![]() ![]() (Spoiler alert: unfortunately, no – not without help.) How concerned should we be about these “red flag” puppies, and are they likely to get better as they grow up? So if this sounds like your puppy, what should you do?Īnd that brings us, finally, to today’s topic. In such a young puppy, these things are emphatically NOT NORMAL. They need a muzzle to safely administer their first set of vaccines, because they make serious attempts to bite the staff. On the exam table, when I try to look in their ears or touch their mouth, they give me a hard stare and a long, low growl. They might eat a treat tossed on the floor, or not, but their demeanor doesn’t change. Or they bark at me when I enter the room, and regard me suspiciously from a distance. They yelp in terror when I touch them, or hide their head in their owner’s arms and shake uncontrollably while I check their hearts and feel their bellies. They are petrified of me, and my friendly voice, and my offers of tasty string cheese. At 8 or 10 weeks old, they are cowering under the chair in the corner of the exam room. These are puppies who are NOT doing normal puppy things. Odds are good that your pup will turn out to be a stable, friendly member of the family. Sign up for a good puppy class, invest in some puzzle toys, and keep up with socialization – but you’re off and running in the right direction. If your puppy is like this, congratulations! You’re in great shape. Exploring their world, making friends with anything that moves, or snoozing contentedly through whatever happens around them. Normal puppies, doing normal puppy things. This is normal too – a different kind of normal, for a different kind of pup.Ī solid 90% of my puppy visits fall into one of these two categories. They cuddle happily in my lap while we talk about vaccination schedules, microchips, and heartworm prevention. They wake up long enough to lick my fingers on the exam table, yawn luxuriously, and fall asleep on the scale. ![]() Or, they’re calm and drowsy and snuggly, like a toddler at naptime. These things are normal, and they make me happy. They turn over the wastebasket, or get excited and pee on the floor. They eat treats eagerly when offered, and shove their noses into my scrub pockets to look for crumbs. They chew on my stethoscope while I auscult their hearts. ![]() They sniff all around the exam room, jump up to say hello, and try their best to eat my shoelaces. Puppies are cute, and obnoxious, and very, very busy. (I’d wager this is true for most vets – ask anyone!) As a veterinarian in general practice, seeing a brand new puppy for a wellness check-up is one of my favorite parts of the job. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |