My puppy chews gravel. Is it dangerous? When are puppy shots due?

It may due to boredom or an attempt to correct a nutritional deficiency. If she continues, she could cause a gastric or intestinal obstruction which may require emergency surgery. Review her diet with your veterinarian to confirm a balanced diet. Provide extra playtime and a variety of toys and activities to keep her distracted from eating rocks. Restrict access to areas with rocks if possible as well.

Puppies absolutely do like to get into things they shouldn't, as frustrating as this can be. Exploring their environment, including rocks, is in most cases a normal developmental stage. To keep Atlas safe from the possible harmful effects of eating or chewing on rocks, such as broken teeth or intestinal concerns after ingestion, such as blockage, try to remove rocks from her environment as much as possible. One reason why puppies are known for their destructive or explorative tendencies is they are in need of more stimulation, or experience anxiety when separated from you. There currently are several toys on the market which will interact with Atlas and release treats, that can be used while you are out. Atlas also possibly benefit from plenty of exercise, as well as puppy socialisation classes. Though less likely, there is also a possibility that Atlas could have something else wrong that causes him to seek out strange foods. For instance, metabolic disorders, parasites, and vitamin deficiencies can all be underlying causes. In order to rule out these causes a trip to the veterinarian would be needed. The vet would check on the parameters of Atlas's blood, and check a fecal sample for parasites. Hope that was a helpful answer! Warmest regards and best of luck to you both

Puppies are kind of like kids, they explore things with their mouths. There is nothing wrong with Mayor. However, I would recommend that you keep a close eye on him and prevent him from eating rocks. Dogs will ingest rocks (or several small pebbles at once) that are too big to move through their intestines and will cause a blockage. He should always be supervised outside (and inside!) until he (hopefully) grows out of his puppy stage and eating things he shouldn't.

Tiger needs to get his vaccines as soon as possible. A puppy should first get them when they are 6-8 weeks old, and needs a total of three series of them spaced four weeks apart so they are fully vaccinated at 14-16 weeks of age. I recommend having Tiger seen by a vet as soon as possible to get his first series of vaccines. Because he is older when he's first having them done, he will only need a booster of them in four weeks, and then he will need to be revaccinated in a year. As for training, I would put him into a puppy preschool or work with a professional behavioral expert when he is vaccinated. That will teach him how to interact appropriately with humans and other animals, and you will learn basis commands for him. In terms of nutrition, he should be fed a puppy formulated food. I recommend Hills Science diet or Royal Canin. He should be fed three times a day (morning, noon, evening) until he is six months old, and then he should be fed twice a day. Feed him according to the instructions on the food label, and divide the daily recommended amount into three equal portions.

First, have her examined by your veterinarian. He or she can administer or dispense a dewormer. It will likely need to be repeated in 2 and 4 weeks. Afterwards, start her on a monthly preventative for heartworm and intestinal parasites. A topical or oral flea and tick preventative can also be started. Discuss with the vet what Cherry's lifestyle will be. This will determine which vaccines she will get. Core vaccines include distemper/parvo combination and Rabies vaccines. She will need 3-4 distemper/parvo vaccine every 4 weeks. The rabies vaccine she can get now. It will be repeated next year, then every 3 years. Lifestyle vaccines include Lyme disease, leptospirosis, canine flu and bordatella (kennel cough). These are given based on her risk of exposure. You can discuss their use with your veterinarian. She can be spayed at about 6 months of age.

You are correct that activities like this can lead to an intestinal blockage which can be fatal and generally require surgery. This is normal puppy behavior. Most dogs will outgrow this behavior between 2 to 3 years of age. Until then you will need to watch Lexi at all times and never leave her unsupervised in a non-puppy proofed area. Best of luck.

If you feel like your puppy is weaker than her should be at this age then I recommend taking him to the veterinarian to be examined. He may have intestinal parasites (very common in young puppies) or could have something more serious like parvovivrus. You should also make sure he is fully vaccinated. Your veterinarian can give you a schedule of when he needs what vaccines. He should also be vaccinated for rabies at 12-16 weeks of age. Your puppy should be eating a large breed puppy food. This will ensure he gets all the nutrients he needs. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.