Newbie Dog Owner Advice

brokenheartedman

Hi

In the next few weeks I will be purchasing my first dog, I'm looking for a bit of information re medical care etc.

1. Fleeing and Worming, how much does this cost? How often should it be done? Can I buy over the counter treatment or will I need to book a vets appointment?

2. Vets, wil lI have to register the dog to a vets or could I visit any vets should my dog require treatment?

3. Annual check-up, how much do they cost? What is entailed?

Any further advice?

Thanks

TBagpuss

You don't *have* to register with a vet but would it be sensible to do so, as the vet will then have your dogs medical records, and you will presumably want to go to the vet who is nearest/most convenient to you? This would not stop you taking the dog to a different vet if it was ill or injured while you were away from home.

You will need to ensure that the dog is microchipped, as this is now a legal requirement, and if you get a puppy you will also need to arrange for it to be spayed or neutered, so you'll need a vet.

Flea and worm treatment - depends on the size of the dog. You can buy over the counter remedies but you may find it it better to go to the vets as some fleas etc are resistant to the otc ones.
The vet will also be able to advise you about the appropriate dose and frequency of treatment.

Huskyrunner

Your best off ringing around your local vets reason i say that is alot do packages where you pay a set amount then get it all done. We own 5 Siberian Huskies with the last one we brought in i think i got a puppy pack which was 79 quid.

The puppy pack included 1st and 2nd Vaccine and worming and micro chipping.

Have a look too see if theres one of these near your

http://www.vets4pets.com/find-a-practice/

Vets for pets are quite reasonable for puppy packs but anything more serious we dont use them. The are a franchise and the vets tend too be trainees very young. We had a trainee vet tell us not too raw feed our working team of siberian huskies.

Your looking at usual 60-100 for first set of vaccines chipping and worming etc

For additional vaccines they get a booster at 12 months old which is usually 25-35 quid.

Re worming tablets our guys are done every three months but we do it this often as our guys are part raw fed. We just buy the drontal worming tablets off amazon. Worming tablets depending on the breed its usual 4-5 quid per tablet and each tablet covers upto a weight of 10kg.

brokenheartedman

Sorry forgot to mention I'll be rehoming a dog from a trust, aged between 2 and 5 ideally, all their dogs are microchipped and neutered/ spayed.

So to confirm I could buy "over the counter" flea and worming medication? How much would this cost per time for a Border Collie and how much would a vet charge?

Do they need vaccinations or a check up every 12 months? Again if so, potential cost?

Thanks

elsien

Most people vaccinate annually and it can be a requirement of the dog going into kennels. Sorry, can't remember what I paid last time. However the vet gives the dog a once over while you're there which can be handy for insurance purposes. If insurance covers dental treatment (and not all do) then an annual check can be a requirement. Unless you're self insuring in which case that doesn't matter.

GwylimT

Some people vaccinate yearly, others every three years, but either way they need a health and dental check once a year, so most have this done at vaccination time.

We bought vaccines for life, so bar the original £99 ours costs nothing, I think they range from £20-40 a year depending on the vet.

If your insuring a yearly health check is a must in most policies.

We use a drontal wormer from vetuk and advantage flea treatment from vetuk, as I order a years worth in one go and I last did this in November I honesty cannot remember how much it costs, not a lot though and much cheaper than milbemax.

McKneff

I would also look into insurance for the dog, medical treatment can run into thousands if the dog. for instance gets hit by a vehicle.

Huskyrunner

brokenheartedman wrote: »

Sorry forgot to mention I'll be rehoming a dog from a trust, aged between 2 and 5 ideally, all their dogs are microchipped and neutered/ spayed.

So to confirm I could buy "over the counter" flea and worming medication? How much would this cost per time for a Border Collie and how much would a vet charge?

Do they need vaccinations or a check up every 12 months? Again if so, potential cost?

Thanks

re read my post

for a collie your looking at 10 quid top per three months re wormer

SensibleSarah

By all means buy worming tablets online (drontal is great) but don't touch supermarket issue ones like Bob Martin. My 20kg dog costs about £5 to worm per time, and about 3-4 times a year. For fleas, I use Advantage (again about £5 per treatment, usually monthly), also available online without prescription. Frontline products seem to be totally ineffective on my pets now. Vets usually charge you for a consultation & price of the medication if they do it, for the first time at least - so depending on vet that could be anywhere from £25-£60.

Vaccination booster is annual & costs me about £30 a year (my vet includes annual health check in this, which entails listening to heart, noting weight & general condition & asking me if I have any concerns about her health), insurance about £20 a month.

It's easier if you register with a single vet practice who then holds the dog's notes / history etc, but in theory there is nothing stopping you from visiting any vet if needed and registering there too. Vets don't like it when you do this but I do know people who use one vet for vaccinations only (as they're much cheaper there) and another very for everything else.

unholyangel

My local vet (although they do have 2 branches elsewhere) do a plan thats actually rather good so might be worth asking around your local vets to see if they do something similar.

For dogs 10-20kg, its £12.46 a month and that gives you 2 checks up a year, boosters, years flea & worming, 20% off all other purchases (xrays, medications, grooming, food, toys, beds etc) and for an extra £2.25 a month you can add accident cover which gives £2500 per incident with a £50 excess.

Given her boosters, worming & flea treatment is usually around £110 a year anyway, its actually a really good deal and isn't dependent on age like a lot of policies.

You can also get third party insurance (this is imo the absolute minimum cover any dog owner should have) from the dogs trust for £25 a year - so owning a dog doesn't need to be bank breaking

Of course dogs can be taken with illnesses out of the blue like humans can, but some breeds are more prone to certain health conditions (usually due to them being bred for looks) - like pugs tend to have respiratory problems, german shepherds are prone to hip dysplasia, west highland terriers tend to have allergies/skin issues etc.

Feral_Moon

Cheaper to buy a generic wormer such as Endogard (http://www.vetuk.co.uk/dog-worming-cat-worming-endogard-dog-wormer-c-17_961) which is exactly the same as Drontal but a fraction of the price.

My 45kg GSD costs less than £10 a year to worm (once every 6 months) and wears a Scalibor collar (£13) from April to October to prevent against ticks and fleas. He no longer has vaccinations as he is now immune for life having had his puppy vaccinations and first annual booster. This year he had blood titre test done (£30) to check his immunity levels and they're all fine.

He's raw fed so highly unlikely he will ever need any dental work and is generally as fit as a fiddle. He is, however, insured against the unforseeable so that is my only major expense at £50 a month for lifetime cover with Pet Plan.