Resources

Veterinary Care

Having good veterinary care for your puppy is essential as he or she grows and continues healthy through adulthood. If you are in the local area, we strongly recommend that you continue with our veterinarian - Dr. Steve Albers at Rockwall County Veterinary Clinic. He cares for all of our dogs, including their annual well check-ups as well as prenatal and postpartum checks, and sees each litter of puppies at 5-8 weeks old when he checks them for heart murmurs, umbilical hernias, and digestive worms. Not all vets are equal in quality care and in the knowledge and expertise of German Shepherds, and this can lead to mis-diagnoses that cost people a lot of time, grief and money. Please consider Dr. Albers for the care of your animal if you're in the area, and be sure specifically to request him (not another vet at the clinic) for any visits you make with your pet.

A second veterinarian in the area that we see for additional reproductive health issues, as well as for all the hip and elbow certification of our dogs is Dr. David Tidwell at Texoma Veterinary Clinic. We can highly recommend him and his expertise of this breed as well.

Daily Vitamins/Supplements

Our top recommendation for your puppy is NuVet Plus K9 Wafers as a daily vitamin for your dog. These are like treats for dogs, and also help tremendously with their coat and shedding, as well as supporting their immune system. Even dogs with great bloodlines can develop health problems if their diet is poor, so please be diligent to give your dog what he needs. We recommend ordering and having these ready by the time you bring home your puppy.

Preparing to take home your puppy

All clients do receive a puppy take-home pack upon transfer of the puppy, which includes:

• Our favorite leather leash and collar
• Training treats
• Blanket that smells like your puppy's litter mates and mother in order to ease their transition
• Earth-friendly poop bags
• My Puppy Guide to your first 30 days with your puppy
• American Kennel Club Welcome Pack with pre-paid registration papers
• Medical Record of all vet visits, treatments, deworming and vaccinations
• Puppy kibble we've been feeding your puppy so that you can easily transition your puppy to whatever food you choose to feed it
• Bag of pine pellets and alfalfa pellets (like we use in our potty training trays) to scatter in your yard where you want puppy to potty
• Stain remover for potty training accidents
• Benebone
• Puppy's newborn collar as a keepsake

We've created an Amazon list of recommended products, linked here so you can view it easily. However, please don't feel like you have to get everything on this list. These are just some items we'd recommend if you do not already have items you prefer. As as Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

We previously fed all our puppies and Dogs Victor Super Premium - Hi- Pro Plus Dry Dog Food and Victor Super Premium Performance Dog Food, but recently, due to a recall, switched to Purina Pro Plan High Protein for puppies and Purina Pro Plan Performance for our adult dogs. They've done really well on this food! 

We also administer Heartgard for heart worm prevention and Frontline for Flea and Tick prevention at the first of each month.

Please note: German Shepherds are powerful chewers. We recommend that you have food and water bowls that are all stainless steel, with no rubber along the bottom. These are our favorite bones that we recommend.

Please do not hesitate to ask us any questions you have along the way as you transition your puppy into life at your home. We are happy to help however!