How to Feed Beagle Properly

There is an endless debate about whether natural food or ready-to-eat dry kibbles are more nutritious and digestible for dogs. Each pet parent chooses the best food for his pet. When choosing a diet, it would be perfect to consider not only the cost of certain products, speed and convenience of their preparation, but above all, their quality and nutrient value. Our experience shows that high-quality dry dog food of Holistic, Super Premium and Premium classes can compete with natural food.

How to Know that Chosen Diet is Good for My Beagle

You can easily evaluate the digestibility and quality of the chosen food by the overall condition of your dog, a shiny coat, no bad smell from the mouth and ears, no dirt in the ears, dandruff, proper poops of dark brown color. To be on the safe side, you can check your Beagle’s blood tested once a year at the vet’s to check his general wellness.

Beagle Feeding Guide

Frequency of Feeding

How often you feed your Beagle depends on his age:

• A small puppy (1,5-3 months.) needs food 4-5 times a day (Starter Puppy Food)
• From 3 months to 12 months – 3 times a day
• From 12 months you can switch to 2-times a day frequency and choose Dry Dog Food for Adult Dogs)

Food Bowls & Elevated Feeders

Put separate bowls for food and water, preferably made of stainless steel, as they are the easiest to clean and also durable. Your dog may decide to snack on a bowl when he’s not full, and a plastic bowl won’t last long.

Most dog experts recommend feeding from an elevated food bowl. This way you promote correct paw position and posture of a puppy from early age. The bowl should be at shoulder height, so that the puppy could put only muzzle in a bowl. You can buy a fixed design elevated feeder or the one where you can adjust the height as your puppy grows. There are so many option, that you can easily choose the one perfect for a dog and kitchen interior. There are even feeders with integrated food storage space.

Feeding Intervals

It is advisable to feed the dog every day at the same time, at regular intervals, which contributes to the normal functioning of the digestive system. The food has time to digest and assimilate. If you’ve just got a puppy, consider writing down a feeding plan to keep tracking what he eat and when. Try to divide his meals that way that he gets a harder-to-digest part in the evening, especially if you feed your Beagle with natural food. For example, cottage cheese in the morning and meat in the evening. At night, when the dog rests for a long period of time, the food is better digested. When dog grows you will notice that normally he has a better appetite in the evening.

It is advisable not to give anything between feedings, If you are going to train your dog and plan to encourage him with pellets of food, skip feeding him before the class or give half the food and leave the other half for the class.

Beagle & Appetite

If the dog does not eat well and without appetite, and we all know that Beagles basically eat everything and always!!!, then first, exclude possible diseases like worms, digestive disorders, inflammatory process, infectious diseases. Go to a Vet if necessary.

If there are no health issues, don’t let your dog sit on your neck and beg for a restaurant menu. The bowl of food should stand for exactly 15 minutes.

If the dog hasn’t eaten his portion from the bowl, just put the bowl away or hide it in the fridge, and put it back only for the next feeding.

If he does not eat again, remove it to the next, and so continue until hunger does not make him eat what he is offered. Don’t worry, your dog won’t starve to death in a day or two. Once again, Beagles are omnivores and always hungry, so you’re unlikely to use this educational method. But if you give your Beagle smth more tasty from the table, or he is fed up to eat one and the same dry food all the time, he may try to change his diet this way.

You may also like: How to Keep Beagles in Shape

Chewing Helps to Clean Teeth and Massage Gums

To clean the teeth and massage the gums, the dog has to chew. There are special treats for teeth health, toys and ropes. You can give your puppy a carrot from time to time, or healthy bones, ears, hooves. Do it at least a couple of times a week.

Walk First –  Feed Later

We advise to follow the “walk first, feed later” principle due to several reasons:

• First, a dog with a full stomach can hardly move around, and his only urge is to sit down somewhere and empty himself.
• Second, a full stomach has a greater chance of “flipping over” during active Beagle running and jumping, and gut twist is a very dangerous and painful condition that quickly leads to death with urgent surgery.
• Third, a heavy stomach is an unnecessary strain on a puppy’s spine and paws, the muscles may not be able to handle the weight, and the dog will grow up with a sagging back and curved limbs.

These are not axioms of course, but rather “what can happen if…”  But now you know that feeding your dog after walk is more natural and healthy.

Dry Dog Food VS Natural Food

Feeding Dry Dog Food

• Consult with the breeder, as you may want to continue feeding the same food that the puppy received as a complementary food and that his parents eat for the past few years with good results
• Choose premium, super-premium and holistic feeds with the highest quality composition and the proper purpose (puppy, adult, senior, etc). Do not feed an adult dog food to puppies and vice versa. There is a difference in energy requirements, and therefore the amount of fat and protein needed.
• Pay attention to your dog’s individual dosage. Keep an eye on pups condition, even though the package does have weight and age recommendations written on it.
• Don’t forget to fill Beagle’s bowl with fresh water, as your dog should drink enough water when eating dry food.
• We recommend to add a preventive dose of calcium supplements to puppies’ food (up to 1 year of age), no matter what food he eats.

You may also like: Best Dry Dog Food for Beagles

Feeding Natural Food

• Choose lean meat, possibly with hard fibers and streaks. Beef or veal is optimal. Pork is rather fat and you should avoid it. Deep freeze meat in advance and give it better raw, or just a little boiled.
• The meat to grain ratio should be in favor of meat: 70% to 30%.
• Avoid such by-products as liver, kidneys, spleen. These organs of animals filter blood and cleanse it from harmful substances, thus collecting them.
• Bones, contrary to popular belief, should not be a part of the diet. Give them rarely, just for the purpose to clean teeth. Bones clog up the stomach, which can lead to a terrible disorder. Bone fragments that a dog swallows can injure his stomach.
• If you choose a diet of meat, cereal, vegetables and dairy products, be sure to consult your veterinarian about vitamins and mineral supplements, since these are essential for the growth and development of a puppy and an adult dog.

Final Thoughts

No matter how you feed your Beagle: dry food or natural food, remember: sweet cookies, candies, chocolate, smoked sausages, pickles are human delicacies!!! And you can give your dog some human food like a non-sweet crouton or a couple of crackers, a piece of hard cheese or a carrot.

Yes, Beagles are terrible eaters, willing to eat nonstop, everything around him… sometimes making his owner wondering if a dog is a kind of termite…:)

Moreover, Beagles are also great tragic actors and beggars. Be prepared to watch Beagle shows, where the main actor’s pleading eyes display his terrible hunger. Do not give up and do not give in to him!

Since Beagles are prone to overeating, you must be always careful: feed them in accordance with norms and never leave human food unattended.

Bon appetit for you and your dog!