Cedarmount accepts payments by Mastercard, Visa, Maestro and American Express. Insurance claims may be settled direct: please ask for details.
Have you got a new puppy?
Bringing a new puppy home is very exciting! Lots of people want to give you advice – the breeder, your friends, the petshop – please remember, we are best placed to give accurate, professional guidance on all matters doggy – please do ask us first – not all advice is good advice!
Free puppy check
Just like children, pups can be born with congenital defects such as cleft palate, umbilical hernias, hole in the heart - we offer a free first visit health check, designed to pick these things up early on - most are not going to be a problem. We need to recognise those that might restrict life expectancy or affect quality of life. We will advise on vaccination during this visit.
Why not come along to a free puppy party: all welcome once primary vaccination course completed: call 028 9121 7364.
With practical dog behaviour advice from John Wilson, The Sheiling Dog training Centre.
Insurance
These days, good quality veterinary care does not come cheap! We strongly recommend pet health insurance, taken out young, before any signs of illness are present. The features most important in choosing a policy are:
- Does it cover illnesses for lifetime or just 12 months?
- Does it exclude dental disease (the most common reason to make a claim?
- Has the company offering the cover got the necessary track record in the pet health market?
- Does it cover 3rd party liability - in NI, if your dog bites someone, or causes a car accident, you could be liable for a personal injury claim!
Parasites
All puppies have worms - that`s how worms exist! They catch them from their mums. Pups can die from intestinal parasite burdens, and of course they also represent a public health risk, especially to children. Ask us for advice. At Cedarmount we follow the BSAVA guidelines on worming.
Feeding your Pup
We strongly recommend feeding a good quality commercial dog food, formulated for growth, and with the correct protein, calcium and phosphorus ratios ideal for each type of breed. Ask us for advice. We stock Hills Science Plan and Royal Canin - both excellent high quality diets from companies which have good track records in pet health nutrition.
Toilet Training
We very strongly recommend the use of a puppy crate, which can also assist in prevention of separation anxiety in later life.
Dominance exercises
Pups are not wee people. They need to know their place in the pecking order at home. They will be much happier, better adjusted pets if you can follow the following simple guidelines, designed to mimic the wolf pack principle of "the top dog (the alpha male) goes first, feeds first, and leads"
- Feed your pup after you have eaten
- Make sure he/she goes through doorways behind you
- Keep him/her beneath your eye-line at all times - discourage children from wrestling on the floor with pups, don`t have pups on the settee beside you - keep them lower than you!
- Finally, practice taking the food bowl away during a meal for a few seconds - this should happen without any growlies!!