You will want to take your new puppy to the vet as soon as possible. He can often find things you might have missed. Ask friends and family who they recommend. Visit the office before taking the new puppy to see if it is clean and if they have hours that fit your schedule. Talk to the vet and develop a rapport so you can bring up concerns when they arise. This person will become pretty important in your dog's life. So you and your dog need to feel comfortable with your choice of vet. By building a trusting relationship with the vet, you will have a long-term effect on your pup's life.
On the first visit, the pup will be checked for any type of defect. The vet should also take a health history and do a complete physical exam. The veterinarian will also, barring some unusual circumstance, start your puppy on a vaccine schedule.
Vaccines are necessary to your dog's health as they help to hold off sicknesses which will otherwise cause issues. A vaccine helps the puppy's immune response build up antibodies to the particular illness for which it is being given.
That way, when the young dog has contact with another dog with Distemper, he already has the antibodies to start to fight it before it makes him deathly sick. There are a few major sicknesses that your little puppy should be vaccinated against when he's young. They include Dog Distemper, Bordetella, Rabies, Parvovirus, and Leptospirosis.
At 6 weeks of age, the young dog will receive his first vaccine for Dog Distemper, Dog Hepatitis, Corona Viral Enteritis, Parainfluenza, Parvo Pathogen , and Leptospirosis. The secondary vaccines come 2 - 3 weeks later up to 16 weeks of age with yearly revaccination. Rabies is given at 3 months, half a year, and yearly after that.
The little puppy should begin receiving his vaccines beginning before he's 4 months old. The vet will know what to give and in which order. They can often give you a card that tells you what the dog has gotten and what's left to get. Booster shots are necessary to keep your pet current on his vaccines and to keep his immune system built up. The more protection he has, the less likelihood of the little dog becoming sick with the major diseases mentioned above. You must also bear in mind that some vaccines do not work on some puppies.
Some puppy's immune systems are just feeble fundamentally. If you've got a young dog that's unwell, although he's received all his vaccines, you should call the vet. Never hesitate to find help if you're unsure. The vet will be well placed to answer your questions and get your pet feeling better.