My first pup!

[ShadyJoDove757]

Such a blessing to find this website!!! I was going crazy the first couple days with the new pup. He's a beagle, about nine weeks old, his name's Wyatt (yup, as in Earp, and my infatuation with Tombstone in general ) and so far he's been great. He's my very first dog ever, so I'm a little nervous/paranoid about some things. So if you could help me with the following that'd be great!
- Why are rawhides bad? Are cow hoofs okay?
- Is it okay to feed pups hotdogs/bits of chicken/cheese
- At what age do beagle pups start teething? Do their teeth literally fall out like people's do?
- What is the earliest age I can get him neutered?
- Since he's so young, and has the cute coffee smelling puppy breath, is it necessary to brush his teeth yet? I tried yesterday, and his teeth are just so small it seemed a little pointless....
- How can you tell if he has fleas? There are times he rubs up on the carpet and rolls over, and I'm thinking it's because he's itching? But then I check his hair and he's seems so clean, I can't find anything....
-I've heard to stay far away from "greenies"....but I bought what's called a "green mint bone", similar in form to the common nylabone...are those okay?
- I'm feeding him Purina One lamb and rice puppy food? Is that healthy/sufficient enough? Should I also dampen with warm water to soften the food?
- How much water should he be getting each day?
- I've heard cleaning out his ears with a mixture of half water/half peroxide is okay? True?
- And the big stinker........the first night I brought him home he had a bowel movement, and I noticed there were what appeared to be white worms that were moving in his poop......he had just gotten wormer that day...when the breeder called the next morning to see how his first night was, I let him know and he said "oh, that's good, it means the wormer is getting all that stuff out" he referred to them as roundworms or pasteworms I think he said. My little guy had two more bowel movements yesterday and neither one had those ugly worms things in it. Is he okay? I still have for more doses of wormer to go on him (one week apart)....should I do anything else?

I'm sure I'll think of more later! Thanks guys!!!

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Hi there and congrats on your new baby! I'd love to see some pics! Sooo many questions, first pups are fun but do come with loads of questions so, I'll see what I can do here.

- Why are rawhides bad? Are cow hoofs okay?

Rawhides get soft and tend to get really long or break in large chunks which creates a choking hazard. Cow hoof doesn't break off that way so less worry about your pup choking.

- Is it okay to feed pups hotdogs/bits of chicken/cheese

Are you using these things for training purposes or for treats? A little hotdog in small bits is ok but never in large bits to prevent choking plus hotdogs have tons of salt which should be avoided.

- At what age do beagle pups start teething? Do their teeth literally fall out like people's do?

It varies from dog to dog on when they begin teething and yes, they do lose teeth the same way as children do.

- What is the earliest age I can get him neutered?

Ask 30 different people and you'll get close to thirty different answers on this one. My own pups are at least 6 months before I spay / neuter.

- Since he's so young, and has the cute coffee smelling puppy breath, is it necessary to brush his teeth yet? I tried yesterday, and his teeth are just so small it seemed a little pointless....

Its always a good idea to start them out young, by doing so your getting your pup used to you doing it so that when he really needs it later on you won't have to fight with him to do it.

- How can you tell if he has fleas? There are times he rubs up on the carpet and rolls over, and I'm thinking it's because he's itching? But then I check his hair and he's seems so clean, I can't find anything....

There are several ways to tell if a puppy has fleas, one is by looking through his hair for the fleas as well as for what resembles flecks of pepper. These are actually flea dirt and a sign that your pup has fleas. Puppies often roll around and just generally act silly so his actions aren't really a good indicator. If your concerned that he may have fleas, ask your vet for a good flea prevention appropriate for his age. Do NOT use anything without checking with your vet first. Many flea preventatives should not be used on small puppies.

-I've heard to stay far away from "greenies"....but I bought what's called a "green mint bone", similar in form to the common nylabone...are those okay?

I'm not sure which bone you have there but yes, greenies are bad news! Look for things that only break into small little balls, small enough that they wouldn't cause a choking hazard. Any bone that comes apart when chewed is something that your pup should only chew while under supervision.

- I'm feeding him Purina One lamb and rice puppy food? Is that healthy/sufficient enough? Should I also dampen with warm water to soften the food?

Again, ask 30 different people and you'll get thirty different answers on what food is best for your puppy. The very best thing you can do is research foods and decide for yourself what food is best. We have a great section on foods that may help you with this. The Dogs Diner Purina would not be my choice but only you can decide what works best for your dog. Your pup should be old enough to handle food that is not moistened however, if the breeder was still soaking food you may want to continue that and slowly start adding in hard food until the puppy is used to it.

- How much water should he be getting each day?

I'm not a fan of not giving water to any animal, my suggestion would be to leave water out and available to your pup 24 hours a day.

- I've heard cleaning out his ears with a mixture of half water/half peroxide is okay? True?

I'm not a fan of using peroxide as it tends to dry the ears out too much. A good ear cleaner without alcohol is a better choice in my own opinion.

- And the big stinker........the first night I brought him home he had a bowel movement, and I noticed there were what appeared to be white worms that were moving in his poop......he had just gotten wormer that day...when the breeder called the next morning to see how his first night was, I let him know and he said "oh, that's good, it means the wormer is getting all that stuff out" he referred to them as roundworms or pasteworms I think he said. My little guy had two more bowel movements yesterday and neither one had those ugly worms things in it. Is he okay? I still have for more doses of wormer to go on him (one week apart)....should I do anything else?

Yep, if he has been giving wormer seeing those worms is a good thing! You may notice the worms passing again and maybe you won't, it really depends on how infested the pup was.

[Cassiepeia]

Just wanted to say, Congrats on the new pup!!! And I think it's wonderful that you're asking so many questions.
I hope we'll get to see some pictures of your little Beagle boy, we LOVE puppy pictures.

Cass.