YOWSERS! Today was a busy, busy day!

We started off with a trip south with Piper's ten pups packed into my car to visit the Canine Ophthalmologist in Portsmouth, NH. I packed my 'Pup Mobile' so I would not have to make 10 trips into the office. With the use of the carriage, I only had to make two trips which was wonderful.  :+) The pups really love riding in the carriage which is a very good thing!

Drops were placed in their eyes for dilation of the pupils which allows the vet to see more clearly. I always like to do eye CERF's on my pups to be sure they are not exhibiting any eye disease that may cause blindness. Between 8 and 12 weeks, the 'flap' behind the eye has not closed and with the use of proper equipment, vets can see if disease is present like Progressive Rod Atrophy (PRA) and the like. Vets will also note 'Puppy Epithelial or Persistent Pupil Membranes' both very common in puppies. Epithelial smudges are like an oil slick that eventually gets absorbed around a year - it is not a problem with our hybrid. PPM's Iris to Iris is a benign condition that will never affect sight - think of it as a strand of membrane that was left behind during womb development. Neither of these conditions affect sight in our hybrid, so no worries. Many times both are gone by a year with maturation.

Once we returned home, an early lunch was served, a potty break and small nap was had by all. Then we packed up for the second time to get vaccines at Broadview in Rochester, NH. I prefer that the pups get only Distemper and Parvo vaccines - nothing else at this time. Dr. Estle is very accommodating to my request and purchased this vaccine for me only. Most pups get a 4-way vaccine at this time which includes: Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvo and Para Influenza (DHPP). I feel that is way too much for their immature immune system, so only give the most important ones. When they are 12 weeks, I suggest your vet give them only Parvo and Distemper again with nothing else! At 16 weeks, they can have the DHPP with NO other vaccine. I suggest you wait for Heart worm or a Lyme vaccine until six months or when they absolutely need it. Limit the number of vaccines given at any one time. Limit Flea and Tick preventatives as well. Watch closely for reactions. Read about these reactions on the Internet and learn what to look for.

Both trips were uneventful, the pups were extremely good.