What health issues are Cockapoos prone to and how to prevent?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are as you can imagine many things that can affect dogs in general. However, the best and most important thing you can do for your pup at this point to prevent all the most likely things is vaccinating and deworming as well as using heart worm prevention and flea and tick and prevention. By doing that you would be preventing a lot of the preventable diseases. Good luck!

Make sure she has vaccines including DHPPi (distemper, hepatitis, parvo, parainfluenza) and rabies. Depending on her age, the vet the can tell you her vaccination schedule. Spay her before she goes into her first heat (around six months of age) to significant reduce the risk of her developing mammary tumors and eliminate the chance of her developing a pyometra later in life. Put her on a good flea and tick prevention program, make sure to deworm her, and give her heartworm protection. I would have your pup seen by a vet this week to start all of these things to keep her healthy :-)

Hi there! Congratulations on your new puppy, Genisis. I would first start by having Genisis in to have a vet visit. This way, the veterinarian can make sure Genisis appears healthy, doesn't have any heart murmurs, or other abnormalities that need monitoring. Puppies can start with their distemper vaccine at about 8 weeks, which also includes an inoculation for parvovirus, which is a very dangerous and contagious gastrointestinal virus that puppies can acquire. Depending on the recommendations for the number of boosters in your area, your vet will let you know how many of these vaccines Genisis will need until being able to be safely let out into the environment to walk around outside and socialize with other dogs. Until he is fully vaccinated, I'd definitely keep him inside, and away from other animals, especially those with unknown vaccine histories. Your veterinarian will also recommend de-wormings and a fecal test at some point to make sure that your new puppy is parasite free. All puppies will have roundworms, and these worms can be transmissible to people, so I always recommend using good sanitary practices - ie wash hands after handling feces, and avoid kisses on the mouth and face. There is also the bordetella vaccine for kennel cough, and the canine influenza vaccine for the influenza virus. I will usually recommend those in my area. What isn't very prevalent in my area, is the leptospirosis bacteria, but I think in Arkansas it can be an issue, so I'd definitely ask the vet about that. Aside from that, I recommend a small breed puppy food for the first year of life - nutro, nature's recipe, royal canin, science diet, or purina are great brands. And I would also have Genisis neutered around 6 months of age to avoid health issues later in life, like an enlarged prostate. I'd look in your area too and see if there is a reputable dog trainer who can come to the house to start some puppy classes for you as well! I hope you find this information helpful! Best of luck!

It's very important to make sure that Bruno has yearly health checks with the vet, that he is kept up to date on his vaccines, and he is regularly treated with flea medication, heartworm prevention, and deworming treatments. He should also be exercised for at least 45 minutes twice a day, and be fed a high quality dog food. I would not recommend giving him human food, as too much of it leads to obesity and certain human foods are toxic to dogs. Finally, give him lots of love and attention, and take him to the vet if there are any health concerns.

Jack is PRECIOUS!! Choosing a reputable, quality food is a great step. They will have all the vitamins and minerals he needs. But in both people and dogs, one of the biggest factors in longevity is keeping a slim body condition. Keeping Jack slim and fit throughout his life will improve the quality and quantity of life. Routine dental care. Whether you brush several times weekly or have a dental cleaning with your vet every 6-12 months, dental disease is associated with other diseases and shorter life in both people and animals. Routine veterinary care. We don’t just recommend vaccines and senior bloodowork to empty your pocket. An ounce of prevention and early detection of organ dysfunction and other diseases can extend quality and quantity of life significantly. For example, if a senior blood screen shows mild liver or kidney elevations, I can often keep things at that stage with diet changes and supplements. If we wait till the Pet is sick, prognosis is not as good and treatment more costly. As your pet ages and developes any medical conditions, we can help recommend supplements and vitamins at that point. Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Jack.

Great question! One thing I would strongly recommend is having Coco spayed. Dog who are intact are prone to developing a pyometra, which is an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment. It makes dogs very sick. Unfortunately spaying her now won't lower her risk of mammary tumors, but at least it takes away the risk of the pyometra. Feed her a healthy diet, don't give her human foods, and plenty of exercise daily. Keep her up to date on her vaccines, heartworm treatment, flea and tick treatments, and deworming treatments. Finally, have her seen by a vet yearly for a health check, taking her in sooner whenever she is sick. I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If she is playing with healthy vaccinated dogs and is current on her puppy shots then she is unlikely to get parvo. Parvo is transmitted fecal-oral or from fomites (touching objects that have the virus on it). Be sure that Coco gets her DHPP every 3-4 weeks until she gets 2 past 12 weeks. If she has lapsed between vaccines then there is risk. As for tick control she is old enough for Nexgard which is a monthly oral chewable as well as Frontline which is topical. Be sure to start heartworm prevention as well. I wish you the best!