Below is our Puppy Care Sheet. We hope that a lot of your questions are answered from the information provided, but if it isn't, please reach out to us. A copy of this as well as other helpful information print outs are sent home with our new puppy owners in their puppy kits.
Bringing home a puppy can become an overwhelming time. Many new puppy owners, and even seasoned puppy owners, can overlook important things that their new puppy may encounter. We have put together a general puppy care sheet in order to aid in any questions one may have about their new puppy or even just use as a refresher to common puppy information. Many of these topics are discussed further in the information we provided in your puppy pack folder. This care sheet is meant as a helpful tool to aid in learning. Please feel free to reach out about any questions that may not be covered below.
Internal Parasites
There are many internal parasites that dogs can and may become susceptible to. The most common internal parasites are ones that reside in the intestines. The most common intestinal parasites seen in puppies are the following; Roundworms, Hookworms, Whipworms, and Tapeworms. Puppies receive their first round of deworming at 2 weeks of age and continue receiving a dose every 2 weeks until about 12 weeks of age. Many vets will request a stool sample at your first puppy appointment and/or will deworm your puppy at that time. They will normally continue to request a stool sample and/or deworm at each puppy vaccine visit.
Heartworm is another internal parasite that we worry about in dogs. Heartworm disease is spread through mosquitoes. Mosquitoes only die off once the ground frosts AND the temperature remains that cold or colder. If you live in a state where temperature fluctuates, remember that any day the temperature has warmed above frosting, mosquitoes can and will spread heartworm disease. Heartworm is a completely preventable disease. Although heartworm disease can be treated, there are many life threatening and/or life altering events that can occur. These events can be as simple as some added stress on the body which may clear up, permanent organ damage, or sudden death. We recommend all puppies start heartworm prevention at 8 weeks of age and continue to receive it throughout their entire lives. We also recommend heartworm testing be performed biannually or annually, depending on your location and veterinarians advise.
GPGD personally uses Interceptor Plus for our monthly prevention from 8 weeks of age until 20-24 months of age (as Great Danes are still growing and we are unable to determine a mature adult weight prior to that age). Once our Danes have reached their adult weight, we switch to ProHeart 12. ProHeart 12 is an annual injection given by a licensed veterinarian that prevents Heartworm for a full year.
External Parasites
The most common external parasites seen in dogs are fleas and ticks. Fleas can not only cause itching and general skin issues, but also carry intestinal parasites (tapeworms). Ticks can carry many different diseases that not only are dogs susceptible to - but humans as well. They are also a problem year-round as they do not die off in the winter and their numbers actually increase to one of the highest between February and April. Both external parasites can cause animals to become anemic once infested.
GPGD personally uses Credelio monthly, until our puppies are 6 months of age. We switch to Bravecto, which is given every 3 months, once they reach 6 months of age.
We also recommend Simparica Trio as an alternative option for puppies, due to the convenience of only needing one tablet a month to treat fleas, ticks, and heartworm.
The importance of vaccines
Vaccines are vital in providing the proper immunity levels to fend off preventable diseases. Puppies receive a series of vaccines known as their Puppy Series. The vaccine given is a combination vaccine that protects against Parvo, Distemper, Parainfluenza, and Hepatitis. These vaccines normally start at 7 1/2 to 8 weeks, as that has allowed the proper amount of time for the antibodies in their system from their mother to decrease. The vaccine is repeated every 3-4 weeks until the puppy is 16-18 weeks of age. The most important things to remember about a puppy vaccine series is that the boosters 3-4 weeks apart are extremely important and time sensitive, and the last vaccine is to be given at 16-18 weeks of age. If a vaccine is missed or late, the only way to ensure the immune system has enough antibodies, is to start the series over. Puppies should not be in a public environment or around dogs of unknown vaccination status until their puppy series is completed as they are still susceptible to the disease (Parvo being the biggest worry).
The last 2-3 vaccines are still a combination vaccine, but they include Leptospirosis. GPGD strongly recommends this vaccine as it is not only a deadly disease, but is also zoonotic (meaning your family is also able to become infected).
Vaccine reactions are not common but can occur. Proper monitoring of your puppy 24 hours after receiving a vaccine and communication with your veterinarian are required to ensure that if a reaction occurs, it can be prevented in the future. Most vaccine reactive dogs can receive a couple doses of Benadryl prior to their vaccine and have no issues. Skipping a vaccine is only acceptable if a titer is run and shows that the dog's antibodies against the disease are still high enough to elicit a proper immune response or the dog has an auto immune disorder in which a vaccine could be deadly. It is becoming common practice by veterinarians to push Distemper/Parvo vaccinations to every 3 years IF the dog received a proper puppy series and their first annual vaccine of it after. We encourage you to speak to you veterinarian about their vaccine protocol and follow their recommendations. Please remember that Rabies is a legally required vaccine as it is a fatal disease and also zoonotic. A bite by an unvaccinated or overdue dog can result in legal action being taken, in which it is within the courts rights to order the dog be tested for Rabies. Unfortunately, the only way to test for Rabies is by euthanasia of the suspected animal and submission of brain tissue.
We strongly recommend you discuss other elective/”lifestyle” vaccines with your veterinarian. These vaccines include Bordetella (kennel cough), Lyme, and Influenza. If you plan on Boarding, Grooming, Camping, Traveling, etc. with your puppy, some if not all of these vaccines should be given to your puppy. Please note
that there have been many discussions in the veterinary community and a lot of research done stating that Lyme vaccines should be considered a core vaccine as the rate of infection increases every year. In Summit county Ohio, the rate in 2020 is 1 in 33 dogs is diagnosed with the disease.
We discourage any vaccines that are not given by a licensed veterinarian or licensed veterinary technician. Vaccines that are bought over the counter are not guaranteed by the manufacturer and may be ineffective with a higher rate of causing a vaccine reaction. Information on how these vaccines were shipped and stored as well as administered is not available and may not follow manufacturer guidelines, rendering them ineffective.
GPGD’s health guarantee states that it is null and void if vaccines are not given properly throughout your puppy’s life or if they are not given by a licensed veterinarian/technician.
Crate Training and House Training handouts are provided in your puppy pack folder. Most general training can be accomplished by positive reinforcement, where your puppy gets a reward every time he or she does the correct “action”. Puppy classes and/or one-on-one training with a professional trainer may be beneficial or warranted at times. As a word of caution when seeking professional help; Please do not use a shock collar on a fear aggressive dog. The chances of making the behavior worse by causing physical and hurtful stimulation are possible and likely.
Feeding
Knowing the proper amount to feed can be a scary task as well. Discuss with your breeder how much they are currently feeding in order to get an idea of a starting point. Free feeding is not recommended as not only does it cause more obstacles with house training, but it also becomes more difficult to determine how much the puppy is actually eating. Start with the amount they were eating with the breeder and slowly add more if the puppy eats all of their food in a sitting and still seems hungry. Most likely, a Great Dane puppy will be eating between 3-5 cups (divided into at least 2 meals) a day.
Switching food without causing dietary upset is possible. The key is to transition the food gradually. Every feeding, increase the amount of the new brand/type of food and decrease the amount of the old brand/type of food. This transition should be done over 5-7 days.
Grain free diets are not recommended in any breed. There has been a lot of research proving that these diets, as well as other unbalanced diets (such as exotic and raw diets) cause heart disease. Note that almost all food allergy pets are allergic to proteins, not grains. Any raw diet should be discussed with a veterinarian and licensed nutritionist to ensure your puppy is receiving a well-balanced diet. Furthermore, Large and Giant breed puppies should never be fed puppy food as the protein content is too high.
Food brands that spend time on research and have published studies are the ones to stick to. Unfortunately, many companies spend most of their money on advertisement and “pretty” packaging and nothing on research into if their product truly does what they claim and/or causes no long-term ailments.
Brands that have published studies behind their names include Iams, Hill's Science Diet, Purina, and Royal Canin.
GPGD’s health guarantee states that it is null and void if Grain free or puppy diets are ever fed to one of our puppies at any point of their life.
Annual Veterinary Care
Annual well visits are strongly recommended to ensure the health of your puppy as well as sick visits any time your puppy has an ailment during his or her lifetime. Listening to and understanding your vet’s recommendations can increase your puppy’s lifespan. Routine bloodwork on a healthy pet can an allow for an issue to be caught early as well as provide a baseline for comparison should they become sick in the future.
Routine Dental care is also important. Daily teeth brushing is recommended and although it is not required as often as smaller breed dogs, Veterinary dental procedures/prophylaxis may need done multiple times throughout your puppy’s life.