually begins between the ages of 3 to 4 months. The heritable predisposition of the disease has not been documented and the ISCA Health Committee is supporting research into possible DNA HOD markers.  Dogs affected with HOD generally present with lameness or reluctance to walk, and malaise. Early in the disease the growth plates in the legs will be tender, slightly swollen and warm when touched by the inside of your wrist. More adversely affected individuals are systemically ill, depressed, temps reaching 104 plus and refusing to eat. The cause of HOD remains unknown; however, there are many speculations. I have enclosed an excellent report from Dr. Brown of the ISCA Health Committee. The report lists possible causes, diagnosis and treatment. Any hint of lameness or lethargic behavior or high temperature, especially thru the vaccination period, requires a trip to your vet. It is important that the vet be made aware of the treatment protocol in Dr. Brown's report. HOD is common in the breed and is something that requires immediate veterinary attention.

BLOAT

Bloat is a concern in large breed dogs with deep chests. Bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus or GDV) refers to the stomach becoming very dilated with food, water and air. The most serious form of bloat occurs when the stomach also twists on its long axis after it is dilated. This is an emergency situation for the dog. If you even suspect that it may be occurring, you need to rush to the vet.

The symptoms consist of anxiety, complete disinterest in food, frequent attempts to vomit without regurgitating stomach contents but only froth, a rapidly distending abdomen, labored breathing, stilted gait and in extreme cases brick red, blue, grey or white gums, a rapid heart beat with a weak pulse, and finally, prostration. 

Prevention of Bloat

There are several predisposing causes of bloat in dogs, and several things can be done to aid in the prevention of its occurrence.

A.    Feed foods which have little or no vegetable protein, as these foods cause gas formation through fermentation.

B.     Feed dry foods that do not expand when they are mixed with water.

C.    Feed your dog two or three small meals a day instead of one large meal.

D.    Do not allow large intakes of water immediately after a meal.

E.     Do not allow vigorous exercise for two to three hours after the dog has eaten.

Basically, use common sense before and after feeding your dog. If he is very hot and panting due to a vigorous run in the yard, wait until he cools down and stops panting before you offer him a meal. Likewise, let him rest after he eats. Become familiar with the way your dogs stomach normally feels -- pat their sides before they eat and then pat them afterwards. When my dogs approach me after a meal, I usually give them a few gentle pats on the side and wait for a belch. I have never had a dog bloat but know people who have and as I mentioned above, it is a concern in any large breed. For more information consult your veterinarian. There is a ton of information available on this topic.

Shots:

The vaccination schedule outlined below is the one that I use. Although, each time a litter is born, I check with my vet and other breeders to see if they have made any changes to the protocol they use. You may or may not choose to use this schedule after consulting with your own Veterinarian. There has been a lot of discussion in recent years regarding over-vaccination and the time-frame in which to wait in between boosters. It recently came to my attention that all 27 veterinary schools in North America are in the process of changing their protocols for vaccinating dogs and cats. The newer protocol is suggesting that a series of vaccinations should be given 3-4 weeks apart up to 16 weeks of age.  Another vaccination given sometime after 6 months of age (usually at 1 year 4 mo) will provide lifetime immunity. As you can see, the “life-time immunity” piece of this discussion would mean quite a loss of income for clinics that suggest you vaccinate annually. As I mentioned above, this is something you need to talk over with your vet.

Your puppy will already have its initial set of shots. A combined shot at 7 weeks including: Canine Distemper-Adenovirus Type 2-Coronavirus-Parainfluenza-Parvovirus Vaccine. I do not vaccinate for Lepto as I have had reactions from it.  The vaccine was Duramune Max 5-CvK/4L (the Puppyshot Booster). The sticker from the vaccine vial is affixed to your health/shot record. This is a Fort Dodge product and one that all veterinarian clients should carry. From this point forward the following is still necessary. Your vet may recommend a fourth puppy shot. If so, the schedule below becomes modified as to when to give the rabies shot.

Vaccination Schedule:

An annual booster using distemper + hepatitis + parainfluenza +/- leptospirosis + killed canine or MLV parvovirus is given at one year of age. Thereafter, boosters are given every 3 years until old age. Beyond 10 years of age, booster vaccinations are generally not needed and may be unwise if aging or other diseases are present. For animals at high exposure risk to parvovirus disease, an additional parvovirus vaccination can be given at the 6-month point but only if killed parvovirus is used. This extra booster is typically not needed if MLV parvovirus was used.

I use only killed 3-year rabies vaccine for adults and give it separated from other vaccines by at least 2 and preferably 3-4 weeks. A booster at one year of age is usually required -- followed by every 3 years thereafter -- as required by your state (I do hope they will change this as it is a three year vaccine and the majority of the vet schools are now recommending every 3 years).

Exercise:

Keep in mind your puppy is an Irish Setter and wants nothing more than to be with you.  By this I mean you cannot leave them out in the yard and expect them to exercise themselves -- they won’t be happy.  Even if you have another dog you will miss out on the bonding with your new puppy if you don’t spend a fair amount of time with them.  The best way to exercise your new puppy is to play with it in your fenced-in yard.  This way the puppy can stop anytime it wants to, change to different speeds and gates and not be doing a constant repetitive movement.  Once the puppy is older (over 12 weeks) and to help with socialization and burn off some of that excess energy: dog parks, training classes and homes of friends/family that may have a dog to play with are great choices.  No prolonged form of exercise where the puppy/dog is not allowed to go at their pace and stop when they want.  This can create undo stress on growing bones and joints.  Use of stairs should be kept to a minimum until your dog is fully grown.  If possible, carry your dog up and down long flights of stairs.  Once they are too large to carry only use the stairs when absolutely necessary.

Bathing

Puppies should not be bathed too often unless they get especially dirty. Twice a month should be sufficient. Choose a warmer day, use warm water and make it quick. A quick shampoo, a good rinse, and a good towel dry. Don’t confine the puppy until it is mostly dry. It doesn’t hurt to use a blow dryer but just on low and not too hot. I use Groomer’s Edge Oat Mella for shampoo. It has to be diluted (16 to 1). Any oatmeal type shampoo is okay. The most important part is to rinse very well to remove all the shampoo. Once the puppy starts to grow it’s furnishings a conditioner is recommended. I use Groomer’s Edge Re-Fur-bish. This also needs to be diluted. I put it in a spray bottle and before I brush and dry the furnishings, I spritz it on.

Once the puppy is older and really starts growing coat, baths are recommended on a weekly basis -- the cleaner the coat, the longer the furnishings. Realistically, every 10 days is a good monitor. If the weather is cooperating, natural air drying is the best. Just make sure you give a good towel dry to remove the excess moisture and let nature do the rest. Once it becomes colder outside, I usually blow dry most of the moisture out.

EARS

Setter ears are prone to infection. Keeping the ear clean and dry is the best preventative. A simple check on a weekly basis should be enough until you notice a waxy buildup. I just take a piece of rolled cotton and rub the build-up out. If you can very carefully take a Q-tip and clean the canal, do so, but do not put the Q-tip down far enough that you feel it pressing against anything.  If the build-up is very dark or smelly, you need to flush the ear. Flushing is simply putting an ear cleaning solution down into the ear, squishing it around inside, letting the dog shake its head until most of the fluid comes out, and then dabbing and swabbing the ear with cotton. Unless your dog has ear problems use the wash only when you notice an odor. A dry ear stays healthier than a wet one. If after four days or so of flushing the odor still remains, you should run the dog up to the vet and have him recommend a protocol.

TOENAILS

Toenails should be clipped weekly. You should not be able to hear the toenails clicking on a bare floor. I have clipped your puppy’s toenails every Monday. They are used to the routine. Until they get older, regular toenail clippers will do (human ones). Once the toenail starts getting thicker, a doggie toenail clipper is best. I use the guillotine style and the pliers style depending on the thickness of the toenail. You need only clip back to where you can see the nail start to curve. The front ones usually grow faster than the ones on the back legs.  Nail clipping time is also a good time to check for hair mats in between the toes. They need to be gently cut out.

GROOMING

A puppy coat needs little grooming – there really isn’t any hair to brush except for its ears.  The breed is known for its long and silky coat and it will come as the dog matures. When you start noticing that more than a simple bristle brush thru will do, I recommend that you purchase the following grooming supplies:

      ·        A greyhound style comb (gently work out mats in feathering)

·        #1 All Systems pin brush (for feathering)

·        A bristle brush for the top coat

·        A slicker brush for feet

·       Straight edge scissors to trim the feet – especially around the foot pads

If you are really interested into doing the dog grooming yourself, I will be more than happy to share some tricks of the trade with you as the time approaches. Generally, though, try and keep the hair inside the ears from blocking air flow, keep the feet trimmed, and make sure the area around the anus is kept clean and shorter than the rest of the tail. Take care of any mats you find as they can become massive if left unattended.

FLEAS, TICKS, and HEARTWORM

Your vet will recommend the type and timing of the heartworm medication. It is a must. DO NOT USE THE NEW 6 MONTH HEARTWORM SHOT!! A monthly protocol is best for the time being. The best safeguard against fleas is a clean dog – fleas hate clean! If you live in an area with a high tick population, use a flea and tick preventative like Frontline. I use Frontline but I do not put it on monthly as recommended except in the Summer when I am down on our farm in TN. But, that is a VERY tick infested region. Remember, that the flea and tick preventatives are a toxin. You are basically introducing a poison into your dogs system to control insect infestation. I use it, I don’t particularly like to use it, and so I tend to apply it when I feel it is necessary.

DOG ID’S

You should start thinking about how you plan to ID your dog. I have my dogs tattooed inside one of their thighs and up close to their stomach. I registered the number with the National Dog Registry and used their AKC number to ID them. The number you use should be one that is easily recognizable to a shelter or a veterinarian. Micro-chipping is also very popular. This is a chip that is implanted in your dog’s withers and most places that receive stray dogs have a wand to read the micro-chip.

YARD CLEAN-UP

Invest in a pair of pooper scoopers. They make the task painless. I scoop each morning when my guys are out for their first potty break. I put a tall kitchen type plastic bag in a drywall bucket with a lid. I sprinkle some cat litter in the bottom. In the summer, I mix a little lime in with the kitty litter to kill the flies and odor, etc. Every week I tie the white bag off, place it in a heavier black plastic bag and it goes out to the curb with the trash.

GENERAL

Until your puppy has its vaccinations, try to avoid dog parks, pet stores, dog shows, etc. Just be careful when you take him out in public to avoid areas that other pets have used for their “potty” zone.

When cleaning the pups crate use a mild detergent. Strong bleach or disinfectant is to strong for the puppy to tolerate. Do not use any type of spray fabric freshener. The jury is still out on whether these types of products are harmful. Maybe when the dog is older and you allow the spray to dry completely but not on puppy bedding.

LASTLY

Please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions. No question is a stupid one. I know so many people who have bred setters, owned setters, show setters, etc. that I can find out an answer to almost any question which is breed specific. Use me as a resource, that’s why I’m here.