Beagle care calendar

Year-round routine

What a Beagle needs on a repeating cadence, whatever the month.

• GroomingEar check, clean and dryWeekly

  Lift the flap and let air in while you look. Redness, a yeasty smell or brown wax means a vet visit, not more cleaning.

• GroomingBrush coatWeekly, twice weekly in spring

  A rubber curry or hound glove. There is a mild seasonal increase in spring rather than a true blow-out.

• GroomingBathEvery 6-8 weeks, or after rolling in something

  Beagles have a distinct houndy smell; bathing more often does not remove it.

• GroomingNail trimEvery 3-4 weeks

  Check the dewclaws, which never touch the ground.

• ParasitesHeartworm preventiveMonthly, year-round

  The American Heartworm Society recommends year-round prevention rather than a seasonal course, because a missed shoulder month is how most infections get in. Give it on the same date each month.

• ParasitesFlea and tick preventiveMonthly, year-round

  Peak exposure runs spring through late autumn, but fleas overwinter indoors and ticks stay active above about 4 °C, so most vets now advise dosing through the winter as well.

• DentalBrush teethDaily, or at minimum three times a week

  Only pet toothpaste — xylitol and fluoride in human paste are not safe to swallow. Plaque mineralises into tartar in two to three days, which is why twice a week is the floor rather than the target.

• DentalCheck gums and back teethMonthly

  Lift the lip and look at the upper carnassials and the gum line. Red margins, a brown band, or breath that changed recently are the signs worth a call.

• DentalProfessional dental assessmentAt the annual exam

  Your vet grades tartar and gingivitis at the yearly visit and advises when a scale under anaesthetic is due. Most dogs need one somewhere between years three and five.

• WellnessAnnual wellness examYearly

  Book it in the same month each year so it does not drift. Twice yearly from about age seven, when changes move faster than a twelve-month gap can catch.

• WellnessCore vaccinations reviewedYearly review, boosters on your vet's schedule

  Rabies interval is set by local law; distemper/parvo combinations are commonly three-yearly after the initial series. Lifestyle vaccines — leptospirosis, Lyme, kennel cough — depend on where you walk and whether you board.

• WellnessWeigh and body-condition scoreMonthly at home

  You should feel the ribs easily under a thin layer, and see a waist from above. Weight creeping up is the single most common thing an owner can fix without a prescription.

• WellnessNail length checkEvery 2 weeks

  If you hear the nails on a hard floor they are long. Overlong nails change how the foot loads and, over years, how the joints above it are loaded too.

• WellnessFood security check — bins, counters, bagsOngoing

  Xylitol-sweetened products, chocolate, raisins and cooked bones are the common emergencies. Store food where a determined nose cannot reach it.

• WellnessWeigh and adjust portionsMonthly

  Measure meals with a cup or scale rather than by eye, and count treats toward the daily total.

Month by month

The dates that move. Shedding, parasite season and the annual checks worth booking in a particular month.