Puppies
What is the Best Start Package?
Our best start package is designed to ensure your new best friend has everything they need. It includes:
- All of your puppy’s core vaccinations
- Kennel Cough Vaccination
- A free nose to tail health check with one of our vets
- Their first dose of flea, tick and worming treatment
- A free bag of food or food voucher
- 4 weeks free pet insurance
- Only £40 for Healthcare Plan members, or £80 if not
When can I come for my first appointment?
We recommend coming for your first appointment soon after getting your new puppy. This gives you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have, and get the best advice available from our experienced team.
When do I need to treat my puppy for fleas and worms?
All puppies should be wormed multiple times whist they are still with their mothers then again once in their new homes.
When you come for your appointment, our team will be ready to advise you on the latest, most effective and safe parasite control options, and our Best Start Package will include your puppies first dose of flea and worm control for no extra cost.
Do I need to vaccinate my puppy?
We highly recommend vaccinating all puppies to protect them against a range of life-threatening diseases, a lot of which are sadly still very common. To be fully effective, we advise giving vaccinations at eight and 12 weeks of age.
Some puppies may have already had a vaccination before you take them home. If this is the case, please bring their vaccination record to their first appointment.
What should I feed my puppy?
Puppies should be fed on a balanced and complete puppy food, formulated with their growing bodies in mind.
With over 1,500 different brands of dog food on the market in the UK it can be extremely difficult to choose one that is actually good for your dog. Ash Tree Vets highly recommend Royal Canin dog food, and are more than happy to talk to you about the pros and cons of a variety of diets.
When should I neuter (castrate or spay) my puppy?
This is a question we often get asked when we first see a puppy. The answer is dependent on each individual, and we take the opportunity to discuss it in more detail at a FREE Junior Health Check, which you will be invited to attend when your puppy is around five months old.
How should I help my puppy to settle in?
Settling your new puppy in and teaching them to be a good dog is not always as easy as we expect it to be! Ash Tree Vets have a very experienced team of Veterinary Nurses, all of which are dog owners themselves, who are on hand with advice to help get you started.
We also highly recommend attending a puppy training school.
What happens if my puppy does not have a microchip?
Since April 2016 it has been law that all dogs in the UK are microchipped before eight weeks of age and registered initially to the breeder, so your new puppy should already have a microchip when they come to you. The breeder should give you a “Transfer of ownership code” (or similar), to simplify the transfer of ownership details on their microchip. If it doesn’t, don’t worry we can help. Our microchipping service is competitively priced, and only a fully qualified Veterinary Nurse or Veterinary Surgeon will implant your puppies microchip.; we only use the market leading microchips, and will register your pet’s details with Petlog, the UK’s largest microchip database, accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
In the distressing event that your dog does go missing, it is essential that you have the best possible chance of being re-united with them.