Caring for your dog

By administering a course of vaccinations, you are helping to protect your dog from many life-threatening diseases that are unfortunately prevalent in the UK. We recommend starting your puppy’s initial course of vaccines at 8 weeks old, followed by two more administered at 10 and 12 weeks. Following this, your puppy will need to be given annual boosters to keep their immunity high.

If your older dog needs to start their vaccines or you’re concerned their immunity might be questionable, contact our team who can talk to you about your dog’s vaccination options.

The vaccines that Alpha Vets uses routinely protect against the following diseases:

• Distemper – a highly contagious viral disease. A dog suffering from distemper will have symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, vomiting and diarrhoea. Severe symptoms unfortunately include seizures and even death.
• Parvovirus – a highly infectious virus which can survive in the environment for a long time, making it a risk to most dogs as they do not need to come into contact with another infected animal for it to affect them. Parvovirus can cause vomiting, bloody diarrhoea and is often fatal.
• Infectious Hepatitis – a fatal viral infection which affects the liver of infected dogs, causing fever, abdominal pain and jaundice.
• Leptospirosis – a bacterial disease usually transmitted from water contaminated by urine of infected rats or mice. This disease is commonly known as “Lyme Disease” and can be transmitted to humans. It has a devastating effect on the kidneys or the liver which may result in organ failure.
• Parainfluenza – a virus which can cause infectious tracheobronchitis – commonly known as “kennel cough”.

You can ask for the vets to administer the following separate vaccines to protect from:

• Kennel cough vaccine – this vaccine protects dogs from another common virus which causes kennel cough. This strain is highly contagious and cases are most often picked up in areas with a high concentration of canines.
• Rabies vaccine for pet travel – Currently, dogs living in the UK do not have to routinely have a rabies vaccine. However, if you are planning to travel abroad with your pet then they will need to be vaccinated against rabies. Learn more on our pet travel page.

To help your dog receive top-quality preventative healthcare regularly, enrol them in our Healthy Pet Club. We designed the HPC to put yours and your pet’s interests first, by spreading out the cost of routine healthcare and receiving discounts throughout the year when your dog visits Alpha Vets.

Learn more about exactly what is on offer by visiting our dedicate page on our Healthy Pet Club.

With puppies, adults and senior dogs, regular health checks are essential in maintaining their quality of life.

Puppies

At Alpha Vets, our puppy checks ensure your new family member has the best start possible in life. Our experienced vets will perform a full examination. This includes checking their skin, teeth, ears, mouth, ears, nose and eyes, as well as listening to their heart and lungs and feeling their abdomen in case of any abnormalities. At this first appointment, our dog vet will also advise on preventative care moving forward, puppy socialisation, neutering, weight monitoring and much more.

It is also worth noting that desensitising your puppy to Alpha Vets early on, helps to keep them calm at vet appointments as they get older. So, if they ever need emergency vet care, they won’t become more stressed by the veterinary environment. You can do this by bringing them to our practice for a casual weight check and some fuss from our team, after they have received their full course of vaccinations.

Adult Dogs

Regular health checks for your dog allows Alpha Vets to spot any veterinary issues early by performing a full clinical examination. We can then treat your pet or tailor their health management plan, making them healthy and happy!

As a practice, we recommend booking your dog for a health check every 6 months, however those suffering with chronic conditions may need to be seen more often for medication checks.

Senior Dogs

It does depend on your dog’s breed, but it is worth noting that at 7-8 years old, a dog is considered to be a senior pet. As with humans, it is usually the case that older dogs need more regular care than younger ones, as ageing can bring with it a range of health conditions.

Alpha Vets recommends booking a consultation with one of our vets every 6 months for your senior pet to run routine blood and urine tests. These analysis’ will help us to tailor your pet’s daily routine and treatment approach moving forward.

A big part of your dog’s health is their diet. From a puppy through to a senior dog, their nutritional needs will naturally change, and it is worth chatting to your vet at a consultation about what type of food would best suit your own pet, depending on their health status and activity levels.

Puppies

Small breed puppies have a different set of nutritional needs compared to large breed puppies. Always carry on feeding your puppy the diet that the breeder fed them in the early days and chat to your vet about changing their food – this will help to avoid any tummy upsets. The food you give should be a complete food that contains all the vitamins and minerals your puppy will need. Ensure you keep a regular check on your puppy’s weight and adjust the amount you’re feeding if needed. To begin with, Alpha Vets recommends feeding them several small meals throughout the day to keep them full and not to overload their young digestive system.

Adult Dogs

The transition from puppy to adult food needs to happen gradually and will need to be tailored to your dog’s weight and activity levels. Our experienced dog vets can recommend what types of food will work best for your pet and will also weigh them at each health check to ensure you’re feeding them the correct amount of food.

Senior Dogs

Your senior dog’s nutritional requirements will naturally change and you may see them gaining weight but eating less food. It could be they seem to be losing weight and muscle condition, but their diet hasn’t changed. This could be down to an underlying health condition, such as arthritis or diabetes, and it is best your vet investigates the cause so that proper treatment can be given. Our vets also recommend moving your pet to a specially formulated senior diet post a senior health check; this is to ensure that your dog is receiving all of the vitamins, minerals, proteins and calories they need to stay healthy.

Treating your dog regularly with parasitic prevention products will not only keep them healthy, but also protect your family from transmissible diseases caused by these parasites. Our dog vets can help to create a tailored plan for your dog, treating them regularly against fleas, ticks, lungworm and intestinal worms. Below is some information on each of these parasites and why it’s best that you protect your pet against them!

Fleas

A flea infestation can cause itchiness, skin irritation and allergic reactions in some cases. You want to avoid an infestation as much as possible as fleas can survive on and off the host pet. Meaning, your home will also become infested!

Our team of dog vets can recommend products to help keep fleas at bay and the methods used to treat your pet and home. Contact our team to book your dog in.

Ticks

Ticks are very prevalent in our area and can cause irritation, infection and transmit parasites that live in your pet’s blood. One disease you may have heard of is Lyme Disease – this is transmissible to humans so treating your pet against ticks can help to keep you and your family safe. Ticks can usually be found in grassy areas and they feed on your dog’s blood by attaching to their skin – making your pet extremely uncomfortable. It is wise to check your dog, and you, for any sign of ticks (you may notice a bump on the skin first) after walks.

Preventative treatments for ticks can vary so chat to our experienced vets to ensure you pick the correct one for your dog.

Lungworm

Lungworm is transmitted to your dog when they ingest slugs or snails either deliberately or by mistake. If you catch your dog eating grass, playing with toys in the garden or drinking from natural water sources, there is every chanced they could have swallowed a slug/snail. This parasite causes sudden continuous bleeding and seizures, and often results in death, so using a regular preventative product helps to protect your pet from these symptoms. Unfortunately, lungworm is prevalent in Teddington and our surrounding areas so it is best to consider this parasite as something to treat, rather than hoping to avoid it.

Intestinal worms

Unfortunately, your dog is susceptible to a number of different types of intestinal worms that can also be transmitted to humans, especially those with a weaker immune system.

If you notice your dog suffering from diarrhoea, weight loss or looking more unhealthy than usual, a worm infestation could be the reason. Chat to our team of dog vets who can advise on what treatments are most appropriate for your pet at your next consultation.

We strongly recommend neutering your dog as part of being a responsible owner. As well as preventing unwanted litters of puppies, it can also help to reduce the risk of certain health conditions. Examples of these are pyometra or mammary/testicular cancer and it may also improve certain unwanted behaviours. Visit our dedicated page on neutering for more information and contact our practice if you would like to book your dog in to be neutered.

The behaviour of your dog can have a huge impact on your daily life. Proper training and exposure to situations from an early age will help to keep your dog’s behaviour in check and we always recommend booking a consultation with one of our dog vets to ensure your pet is not suffering from any underlying health conditions.

It may be the case that your dog can become overstimulated by certain events which could trigger abnormal behaviour for them. For example, things such as your mobile phone ringing or somebody knocking on the door could result in excited behaviour. Any concerns you have about your dog’s behaviour should be discussed with your vet who can help create an action plan with you to manage your dog’s behavioural issues.

How to Create Pet Zones to Enhance Their Wellbeing

Dental disease is a condition affecting many of the pets we see at Alpha Vets. Plaque and tartar build-up could be the reason your dog has bad breath or is struggling to eat their food. Brushing your pet’s teeth at home as part of your regular routine could help reduce the risk of dental disease and we strongly recommend that your dog attends regular health checks. The vet can then examine and advise on whether any dental work is needed to keep your pet’s mouth healthy.

Visit our dental care page for more information.

Did you know that many common household products, medications and foods are toxic to your dog? The most common poisoning cases we see are dogs that have accidentally ingested chocolate, raisins, grapes, onions, garlic, alcohol, avocado, nuts, caffeine or milk. It is worth remembering that the majority of household cleaners also contain many harmful chemicals that could make your pet unwell and to keep your medication out of reach from nosey pups!

We treat all cases of poisoning as an emergency so contact us immediately  if you believe your dog could have ingested a poisonous substance.

Obesity puts your dog at risk of a range of different health conditions and can also reduce their life span and quality of life. We offer free weight clinics to dogs who have already been examined for any underlying health conditions that could be causing weight gain. These clinics are run by our experienced team of nurses, who will advise you on exercise, diet and management tips to keep your pet at a healthy weight.

Contact our team today for more information on monitoring your dog’s weight.