From vaccinations to nutrition and dental care, here are the wellness milestones worth diarising in your Westie’s first year. None of this replaces your own vet’s advice — it is a map, not a prescription.
The first week home
Book a check-up within the first few days, even if your puppy came with a recent vet examination. It establishes a relationship with your practice, gives you a baseline weight, and lets you ask the questions that only occur to you once the puppy is actually in the house. Bring the paperwork: vaccination record, worming and flea dates, microchip number, and what they have been eating.
Vaccinations
The core schedule usually starts at six to eight weeks with a second dose two to four weeks later, then a booster at around a year. Protocols vary by region and practice, so follow your own vet’s plan rather than a table on the internet. Ask specifically about leptospirosis, and about kennel cough if you plan to use boarding, daycare or training classes.
Parasite control
Puppies are typically wormed every two weeks until twelve weeks, then monthly to six months, then according to lifestyle. Flea and tick prevention runs year-round in most homes. Lungworm is worth discussing if you are in an area where it is present or if your puppy is a keen slug-hunter — which many terriers are.
Feeding through the first year
Keep them on their existing food for at least the first week. Changing diet and home at the same moment is a reliable route to an upset stomach. If you do want to switch, do it over seven to ten days.
Rough feeding frequency: four meals a day to about twelve weeks, three meals to six months, then two meals for life. Small breeds are prone to low blood sugar as puppies, so do not stretch the gaps.
Follow the guideline quantities as a starting point, then adjust by body condition rather than by the number on the bag. You should be able to feel ribs easily under a light covering, and see a waist from above. Overfeeding a growing small-breed puppy puts avoidable load on developing joints.
Skin: the one to watch
West Highland White Terriers are predisposed to atopic dermatitis — an inherited tendency to allergic skin disease. It commonly appears between six months and three years.
Early signs are easy to dismiss: persistent paw licking, face rubbing, scratching at the ears, recurring ear infections, rusty staining on the feet, or a faint yeasty smell. Raise it with your vet early rather than waiting to see if it settles. Atopy is manageable and there are good treatments, but it responds far better to early intervention than to a year of low-level scratching.
Other breed-related conditions
Most Westies live long, healthy lives. Knowing the breed’s known predispositions simply helps you notice things early:
- Luxating patella — a kneecap that slips. Watch for a skipping step or a briefly held-up back leg.
- Craniomandibular osteopathy — rare, appears in young puppies as jaw pain or difficulty eating.
- Legg-Calve-Perthes disease — hip joint degeneration in young small-breed dogs; shows as hind-limb lameness.
- Dental disease — near-universal in small breeds without preventive care.
- Deafness — occasionally congenital; worth mentioning if a puppy does not respond to sound.
Do not read that list as a warning. Read it as the small set of things worth a phone call rather than a wait-and-see.
Teeth, from the beginning
Start brushing in the first month home, with a dog-specific toothpaste — human toothpaste is toxic to dogs. Begin by letting them lick the paste off your finger, then a finger brush, then a soft brush. Aim for most days. Adult teeth come in between four and seven months, and chewing intensifies.
Neutering
Timing is genuinely debated, and the right answer depends on the individual dog. Have the conversation with your vet around six months rather than assuming a fixed date.
A first-year calendar
- Week 1: vet check, register with a practice, confirm microchip details are in your name
- Weeks 8 to 12: complete the vaccination course, start toothbrushing, begin grooming habituation
- Month 4: weight and growth check; move to three meals a day
- Month 6: dental check for retained baby teeth; neutering discussion; move to two meals a day
- Months 6 to 12: watch for skin or lameness signs; adjust exercise as growth plates close
- Month 12: annual booster, full health check, transition to adult food
Insurance
Arrange it before anything happens — pre-existing conditions are excluded, and in a breed with a known skin predisposition that matters. Lifetime policies cost more up front and are usually the sensible choice.
Trust what you notice
You will know your puppy better than anyone. A change in appetite, energy, toileting or mood is worth a call. Vets would far rather reassure you over the phone than treat something that waited a fortnight.
Every puppy leaves us vet-examined, wormed, started on their vaccinations, and with a full written health record — and we are on the end of the phone for that first year and well beyond.