What shots has my puppy had?
Inoculations have been given to your pet according to the standard schedule. You will receive a record from the veterinarian about your particular pup. After that, the pup will need to visit your vet at least once a year for booster shots, rabies and a heartworm check for the rest of your dog's life.

What vet do you use?
Dr. Duffy Jones, Peachtree Hills Veterinary Clinic, Atlanta, GA

What has my dog been eating? There are a variety of great dog foods these days. Currently we are feeding a variety of Priarie foods (www.naturesvariety.com). We also like Innova puppy kibble, Solid Gold, NutraMax, Nature's Recipe. Good nutrition is critical to your puppy's continued good health.

How often should I feed my dog?
Twice a day until your WESTIE is 12 to 18 months, then, once a day. One to 1-1/2 cups a day will be about right. Once she is grown, ½ to ¾ a cup of food will be enough including treats.

What about parasite control?
We worm everyone quarterly with Panacur (puppies get wormed at 3,5,7 weeks with Nemex 2 or Panacur paste) for intestinal parasites. We also use Revolution (a monthly topical products for Heartworm, fleas, intestinal parasites. It’s best to talk to your vet about what will work best for you. Parasites will impact not only the health of your dog, but how the coat grows and overall appearance as well.

What else should I do to keep my dog healthy?
There are two additional things that are important to the health and good condition of your terrier: dental care and coat & skin care.

First, brush your dog's teeth. Otherwise, you will have annual cleaning that will require your dog to be anesthetized or risk tooth loss and infection. Terriers live a long time so dental care is even more important!

Second, remember terriers have very dry skin and coat. Bathe as little as possible and use a non-detergent shampoo when you do bathe your dog. Fleas must be controlled or your dog will be miserable and have no hair! Food should have Omega 3 vitamins and little corn products and supplementation is sometimes needed. A good number of the skin problems we see are more caused by conditioning and environment then genetics.