SPAY NEUTER
When to spay and neuter based on full grown weight. Benefits of spay/neuter, risks without spay/neuter.
feed your dog the correct amount
Dog food has various amounts of calories depending on brand and type of food. For example, a dog can get 5 cups of weight management food, but only have 2 cups of an active dog food. Use this calculator and your BCS (body condition score) to figure out how much to feed. Look on chewy.com under nutritional info of your food to figure out kcal/cup.
dog food choice
Finding a dog food can be difficult. Try to find one with the AAFCO seal, that means they follow certain guidelines. Recommended food by vets are Purina ProPlan, Hill's Science Diet, Iams, Eukanuba, & Royal Canin. They are more expensive but you are getting what you pay for.
I recommend feeding a sensitive stomach and/or salmon protein food, avoid chicken and beef.
probiotics
Foriflora is an excellent choice for probiotic. You can use as needed or if your dogs starts to have soft stool you can do a few days of it.
joint supplement
A joint supplement is always a good idea for growing, large breed puppies. Highly reommend Dasuquin.
ear infections
Doodles are predisposed to ear infections because of their ear type, floppy. Allergies can also be a cause of infections. Best maintenance to do is clear bi-weekly or weekly depending on how much you get out each time. A basic ear cleaner will do, if your dog has frequent infections there are better ones.
dental chews / brushing
You can help prevent dental disease. By regular brushing or some chews will keep tartar from building up. There are lots of dental chews and most don't do anything. Top recommendation is CET chews. There are a few different types. Brushing is the best, if you can start young and do it regularly!
parasite preventions
Preventing parasites is extremely important. By doing this the chance of your dog bringing them into the house or passing to you is less likely. There's many preventions, I always recommend prescription! Reactions/side effects more commonly occur with OTC preventions.
Tick-borne diseases
Lyme disease is becoming a lot more prevalent around the US. It comes from ticks, which can also carry other diseases. While lyme disease is treatable, no one wants their dog to get it. Ticks can also carry Ehrlichiosis and Anaplasmosis. Most yearly heartworm/tick disease blood test will screen for all these. Be cautious when choosing a prevention. There are some that only prevent 1 type of tick while others prevent 4+.
dental chews / brushing
You can help prevent dental disease. By regular brushing or some chews will keep tartar from building up. There are lots of dental chews and most don't do anything. Top recommendation is CET chews. There are a few different types. Brushing is the best, if you can start young and do it regularly!
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
Healthy weight is very important for the overall health of your dog. Its very easy for your dog to get overweight without proper food given.
treats
Treats can be the main cause of obesity in pets. As an alternative, give healthy treats, low calorie treats, dry dog food, or carrots or green beans. Dogs shouldn't be picky unless you teach them to be when they're young by offering lots of different kinds.
grain free food
DO NOT FEED GRAIN FREE TO YOUR NEWFYPOOS! Unless specifically recommended by your vet, there's no need to feed that and it is potentially linked to heart disease. There's plenty of other good foods to feed.
digestive supplement
Bernies Perfect Poop is a great all around supplement for digestion. Doodles are know to have sensitive stomachs, use this to help their stool.
Use WHD for a discount!
Allergy treatment
Doodles commonly have allergies. First step would be switch food to sensitive skin salmon protein. If that doesn't work, your vet may suggest Apoquel (pill) or Cytopoint (injection). Based on the symptoms you'll choose one.
Signs of allergies are typically chewing/licking feet.
dental health
Dental health is very important in any dog. Large breeds tend to have ok teeth until they're 5+ years, but could be before. Dental disease will cause bad breath, pain in the mouth, and can affect their temperament/activity/energy.
internal & external parasites
More common in puppies (intestinal parasites) but all dogs can get them from the environment. Learn how to recognize parasites and prevent them.
heartworm disease
Heartworm Disease is very serious and costly. It can cause damage to your dogs heart. Prevention isn't that expensive and can save your dog. There's many preventions, I always recommend prescription!
Test Required with Year Round Prevention
dental chews / brushing
You can help prevent dental disease. By regular brushing or some chews will keep tartar from building up. There are lots of dental chews and most don't do anything. Top recommendation is CET chews. There are a few different types. Brushing is the best, if you can start young and do it regularly!