What You Need To Know To Have a Healthy Beagle Puppy

Every loving Beagle owner wishes his pup a long and happy life. Cheerful, active and joyful Beagle is first of all, a healthy Beagle! It is great if you have a trusted vet, to whom you can entrust the health of your dog, who can at any time provide Beagle care and grooming, and help if needed. If not, when buying a puppy, we recommend to ask for recommendations from the breeder or more experienced dog owners and always have a couple of veterinary clinics phones at hand. In addition, we recommend that you expand your horizons and read the literature about main dog diseases and their symptoms, so as not to be afraid of every “sneeze” of your Beagle and, on the contrary, not to miss the first signs of an emerging disease.

Beagle Care and Grooming at a Glance:

• Vaccination
• Deworming
• Fleas & Ticks Protection
• Grooming
• Home Care & General Safety

Vaccination

So, the first and the most important thing is vaccination given to the puppy to protect his immunity from infancy. Before preventive vaccinations the puppy is strongly recommended to stay at home (to avoid contact with other dogs, not to expose the puppy to stress, tiresome exercise, hypothermia), and you can start to walk him out after quarantine (10 days after the last revaccination). There are now many complex vaccines, containing antigens of several infections, that protect the dog from various viruses and diseases.

Diseases Abbreviation

Each manufacturer offers its own schemes for vaccines. They are tested and well tolerated. Each vaccine has data on what diseases it protects against. The designations of diseases are as follows: D – Distemper, H – Infectious Hepatitis, P – Parvovirosis (Parvoviral Enteritis), L or Lepto – Leptospirosis, R – Rabies, Pi – Parainfluenza.

Beagle Puppy Age for Vaccination

These diseases are very dangerous for the puppy, they have complexities and often lead to death. We strongly recommend to make shots with the utmost responsibility – namely, to observe vaccination deadlines and quarantine.

The most suitable age for the first vaccination is 6-12 weeks. At this age, the puppy will no longer receive mother’s milk and his immunity will become more vulnerable, but he will be able to form antibodies in response to the vaccine. It is not recommended to start the vaccination at a later time, because maternal immunity is getting replaced by his own. Look carefully at the vaccine scheme you or your vet have chosen and remember to get your vaccine back on time. Check terms and conditions of storage – make sure the vaccine is suitable and kept in the refrigerator.

There are also optional shots like: Influenza, Lyme disease, Leptospirosis, Bordetella and Coronavirus,

Vaccination Tips

• For the first vaccination it is better to invite a veterinarian to your home. A visit to the clinic, where there may be unhealthy animals, is undesirable for a small unvaccinated puppy.
• You can only vaccinate a absolutely healthy puppy – let the doctor take temperature and examine the puppy.
• It is also necessary to carry out deworming and to eliminate external parasites (fleas and ticks) before the planned vaccination (3-10 days). Puppy infected with worms is weakened, which may prevent him from developing immunity.
• With the first vaccination your dog should get a veterinary passport, which will include information about all vaccinations (vaccine label, date, doctor’s signature and the seal of the veterinary clinic). You will need this information to meet the deadlines and type of vaccine for your revaccination.
• Despite the fact that some vaccine manufacturers recommend vaccinating against Rabies once every 2-3 years, check with your vet about Rabies vaccination laws in your area. It is especially important for traveling with a dog).
• And, by the way, even strictly following the schedule of all vaccinations, try not to allow close communication of your Beagle with stray dogs, do not allow him to pick up from the ground all sorts of nasty things and do not let him swim in the untested ponds with still water, and definitely not to drink from them.

Deworming the Beagle

Deworming is carried out for preventive purposes from the earliest age, starting from 2-3 weeks od age, every 3 weeks, up to 3-4 months, then – less often, but not less regularly.

Adult dogs deworming for preventive purposes is most often recommended to be carried out every 4 months. Dewormers is available in a variety of forms: pills with meat flavor, treats and syrups. Choose what your Beagle likes most.

There is usually a big choice in the veterinary shops. Follow the instructions carefully and calculate the dosage depending on the weight of the dog. Do not forget to carry out this procedure on a regular basis, because a dog infected by worms feels worse.

You can determine worms by the following signs:

• White foam vomiting with worm output
• Larvae in the feces
• Itching under the tail
• Inflated abdomen, increased appetite, dull hair

Deworming is also carried out before vaccination, it is desirable to give the anthelminthic twice within the period of 10-14 days (but not earlier than 21 days after birth). A single dose destroys only the adult worms, but not eggs. In 10-12 days new worms are born from the eggs and thus you will destroy them too.

Fleas & Ticks Protection

Usually multi-purpose treatment is used against this type of parasite, acting as protection against fleas, ticks and even mosquitoes at the same time. The most famous and well-proven ones are Frontline, K9 Advantix, etc, also available in various forms, such as collars to protect from fleas and ticks, topical drops, shampoos, sprays, wipes and, oral chews. Personally I used to apply the drops on the withers. As a rule, the period of such protection is on average 4 weeks.

What is Dangerous about Ticks

Ticks are the most dangerous external parasites, being the carriers of a dangerous disease – pyroplasmosis. They are most active in the period May-June and August-October. It is believed that ticks are likely to hibernate in winter. Do not believe it! There were fixed cases of pyroplasmosis both in November and December, when the owners of the dogs stopped treatment. Unfortunately, with warm and snowless winters you can catch a tick all year round, so be alert and do not stop at least to examine the dog after each walk even in winter. The forest is not the only place where the tick lives.

Flea & Tick Treatment Application

So, what you need to know about the treatment. No matter what kind of treatment you choose, and in what form, follow the dosage. Sprays and drops are designed for a certain weight of the dog. In case of inadequate treatment, you risk to skip the tick, and to poison a dog if overdose, because all products contain toxic agents. Also, I would not recommend to use several types at once, like putting on a collar, applying drops on the withers, and then spraying the dog. The active ingredient is identical in all, so you risk to overdose this way. Better choose one and carefully read the instructions and by no means use for puppies those products, which are designed for adult dogs.

How to Find a Tick in Beagle Coat & What to Do

Carefully inspect your Beagle after each walk, especially after trips to the forest or outside the city. Sucked-up swollen tick is difficult not to notice. The Beagle is not so thick coat so that a tick could hide there safely. Most often, the tick is sucked in the most delicate skin like behind and under the ears, on their inner side, neck, armpits and groin.

If you find a sucked-in tick, don’t panic and don’t try to pull it out immediately. It sits strong and deep enough. To ease this task, drop on it any oil, after 5-10 minutes try to twist it gently with special tick tweezers. Read more here.

Vets speak about 20% of infectious ticks, so when you remove the tick from your dog, watch it for a few days to be sure your dog gets into the happy 80% of safe ticks. Symptoms of pyroplasmosis appear on the 2nd-3rd day after the bite – the dog becomes weak, loses appetite, fever increases, mucous membranes turn pale, and urine becomes dark, even red. If you have even the slightest suspicion of illness, take the dog to the clinic immediately, as every minute counts. The veterinarian will determine the presence of the disease by a blood test. The treatment started on time is usually always successful.

Beagle Grooming

Ears

There are no particular problems with the ears of Beagles. Do not allow a large amount of water to get into the ears while bathing. With proper balanced nutrition dogs’ ears are usually clean and there is no unpleasant smell. Periodically look into the ears of your Beagle and, if necessary, remove sulfur content with a cotton swab or a special cleaning stick moistened with special dog cleaner for the ears. Do not use alcohol solutions! If there is still bad smell and plaque, consult your vet to exclude the ear tick, and reconsider your dog’s nutrition. If ears are red inside, and he shakes his head and scratches more often than usual, consult a doctor.

Teeth

Beagle has 42 teeth, as dogs are supposed to. The first teeth are milk teeth (28), they begin to change at the age of 3-3.5 months and get replaced for permanent ones. At this time, it is not recommended to play with the puppy tug-of-war of toys, it may affect the bite formation. During the change of teeth you can give chew toys for Beagle puppies, ropes, dental care treats, which will satisfy the need for “itchy” teeth and help to get rid of falling out milk teeth. Sometimes, milk fangs do not fall out for a long time, even if the new teeth are already growing in their place. You can try to loosen up your milk fangs to make room for growing teeth, or you can ask your vet for help to remove them wisely. It doesn’t take much effort to keep teeth healthy. Massaging gums and brushing your dog’s teeth as he chews is important, so periodically give your beagle an opportunity to chew – but be careful to avoid swallowing bone fragments, sticks and other objects dangerous for the stomach. The safest option is carrots. Nowadays there is a wide selection of special brushes, toothpastes, treats for teeth etc, produced specially for dogs.

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Eyes

Eyes should always be clean and healthy. Small mucous discharges may indicate the presence of worms or an allergic reaction to smth. Overfeeding a dog with junk food may be one of the reasons. Eye purulent discharge is a sign of a dangerous infectious disease. If there is the slightest suspicion, it is better to see a veterinarian. In case of mechanical injury like biting, hitting – see a doctor immediately!

Claws

When walking, dogs should wear their own claws naturally. This is especially good if at least half of the walk the Beagle runs on the paved track. If they do not wear claws, it is necessary to cut them. Long claws contribute to the formation of the wrong position of the paw. It is very convenient to do a claw-cut, but do not damage the blood vessel, which is inside, cut the dead tip of the claw.

Coat and Skin

Special care for the Beagle coat is not required. The hair of the Beagle is short and thick. You can brush the Beagle once a week to massage the skin and remove dead hairs. Beagles shed immensely. During the shedding period it is better to brush Beagle every day. To bathe a dog or not to bathe? And how often? – This is one of the most urgent questions. I would not recommend washing Beagle too often with shampoo – once a month (depending on weather ) is quite enough, because the fatty grease under the influence of shampoo is washed off and makes the coat defenseless. Splashing in a pond is good as many times as you wish. It is desirable, of course, to find a clean pond.

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Home Care & General Safety

When you brought home a little Beagle puppy, start right away with Beagle training and provide him with all supplies, giving both of you comfort and safety. Let’s see what you will need at home first:

• Crate for Beagle
• Beagle Dog Bed

As soon as your Beagle gets out of safe home, you will encounter with the fact that you need some means to socialize him, walk him out and teach him obedience. Off-leash walking in parks and forests, hiking and travelling with your pup also involves concern about his location. So, we have selected top necessary good every beagle owner needs for a puppy:

• Harness for Walking Out
• Training Collar for Beagle
• GPS Tracker to Locate a Pet

Now let’s have a look at each point in detail to understand, that having them from the very beginning will help to raise a well-behaved Beagle, may save your puppies life, and will protect your home from destructions.

Crate for Beagle

Beagles have tons of energy. And sometimes they channel it into home destruction when left alone. You risk going home and discovering that he eats furniture worse than any moth and termite. Crate training teaches Beagle discipline, serves as a home and safe place for him. Don’t mix it up with any kind of punishment, as it’s not! Crate should become Beagle’s own room, when he can rest, sleep, relax, play with his favorite toys. Having got used to a crate from the puppyhood, Beagle will travel easily with you in a pet carrier.

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Beagle Dog Bed

Comfortable and easy to clean pet bed is one of the things to make your pup have healthy sleep and relaxation. Orthopedic features are important not only for humans, but also for dogs. One of the reason why your pup is eager to sleep in your bed is because he find it more comfortable, than his own 🙂 We propose to fix it, and choose a better bed for your Beagle. If you have a crate, make sure the bed will fit inside.

You may also like: Best Dog Bed for Beagle Review

Walking Harness for Beagle

Walking harness is essential for Beagle. It helps to distribute the weight evenly for long distance walks, necessary for a Beagle. Especially in yearly age when he is not yet well-behaved.

You may also like: Best Dog Harness for Beagle Review

Training Collars for Beagle

If you have never been concerned that 80% of packages with shock collars and GPS trackers depict Beagles, then we’ve got news for you! 🙂 That’s because Beagles really need them. They have well-developed hunting instincts and are prone to follow the scent. So when walking off-leash they cab run rather far away from a pet parent. With E-collar you can do many things:

• to call a Beagle with beeper
• to teach him not to grab food from the ground
• control unwanted barking
• approach people in the street
• stop chasing
• other unwanted actions

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GPS Trackers

If you Beagle have suddenly escaped having tracked a cat, you would have realized that GPS tracker was the most useful thing you had to purchase, to locate your dog immediately. Safety of the pup and your peace of mind cost much more. GPS trackers differ in coverage range, signal transmitting, way of attachment and control app. See more details in our GPS Trackers for Beagles Review.

Summary

We hope our advice will be help you to raise a happy and healthy Beagle. Puppy well-being is not something to experiment about and make trials.