The normal age that puppies are acquired by their new owners is between 6 and 8 weeks, which is their normal weaning age. During weaning, the puppy will acquire resistance from most diseases from their mothers milk but it is then important that the following routine is strictly followed.

Up until this time the puppies would have been de-wormed every 2 weeks from 2 weeks onwards.

6 weeks,         

puppy health examination - heart, lungs, weight, ears, mouth etc

fecal examination - to check for parasites and worms

vaccinations - combination vaccine for Parvo virus, distemper, Hepatitus, etc

all above performed by a qualified vet.

9 weeks - same as for 6 weeks

16 weeks - same as for 9 weeks

EYE STAIN

Eye Stain is caused by the eyes running and the dampness of the coat around the eyes allows bacteria to grow and cause eye staining.  Many breeds of dogs have eye stain, but because the Bichon has a white coat, it is more noticeable than in other breeds. Not all Bichons have eyes that run.  Some do not run at all, while others can run often.  

What can be done about it?  I would love a Dollar for for every time I have been asked this question. There is no easy answer.  Regular wiping of the eyes, say, two or three times a day, will help keep it in check - but will not prevent it.  You can use eye lotions etc., and some of these will work quite well.  There is a propriety Eye Stain Remover sold in U.K. which works quite well but at the end of the day, eye stain is something you may have to live with if it affect your dog. 

SCRATCHING

Scratching can be a problem for some dogs.  Like Hot spots, scratching can be related to a food allergy, but may also be caused by an allergy to something in the environment, or caused by flea bites.

Lets deal with the easy one first - flea bites.  With the new treatments available today eg Frontline and Advantage etc., there is no excuse for your dog having fleas.  These products break to life cycle of the flea, and will actually rid the surrounding environment of fleas altogether. They are not cheap, but they are definitely worth the money you pay for them.   

If the scratching is food related then as for Hot spots change your diet. If it is an allergic reaction to something in the environment, the problem can be more difficult to solve.  

I would always suggest diet change as the best starting point for any scratching problem.  The reason I suggest this is that an allergic reaction may in fact be multi-factorial ie caused by the dog being allergic to more than one thing.  Each allergy increases the allergic load to a point where the dog goes above its scratching threshold and starts scratching. For example, the dog may be allergic to say beef, wheat, dust mites, and pollen, and the total combined allergic load will cause the dog to scratch.  Every day the dog is fed food containing beef and wheat, and is exposed to dust mites.  But this total allergic load is below the scratching threshold, so the dog does not scratch.  But come spring when the pollen is in the air, this pushes the dog above his scratching threshold, and bingo, one scratching dog.  So change diet and while the dog is still allergic to the pollen and dust mites, he might just stop scratching.  

If this doesn't work then it is a matter of eliminating as many of the allergens as possible to bring the dog under its scratching threshold.