PLEASE NOTE: The information shared below comes from our years of experience training, breeding and raising dogs. We are NOT licensed veterinarians. As always, please refer to a licensed vet as the authority on your pet’s health.
So, here’s a topic nobody wants to talk about: worms and fleas. BLEH! Unfortunately, when we invite an animal to live in our home, even if it’s the cutest puppy you ever did see, we inadvertently invite those other critters in as well. Surprisingly, this is an often overlooked element of dog ownership. HOWEVER, there IS something you can do. Actually, there are many things.
First, understand what you are up against. Pretty soon, you will be bringing home a puppy with a digestive system that is still developing. This, in addition to the fact that puppies put EVERYTHING in their mouths, is the main reasons that worms are so prevalent in puppies. They simply cannot ward them off like an adult dog can.
What we do about it:
Knowing this, we raise the puppies at our kennel strictly indoors from birth to their 6th week of life. However, at 6 weeks, it is crucial that we attend to their next developmental phase: leaving the den and beginning to explore the world. If we let them go from den to their new homes, never exposing them to the great outdoors, our puppy buyers would end up with highly anxious and overwhelmed puppies, ill-equipped to deal with such a drastic life change.
So, since providing families with confident and well-balanced puppies is our highest goal, the puppies begin playing in a small playpen outside, in the soothing presence of their mom, at 6 weeks. Again, this is simply an effort to expand their skills and confidence. However, outside obviously means exposure to the critters who love our critters.
In an effort to protect the little pups, our play pen is ALWAYS kept clean with continual poop scooping throughout the day, fresh pine shavings, and a clean water source. The mother of the litter is kept on a monthly de-wormer to help ensure that she does not pass worms on to her pups. Additionally, before sending the puppies home, we have them de-wormed by a licensed vet which is marked on the immunization records accompanying the pup at pick-up.
Now it’s your turn:
After puppy pick-up, the battle against worms, ticks and fleas (OH MY!) becomes yours. Your BEST and MOST EFFECTIVE strategy is to be proactive!!!!
In accordance to our health guarantee, buyers will need to take their new puppy to a licensed vet within 3 business days of pick-up. At this visit, please ask to have your puppy de-wormed!! At most honest vet clinics, it’s only a $10 oral treatment (typically Strongid). A very small price to pay. Some vets insist on doing a fecal exam first (which will cost more). That’s totally fine, however, a good, seasoned vet will likely de-worm a puppy EVEN IF the results come back negative. Worms are just so common in puppies that an ethical vet will know to be proactive. Please don’t leave a puppy’s first vet visit in your care without a de-worming treatment.
Additionally, vets often carry sample doses of monthly heartworm/dewormer and flea/tick prevention for new puppies. If they don’t offer it, be sure to ask!! Monthly prevention is your golden ticket to keeping a puppy worm, tick and flea free. Here are two products that we have found to be incredibly effective (see below). We have tried almost everything out there (even essential oils) and, in congruence with our current vet’s recommendation, we’ve landed on these two products:
- Sentinel (Monthly heartworm, hookworm, roundworm, and whipworm prevention)
- Seresto 8-month flea/tick prevention
As much as possible, please begin monthly flea and worm protection within the first week of bringing a new puppy home.
There’s one nasty bugger out there that isn’t covered by a monthly preventative: Giardia. However, as always, there is something you can do to prevent it. Keeping your dog from drinking out of puddles, lakes, streams, etc. is really all you need to worry about as “most dogs become infected by drinking water contaminated with feces.” (DR. DONNA SPECTOR DVM, DACVIM) Since huskies are not a breed that should be left unsupervised ever, a “clean water only” rule should be a piece of cake.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this lengthy post! Again, not a topic that is fun to discuss but we truly hope this advice will save you so much time, hassle and heartache!!