New owners are often anxious and are full of questions, and the best way to prepare for your new arrival is to be informed, so please read on. This section will address the following questions:

What health Screening are done on the puppies?
What paperwork will I receive?
What steps do I need to take before getting my puppy?


Vaccines and Veterinary Exam:
The State of Florida has strict guidelines when it comes to puppy sales and set guidelines as far as legal age to sell, vaccinations and exams required, etc. Please note some states DO NOT have any guidelines, and this is to your detriment as they help not only protect the puppy but also your rights as a consumer.

The State of Florida requires puppies be eight weeks of age, have a complete veterinary exam, vaccinations and negative fecal prior to a sale. All this information is placed on a USDA form called an Official Health Certificate and you are to be given an original for your records and to take to your veterinarian. Below is a sample:


Vaccines include Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus, and Bordetella (Kennel Cough). Leptospirosis is NOT given due to medical considerations, which means our veterinarians feel it is not advisable. This vaccination is controversial in the sense that puppies (all breeds)can have severe allergic reactions to the point where the risk is greater than the benefit of vaccination. Please consult with your veterinarian as to the risk/reward aspect in your area. Rabies is not given as they are too young at 8 weeks.

NOTE: vaccines often contain extenders (to prolong the life of the live virus) and dogs can sometimes react to this by developing a small, soft, grape like ball under the injection site. This can happen to all breeds, however, because new ridgeback owners are familiar with dermoids, this benign soft spot can take a frightening aspect. I have received panicked calls from new owners who feel this bump and immediately assume it is a dermoid. IT IS NOT A DERMOID and will be absorbed in the soft tissue over time. PLEASE ask your veterinarian to vaccinate your puppy in the left or right shoulder instead of the neck/ridge area to prevent unnecessary concern.

The fecal exam is rather straightforward and basically checks for the presence of internal parasites and organisms (mainly protozoa) which may negatively impact the well being of your puppy. Parasites in puppies are rather common and therefore our puppies are treated every two weeks until they leave to their new homes. Additionally, the State of Florida requires the puppy be wormed by the veterinarian even though the fecal is negative. Your puppy will be due for a wormer four weeks after getting his Health Certificate.

The Physical Exam is a well being physical exam conducted by a licensed veterinarian and includes eyes, ears, coat, genitals, heart auscultation, and dermoid sinus check for our breed. The genital check is to make sure the boys have dropped testicles and that the girls have a normal vulva presentation. The weight, name, and any comments are noted in the section titled "Other information/Comments" and ANY HEALTH abnormalities would be noted here.

Issuing Veterinarian Certification is a statement made by the examining veterinarian stating that to the best of their knowledge, and after examination, the puppy is found to be healthy and exhibits no sign of contagious diseases and has no evidence of external or internal parasites, including coccidiosis and ear mites, but excluding fleas and ticks. The reason external parasites are excluded is because they are easily acquired beyond the breeder's property, such as during the flight, or at any dog park, etc; are easily treated; and are generally not life threatening. However, we treat for fleas year round in Florida, and your puppy will be treated at 8 weeks with a monthly flea and tick preventative: (See pic, highly recommended for Flea and Tick monthly treatment).

In closing, you will receive an original Health Certificate with your puppy and you need to take this to your veterinarian when you complete your puppy well being exam. Please make sure you schedule a vet appointment within three days of receiving your puppy.

Our Health Guarantee and Policies

The above Health Certificate is our documentation attesting to the good health of your puppy at the time of the sale. It is our guarantee and we offer a full 100% money back refund for five days should you not be satisfied with your new pup. You are contractually obligated to take your pup to YOUR veterinarian, with the Health Certificate supplied and within 72 hours of arrival, to have your own veterinarian do a second, independent evaluation. No vaccines nor procedures will be due, it is simply a well puppy visit for your own protection. At this time, your veterinarian will schedule a second visit for the puppy's boosters and wormer/heartworm preventative (usually three to four weeks from the date your puppy received his/her vaccines from our veterinarian).

A word on the Health Certificate and your obligations:
As a breeder, it is my obligation to sell you a healthy puppy, however you are also responsible for the continuing well being of this puppy. A Health Certificate is a picture in time of your puppy's health status and while it is valid for 30 days for a sale, it can change depending on the care he or she receives after arrival. Too often, breeders are given a bad name for issues which developed while in the care of the new family. I believe it is a two way street so to speak and there are measures you can take to minimize the risk of contagious diseases for your puppy.

Do you ever wonder why obedience classes do not take puppies until they are past four months old? It is mostly due to the fact puppies are not fully immunized until they receive their third set of shots at about 16 weeks! That is also the time they get their rabies shot. However, until then and despite leaving here with their first set of shots, they are still susceptible to contagious diseases including Parvo, Distemper, Influenza, etc. What not to do?

DO NOT TAKE your puppy to a dog park or other areas where dogs with unknown vaccination histories congregate. Even adult, vaccinated dogs can be carriers. For those with you with children, do you remember your discharge instructions once the newborn baby arrived? Stay home for two weeks, limit hand to mouth touching, etc? Taking a puppy under 16 weeks to a dog park is similar to taking a human newborn to a kindergarden class and allowing the cute 3 and 4 year olds to exchange boogers, sloppy kisses, etc, with the newbie. It is simply too risky at this unprotected stage.

DO NOT OVEREXERT your puppy! They are babies and will sleep...a lot! This is normal, they are fast growing and need to rest, so despite everyone being excited, allow the puppy to sleep when he is sluggish/sleepy. At this age they do not need to walk around the block, simply playing in the yard or the house is enough.

DO NOT ALLOW ALLOW YOUR PUPPY TO MEET AND GREET every dog at the veterinarian's. Do you know what that dog is in for? A dog coming in for simple vomiting and diarrhea could be exhibiting the signs of something much worse...and contagious. That other puppy looks really cute and wants to play with yours, but did you know he just got adopted from a shelter with active cases of (insert here deadly and scary contagious disease)? No nose or butt touching please!

In closing, some common sense safeguards will keep your puppy healthy and happy. We have more information on feeding, crating and potty training below. The first most important document you will receive with your puppy is your Official Health Certificate followed by your AKC puppy application, which is covered below.

AKC PUPPY APPLICATION



This is your puppy's individual registration that needs to be submitted to AKC in order to get your AKC registration certificate. Contrary to popular opinion, breeders do NOT issue AKC papers, AKC does. We only issue a puppy litter application indicating a puppy was born from such and such parent, and the new buyer submits this once a name is chosen. All our dogs carry our kennel name but you must add more characters to complete the name. You also get to chose between a Gold Package (three generation pedigree, one year AKC Family Dog Magazine subscription, and a Dog Care and Training DVD) OR a Silver Package which is just a Three generation Pedigree. I recommend the Gold Package for first time dog owners as it has a booklet that describes the growth stages of the puppy. Please note AKC puppy applications are often sent later and separately than the Health Certificate and Sales Contract to allow time to pass for our five day guarantee. You have 13 months to send this application to the AKC without incurring late fees.


Raising puppies is fun!

I find raising puppies enjoyable and easy, but I have been doing it for years. This may not be the case for a new owner and while I try to educate everyone, I do not mean to sound alarming. However, some people lack experience or simply do no know any better, so maybe this information is helpful to some degree. The internet is a great source of information but also tends to give conflicting (or wrong) information and this can be worrisome without needing to be. Don't believe everything you read and just because it is printed and online does not mean it is true.

For example, everyone interested in Ridgebacks knows about Dermoid Sinus and we get tons of questions on this subject. In my experience, it is not as pervasive or as devastating as some sites would lead you to believe. We have had some over the years and over many litters, easily detected, operated on at 6 weeks at less than $200 each, and now live productive, happy lives. Some breeders, and even RCCUS, would recommend "culling" (nice way of saying killing) those puppies but I have a different opinion on this. I don't think the owners of these wonderful dogs would want a life without them, so my alternative is to surgically remove the dermoid and let them live. Some breeders opt for the "freezer" option where the newborn puppies are placed to die right after birth because the breeder is embarrassed or fears negative feedback from other breeders or the breed club. I believe in taking responsibility for what you breed and doing what is necessarily to make them healthy. After all, we are talking about a VERY small minority of puppies, so not sure why others consider it such a hardship to correct? Once removed, the dermoids do not pose long term health issues and the only evidence you may see is a small scar. .

I find people who were either raised with a dog or who had a dog at some point in their life AND have children to make the easiest transition when introducing a new puppy.  I think the prior dog experience and having children makes them more grounded and less likely to overreact to a minor issue and they have the experience to tell the difference between a real concern and a minor one. New owners who have never had a pet probably have the most concerns/questions and I hope this section has helped alleviate some of these concerns. Raising a puppy should be a happy experience and one with minor yet memorable stages (the chewing stage? lol!). For those of you new to this, I highly recommend you subscribe to the GOLD PACKAGE on your AKC puppy registration as it has a yearly subscription to AKC Family Dog with monthly growth stages matching those of your new puppy. It also has a neat Training DVD you (or the kids) may like!

Happy Puppy Raising!