My new Beagle pup!!

Question
Hi,

We just brought home a male beagle pup - 40 days old. For some reason he doesn't like to drink water. if i give him the dog food dry ; he gobbles it up but if i soak it in water he doesn't touch it. how can i get him to start drinking water? also he seems to be a fussy eater. he eats a bit and walks away from the bowl, till i bring him back again. how do i control this? am a first time dog owner. i feel terrible when the little pup doesn't eat properly. Plz help!!

Answer
Congrats on your new little guy!

I think the problem is he is soooo young. He unfortunately should never have been taken away from his mom this early, he would still be nursing at times at 40 days. Minimum age to take a puppy out of a litter should be 8 weeks and what's best for them is 12 weeks! Not only because of food issues but because they learn very valuable lessons in the pack that they need to be properly socialized as adults. Did you get him from a shelter or a breeder? No reputable breeder would ever release him this early.


Since he is eating the dog food dry without an issue I would not wet his food. He should be getting water from a bowl separate from food. But the problem is he would normally be getting his liquids from his mom still. I think this is worthy of asking your vet because he absolutely needs to have fluids as well.