My breeder has never dewormed nor vaccinated my puppy. How do I start with its health. Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | unspayed | 4 months and 25 days old | 18 lbs

First, have her examined by your veterinarian. He or she can administer or dispense a dewormer. It will likely need to be repeated in 2 and 4 weeks. Afterwards, start her on a monthly preventative for heartworm and intestinal parasites. A topical or oral flea and tick preventative can also be started. Discuss with the vet what Cherry's lifestyle will be. This will determine which vaccines she will get. Core vaccines include distemper/parvo combination and Rabies vaccines. She will need 3-4 distemper/parvo vaccine every 4 weeks. The rabies vaccine she can get now. It will be repeated next year, then every 3 years. Lifestyle vaccines include Lyme disease, leptospirosis, canine flu and bordatella (kennel cough). These are given based on her risk of exposure. You can discuss their use with your veterinarian. She can be spayed at about 6 months of age.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Tootsie. I recommend that you make an appointment for her to see a veterinarian. Vaccines are typically started between 6-8 weeks of age in puppies. A fecal test will be performed and deworming medication is typically given. Heartworm prevention is commonly started at 8 weeks as well. I hope this information helps!

Bulli will need a DAPP vaccine as soon as possible (distemper, adenovirus, parvovirus, and parainfluenza) - this protects against parvo and distemper, which are the two most common serious illnesses we see in puppies this age. If Bulli is 3 months old now, this vaccine will need to be boostered in 4 weeks. He should also have a Bordetella vaccine (kennel cough), and a rabies vaccine in 4 weeks also. For deworming, he should be dewormed once now and again in 14 days to get rid of all life stages of parasites that may be present. It's recommended to have a fecal sample checked by your vet after doing this, to ensure that no further deworming is needed. Costs will very quite a bit from one area to another (and even between clinics in the same area), so you will need to call a local vet clinic near you for an accurate estimate of prices.