The first six months are the "main growth phase". They require high quality protein and nutrients.

The next 6- 12 months require a reduced protein content to help prevent any growth disorders.

Now fully grown, finding the right diet to match their energy requirements is key. 

Now in old age, diets with a lower fat and phosphorus are needed.

The Importance of Immunisation

Vaccinations are hugely important for our four-legged friends and have played a major role in reducing a large number of cases with devastating diseases such as rabies and parvovirus. Read on to find out more about the importance of immunisation and about ‘Titre Testing' and how it can help you make an informed decision towards vaccinations.

What are the Options?

As pet owners we would naturally want to know what is in the vaccines we give to our pets and how it protects them from certain deadly diseases. When born, all puppies have a natural immunity from their mother's milk however, this immunity wears off over time and so the puppies need vaccinations to bolster the immune system and prevent disease and illness. This makes vaccinating your dog sound like a no brainer. However, some owners do worry about the side effects!

What are the Side Effects?

Side effects of vaccinations can include allergic reactions, low fevers, pain, suppressed immune systems, abortions in pregnant dogs, muscle aches and low energy. Nonetheless, these potential side effects should be balanced against the risks of contracting diseases such as rabies or parvovirus, which can unfortunately be deadly.

 

 

Titre Testing

There’s a growing trend of dog owners who don’t want to over vaccinate their dogs because they’re worried about potential side effects and similarly we can also be worried that we are not vaccinating our dogs enough. It can be very difficult to know whether or not we have got our vaccination programme spot on for our dog(s). There are some new tests that can really help solve this problem and one of those tests is ‘Titre Tests’. Titre Test is a blood test that tells you if the dog has a level of antibodies in their system that will be protective against certain diseases.

How does it work?

Rather than just having a full vaccination what you can have done is a blood test and the blood test will tell you which disease that dog has got protection against and therefore which vaccinations they require that year. If the titre level is too low then they get vaccinated and if the titre level is fine then they don’t get vaccinated and they hold off for another year when they can be titre tested again. We recommend checking with your vet to see what vaccination schedule is best for your dog's age and health.