Before you buy a puppy
THINK BEFORE YOU BUY: THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BUY A PUPPY!
You are not purchasing an item; you are purchasing a live animal that will become a part of your home and your everyday life. Please be sure that your new family member will be welcomed by everyone in your household. We want happy owners and puppies!
All of our puppies come with their first round of vaccinations and they are given a full health examination by a licensed veterinarian. This certifies that the puppy is healthy at the time of sale. We encourage you to keep your puppy healthy by establishing and maintaining a good health maintenance and vaccination schedule with your veterinarian. Please keep the following instructions in a safe place, where they can be referred to easily.
The current shot record for your puppy will have the dates of the vaccinations and at what age they were given. You need to fill in the future shots, so ALWAYS take it with you to the vet's office. This will also ensure that the vet knows which vaccines, wormers, etc. that your pet has already had and will not inadvertently give something the puppy doesn't need.
Take your puppy to the vet right away. We require proof of the puppy’s good health at arrival so be sure to have an appointment scheduled within 72 hours of the puppy’s arrival. Get into the habit of seeing your vet on a regular basis. Think of him as your puppy's "pediatrician." Puppy "babies" require the same attention and care—vaccines, wellness checkups, vitamins— as human children, maybe more. The vet is a good person to get to know anyway, and taking your dog to the vet for shots, health checkups, etc., is a good habit to get into right at the very beginning. If you are not willing to commit to doing this, please consider some other animal that does not require the care and attention that a puppy will require.
A strict adherence to a vaccination schedule and a veterinary program is a must. There are many illnesses that can affect dogs. Please check out my Resources page for links to more information about health, vaccines, symptoms, and how various illnesses can affect your dog. Puppies under one year old are especially vulnerable to a few diseases and you can avoid any potential health problems if you are informed.
The most ideal method of guarding your new puppy against illnesses is to keep it away from other puppies less than a year old, older dogs who have not had vaccines, any dog who is ill and places where ill dogs have been, and places where other dogs have been doing their business, until your puppy is at least a year old and has his or her final booster. This isn't practical, or possible, in many cases, so being informed is a good alternative.
Be aware that vaccinations sometimes fail for various reasons, and a dog does not develop full immunity to some diseases until they are a full year old and have had all of their puppy shots, including the booster at the one year of age. If you are not willing or able to make sure that your puppy gets ALL of his or her scheduled vaccines and boosters, then please do not purchase a puppy.
Further Recommendations for a Healthy Puppy
We want your new puppy to stay healthy!
Pet stores and superstores allow pet owners to bring their pets inside, but this makes these stores breeding grounds for parvovirus and many other common animal diseases that are spread by animals with irresponsible pet owners who do not vaccinate or provide proper care for their animals. We suggest you avoid bringing a puppy into such an environment until after all your pet's initial vaccinations are complete after 20 weeks of age. Visit my Bully Friends page for links to online stores that sell high-quality pet items.
We only use Nylabone and Bully Stick chews. Never give your bully rawhides or cow hooves as they will splinter in their mouth and throat or can choke them.
We feed our dogs Fromm Gold Nutritionals, a holistic approach to complete and balanced nutrition: fresh duck, chicken, lamb, whole eggs, and real Wisconsin cheddar. Yum!
Hidden Dangers to Your Puppy
Puppies love to lick the face of their new owners, but this can sometimes cause health issues for your new pet.
Do not allow the puppy to lick your face if you are wearing make-up because the chemicals in it can make your pet seriously ill!
The chemicals used in carpet cleaning can also make your pet very sick, so be careful if they have been recently cleaned. Be sure your pup doesn't lick the carpet and keep them off of freshly mopped floors too.
You should also be careful that your puppy stays away from candy (especially chocolate!), bug bait or other pest control materials, and snow melting chemicals.
If a puppy starts throwing up, but has no temperature, or has been checked for infections and common diseases and has none, it may have eaten or licked something it shouldn't have. If you take the puppy to the vet, be sure you tell them about any possible poisoning situations (carpet cleaner, floor washing chemicals, make-up, etc.). Once you purchase your pup it becomes your pet and your responsibility, so please take every precaution to keep your new pet healthy.
A Note about Maintaining the Correct Feeding Schedule
Small breed dogs can develop what is called Transient Juvenile Hypoglycemia. Puppies with Transient Juvenile Hypoglycemia have normal liver size and function, but inadequate glucose precursors or glucose in its stored form. Therefore, any significant stress that occurs in the absence of a recent meal, such as a routine trip to the vet's office, can cause the blood sugar to drop to dangerously low levels. Low environmental temperatures, infections, vaccinations, strenuous exercise, worming, and inadequate nutrition increase the risk even further.
Symptoms include: listlessness, shakiness, weakness, won't get up and play, gums that are pale in places or light pink means the blood sugar levels are dropping. Another sign that is usually seen is vomiting clear liquid or bile on an empty stomach or foamy saliva at the mouth. Eating food that is readily digested and metabolized will reverse minor signs, but intravenous glucose administration is required for severe cases.
Feeding recommendations for puppies at risk for hypoglycemia include frequent (4–5 times a day) feedings of high-carbohydrate, high-protein and/or high-fat foods. Normal feeding schedules will be 3–4 times per day. Make sure water is available at all times.
All of our puppies are constantly monitored on a daily basis, and we are quite aware of the health and well-being of each dog. The pregnant females are pampered, spoiled, and given extra supplements to make sure they remain healthy. They also receive supplemental vitamins and extra treats to make sure they stay healthy while nursing and that the puppies are given a good start. The puppies are started off well and are kept that way throughout the time they are with us.
If you have any questions at all, please email us at maximumbull@gmail.com
