A new 2-month Golden Retriever puppy: the care plan a vet gave on video

The case at a glance

Patient

Golden Retriever puppy

Age

2 months

Seen

Live video call, October 2026

Vet

Dr. Hassan Shahzad

What the owner told us

The owner had got the puppy two days earlier and, in their own words, didn't know much about raising one. They wanted guidance on feeding, vaccination and overall care.

What the vet advised

• Vaccines: the first puppy shot at 8 to 9 weeks, the next 2 to 3 weeks later, then the third with the first rabies shot at 13 to 14 weeks, a final booster at 16 to 17 weeks, then yearly.
• Deworming: every 3 months, with the next dates written down.
• Food: 3 meals a day at fixed times. Large-breed puppy food as the main part, mixed with plain boiled boneless chicken, rice and soft vegetables.
• Bathing: only with a medicated pet shampoo, never human shampoo, and dried fully so the thick coat doesn't hold water against the skin.
• Joints: short play, no stairs or jumping off sofas, and rugs on slippery tiles while his hips and elbows form.
• Safety: stay away from stray and unvaccinated dogs, and off streets and parks, until 2 weeks after the final booster.
• Call the vet the same day for vomiting more than once, diarrhoea, refusing food for 12 hours, weakness, or facial swelling or trouble breathing after a vaccine.

We don't publish medicine names or doses. They were worked out for this animal, and copying them can harm yours.

What happened next

The owner left with a written plan: what to feed, the dates for every vaccine and dewormer, and when to call back. This was a planning call, not an illness, so there's nothing to recover from.

What other owners can learn from this

You don't need a sick puppy to call a vet. The first week is when mistakes in diet and vaccination are easiest to avoid. An early call costs less than treating parvo or a bad stomach later.

Foods that are never safe for dogs. Chocolate, chai and coffee, grapes and raisins, onion and garlic (so no salan or curry), cooked bones, milk, spicy or oily leftovers, and sweets with xylitol.

Large breeds need large-breed puppy food. It has the right calcium balance for growing bones. Don't add calcium supplements unless your vet prescribes them.

Emergency? Trouble breathing, seizures, heavy bleeding, not passing urine or poisoning need a clinic now, not a video call.

The vet on this case

Every video consult includes a digital prescription and 48 hours of free text follow-up with the same vet.

Read next

• Dog & puppy vaccination schedule
• Deworming schedule