Hi!  Ember is a 2-month Golden Retriever and she's headed to her first vet trip in a couple days.  I have a list of questions I want to ask... would like suggestions if there's anything else I should be talking to the vet about!  I want to talk about the following:

worms prevention

fleas/ticks (I already pulled a tick off her and have only had her 3 days!)

heartworm/Heartguard (skeeters are bad this year)

she has a slightly swollen bottom- normal??

she walks weird on one leg- puppy clumsiness, or an issue?

she has no fur on her belly towards the back- normal?

how old to spay?

puppy shots/vaccinations

Anything else I should ask about??  She's doing pretty OK with potty training and I think I have her feeding schedule under control (3 times a day, Nutromax puppy formula).  Any other tips or advice is welcome and appreciated!  Thanks! 

I can answer most of the questions, but it sounds like you have it pretty well in hand. The only other thing you might think about is proper nutrition, although I'd tend to ask someone experienced only in your breed...a breeder or a rescue. Common thinking is not to feed puppy food to larger pups unless it's for large breed. There has been quite a bit of controversy about Nutro....I'd definitely consider something else.

Here's my 02 ~

Alert BREEDER (document, in writing) all these issues!

worm prevention - Most pups have them, vet will test and rec treatment. Don't freak out. Make sure you pick up all her "deposits" to avoid them spreading. Look at her "south end", make sure none are there!!!

fleas/ticks - Gross, yes. Look her over, esp between paw pads and inside ears. Once you get them, VERY hard to get rid of. make sure Olie is UTD on his preventative, vacuum a lot!

heartworm/Heartguard (skeeters are bad this year) - we like Interceptor. Talk to your vet.

she has a slightly swollen bottom- normal?? - try a warm washcloth, might be a worm issue. Ask vet

she walks weird on one leg- puppy clumsiness, or an issue?

Palpitate leg, does she whine? Ask vet.

she has no fur on her belly towards the back- normal? Sounds like it.

how old to spay? At least six months old, prior to first heat

puppy shots/vaccinations ~ vet will get you on schedule

Nutromax - I don't like it, first six ingredients are crucial.......Chicken Meal (great), Ground Rice (ok), Corn Gluten Meal (BAD ~ ALLERGEN), Rice Bran (ok), Wheat Flour (BAD ~ ALLERGEN), Ground Whole Wheat (BAD ~ ALLERGEN).  The ones I listed as bad are nothing but cheap fillers.

Thanks Tina and Aussies!  I was at Petco picking out a food and because of things I've read on MDS, I was attempting to avoid some of the things you mentioned... but then the "helpful" employee walks up and starts pointing out what I should be looking for in ingredients, and the only thing she said to avoid was byproducts.  She pointed out chicken byproducts on a Eukanuba bag, said that's bad, but at least you know it's from chicken.  The Nutromax came with a high recommendation from her because of its lack of byproducts, but I was thinking, but what about allergens?  Long story short, this lady was driving me nuts so I grabbed the bag and ran!  But I'll talk to the vet about it and see what he says.

I think in general, she seems very healthy... most of the things I want to talk about are just to become informed and prevent any issues.  The leg is the only potential problem- sometimes I think it looks funny, sometimes I think she's just "puppy awkward."  It's almost like she runs with her legs off to the side- I've seen kittens do it too though, so I tend to think it's something she'll outgrow.  But, I will definitely mention it to the vet.  Someone that has experience with puppies could probably just look at it and say oh yeah- that's what a puppy is supposed to look like!  Or not...  in any case, it doesn't cause her ANY pain at all, she's completely rambunctious and full of energy and every bit as annoying as a puppy should be.  She gets around on it just fine and doesn't ever whine, except when I try to separate her from Olie! 

Bear in mind that an employee is telling you what she is has been told. YES, byproducts are absolutely bad news. But as a longtime Nutro user, I would urge you to wean pup off of it, and Nutro Max is the cheapest of their line too....it's never been a good food. Better than Ol'Roy or Purina....I'll give you that, but good...noooo. Iams in general is not a good food. I don't know what you have access to or what you are willing to do to get food or I might suggest a particular brand. You can email Tina or myself and we can be more specific.

Next time just say 'no thanks' I don't need help. Just do your homework ahead of time. Remember vets are NOT nutritionists....this is easy to see...most carry Science Diet--UCK! It's difficult to find a puppy food without wheat, but do try to avoid corn.

Since you planned on asking the vet these questions I did not respond, but since Tina responded, I will too

Pup should have already been put on HW preventative by breeder, but if not she will be when you go. Current HW preventatives should take care of worms but she may require a course of wormer first. The only one it won't help with is tapeworms, which is caused by fleas. This requires a separate pill, normally given in one dose, but possibly two. The fact that you found a tick on such a young pup doesn't bode well for this breeder in my mind. Keep an eye out because it was originally thought dog ticks do not carry lyme, but they do, along with a host of other stuff, not to mention it doesn't take much to get a young pup anemic.

Bottom is likely from the worms, as is the belly. It can also be from pooing too much...a side effect of Nutro.

Puppy clumsiness is not usually just one leg. I'd definitely ask the vet about that one.

No fur...as in a smooth belly? That's normal. If she has pimply looking rash, it's probably fleas.

Spay is quite individual. Most vets don't like to do pediatric spays and prefer to wait until 4-6 months. Prior to six months is preferable because if you wait til six months she may already go into heat. FYI...females are born with adult size sexual organs and tolerate spaying very well. Males should wait as they are not born with adult size organs.

Puppy shots should be given every 2-3 weeks. If you go outside of this window, you have compromised their immunity. Please note: I would caution you to not put a pup on the ground anywhere unfamiliar (yes, even the vets) until she has ALL of her adult shots. This puts them at added risk for Parvo. YES, I am overprotective, but I have dealt with Parvo....it isn't pretty.