Life with your new Havanese will be full of surprises, most of them pleasant and entertaining. But along the way, there may be a few challenges due to general health issues and/or accidents that any K-9 friend is subject to. There are many web sites related to canine health. Here are some of our favorites that you may find helpful. Note: These references are intended for informational use only. You should consult with your vet for specific diagnosis and treatment of any health or behavioral issue.
What does that medical term mean?
The Merck Veterinary Manual provides a comprehensive electronic reference for animal care information. It includes over 12,000 indexed topics and over 1,200 illustrations. It features a rapid search by topic, species, specialty, disease, and keywords. Visit this site to learn more about a specific health topic.
Is it OK for my Hav to eat grass?
Don't be surprised if your Hav 'grazes' (eats grass) while out playing on your lawn. However, there are a number of various plants that are harmful and may cause illness and lead to death if digested. There are also many chemicals they can be exposed to. As a general rule, you should be very cautious about using chemicals that may be harmful to your pet in their play space. Be sure to keep the play space free of harmful plants also and supervise them as appropriate.
Accidental poisoning of dogs is fairly common due to frequent exposure of a wide variety of chemicals and plants. In fact, when there is a sudden onset of illness in a previously healthy dog, poisoning may be suspected. Please visit the Cornell Poison Control Center to see plant images, pictures of affected animals and presentations concerning the botany, chemistry, toxicology, diagnosis and prevention of poisoning of animals by plants and other natural flora (fungi, etc.).
9-1-1, What is your emergency?
Your pet has been involved in some sort of accident. It's after your normal vet's working hours. Who do you call? The first steps you take after an accident may mean life or death for your beloved pet. One of the most important things you can do is 'be prepared'. Most vets have a recommended after hours facility to contact. If more than one facility is available in your area, you may want to pay them a visit or call to determine which one you would be more comfortable with in an emergency situation. Visiting the facility will also ensure you know where it is located and what to expect regarding staffing, payments, etc. Vet and Emergency Animal Hospital phone numbers should be kept in easy to find places (i.e. refrigerator, wallet, speed dial, etc). Another suggestion is to store the numbers in your cell phone address book so it will be easy to call them if needed while in route or in case the accident occurs while you are away from home. You may need to call the emergency vet to determine whether or not the pet should be brought in or to find out if there is some immediate action you need to take. When calling, it's a good idea to have basic information available such as:
If poisoning is suspected, the following information will also be helpful:
A simple first aid kit may be beneficial in emergency situations. Visit the Dog Owners Guide website to learn the recommended basic supplies to have on hand.
More First Aid Info
Do you love to go places with your dog? Does a day in the park or on the trail or at the beach or lake sound like your kind of fun? Most Havs love the outdoors and are at their best when they are part of the action. If you plan to include your Hav in activities, you may want to learn how to treat minor injuries your Hav companion may endure while on adventures. Visit the Dog-First-Aid.com website to learn more about treating your dog in emergency situations. Your actions can influence the outcome of your precious companion’s injury.
Are You Ready?
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has developed 'A Guide to Citizen Preparedness' that includes an 'Animals in Disaster' section. It brings together facts on disaster survival techniques, disaster-specific information, and how to prepare for and respond to both natural and man-made disasters. Your pets depend on you for their safety and well-being. They should be included in your household disaster plan. Visit the FEMA site to learn important tips for handling them in emergency and disaster situations.
What other canine health resources are available?
The James A. Baker Institute for Animal Health (Cornell University) is one of the oldest research centers dedicated to the study of veterinary infectious diseases, immunology and genetics. Use the Search tab to look for a specific topic.
Cornell University publishes a monthly newsletter called DogWatch. Visit here learn more about it.
The AKC Canine Health Foundation is another good source of health related information. Its mission is to develop significant resources for basic and applied health programs with emphasis on canine genetics to improve the quality of life for dogs and their owners.
You can use any web search engine to find literally tons of information about the health issues we have discussed. Please take the time to investigate the validity of information you find and use common sense and judgment to sort the facts from marketing gimmicks.
Always direct specific health and behavior questions related to your new Hav to your Vet.
Health Issues Wrap Up
Chances are good that you will not experience health issues with your Hav if he/she was purchased from a responsible breeder who acknowledges health issues and strives to breed away from them. But there are no guarantees. Just like with us humans, not all canines are perfect. NOEC hopes the information provided on Havanese Health Issues has gotten you off to a good start by educating you about potential Hav health problems.
Havs just want to Hav fun. So, here's to a long, happy, safe and healthy life for you and your Hav!
Playtime
Playtime should never be confused with potty time. You must take your puppy out to play after it has been out to potty. If you let the puppy just play outside all of the time it is only learning it can just freely potty when it feels the need too. It does not understand the difference between outside and inside. So playtime is a scheduled event when it is going outside to play. Do not overly exhaust your puppy during play. Make sure it has fresh water to drink. Do not play tug of war with your puppy. This game teaches it to become aggressive and pull at your clothes. Remember pups are learning through play. Buy appropriate size toys made specifically for dogs.
Grooming should be done daily. It can be as casual as gently running a comb or soft brush over its body while you are watching TV at night. You can take a piece of gauze and wipe its teeth and the insides of the earflaps. When the puppy smells stinky you will need to give it a bath. When you give your puppy a bath you will be able to see its bone structure. When the puppy is around the age of 9 months to a year pay particular attention to the formation of your puppy's front legs when it has soapy shampoo on it. The shampoo makes the hair stick close to the body so you can really see how the puppy's front legs have developed. If they look like they are bowed or irregularly shaped you need to refer to the health issues topics such as chondroysplasia.
To keep your puppy healthy you will need to carefully follow a few well-founded directions. The first 6 months of this pup's life are very important to its overall health. This puppy does not need another vaccination for 3 weeks after the last one was given. Your first Vet appt. is for a healthy puppy check up. It is entirely for your benefit to assure you that your new puppy is healthy. You need to take a fecal sample in with you to determine if your puppy needs to be wormed again for round worms or treated for coccidosis. Be aware that it is not unusual for Havanese of all age to eat their droppings. We are not sure if this is a learned behavior from their mothers cleaning up after them or some carry over from the wild. It seems to be the norm for this breed. Pups that eat their own droppings can get coccidosis. It is treated safely with Albon. In the past it has been said to come from filthy living conditions in the whelping nest. Please be careful and do not assume a poop free kennel in the morning means your pup held its bowels over night. Your pup may have had a bowel movement and ate it. Havanese hate dirty living space.
While at the Vet. you will need to put your puppy on Heartworm preventative. I recommend Interceptor once a month preventative. So far there have been few reported instances of problems with it with this particular breed. You will also be well advised to have the Vet. microchip your puppy while you are there. This will help identify your puppy should it get lost. You can opt to have a tattoo instead but they sometimes fade and are hard to read.
Do not let your puppy down on the floors of the Vets. Office or mingle with other puppies or dogs at the office. The Vets. Office is for sick dogs. They relieve themselves outside in common areas and the Parvovirus that kills as well as other viruses live in the ground and fecal matter of other dogs. It is carried in on the soles of people's feet and is on the floors of the office. Children in the office sometimes go from animal to animal being friendly. They could be spreading through contact of saliva or nasal discharge other diseases to your new puppy. Be aware and be careful.
Vaccinations for a Havanese need to be done with care as well. Many breeders do not guarantee pups that have been vaccinated with Leptospira Bacterin. BE WARNED it has killed Havanese and those who have survived it have had some major problems. It is suggested that at 3- week intervals that vaccinations be given. They contain Canine Distemper, Adenovirus Type 2, Parainfluenza, and Parvo MLV. This is all your Havanese needs to remain healthy and safe. Vaccinations provide immunity towards these diseases. It does not keep them from getting them. Bordetella is to shield them against kennel cough. If you plan on boarding your Havanese you can give bordetella one week prior to the visit. If you're Vet. insists that there is a huge outbreak of Corona or Lepto in your area you may need to consider the vaccinations. Lepto should never be given until the pup is 16 weeks old in the case of an outbreak. There is still no promise that your Havanese will not have a severe reaction to it. If your puppy is not 100% up to snuff when it is time for its vaccinations do not have any vaccinations given until it is. Rabies is to be given at the latest date possible. It is the only vaccination that is required by law. If at anytime, within a 2- hour period of a vaccination you start to notice a reaction get your puppy back to the Vet as fast as humanly possible.
Between 6-8 months of age you will need to have your pup spayed or neutered. Isoflurane is the best anesthesia to use on your Hav.
At a year of age you should take your puppy to a Board Certified Ophthalmologist and have its eyes examined for abnormalities.
I cannot stress how important socialization of a puppy is in the weeks between 8 weeks and 12 weeks. You have a month to introduce as many new experiences as you can to your puppy. You have to supervise and be aware of possible threats to the puppy. Do not suffocate the puppy by being overly protective. Just be careful. Let the puppy warm up to every new situation and praise it when it does. Do not keep repeating to a frightened puppy “IT’S OK. You are teaching the puppy the fear that it is exhibiting is Ok. If the puppy is terrified you need to quietly and calmly remove the source of its terror. Please use common sense. Your puppy should walk on all kind of surfaces, meet all ages of people, greet friendly pets of people you know and be exposed to all kinds of different sounds. A well-socialized puppy will turn into a great adult dog.