What Do Beagles Eat?

Do you have a new Beagle puppy and are wondering what to feed them? Maybe you want to change your Beagle’s diet to improve their health and wellbeing? Here’s everything you need to know about what Beagles eat.

What Do Beagles Eat? Beagles eat dry food, wet food, raw food, fresh food or home-cooked meals. They’re a particularly greedy breed that are rarely fussy over food, so will eat pretty much anything you give them. However, Beagles are also prone to obesity, so their diet should be closely monitored. 

Read on to find out more about the types of food Beagles eat, what things to avoid, what treats to give, and how often to feed your Beagle at the different stages of their life.

Never use the advice in this article as a substitute for professional veterinary advice or treatment. I am NOT a Vet, qualified dog trainer or dog behaviourist. This article is based on research, personal opinion and experience of owning dogs over the last 12+ years. 

What Dog Food Do Beagles Eat?

The different dog food options you could feed your Beagle are:

Dry Food

Dry food should be classified as ‘complete’ and not ‘complementary.’ This makes sure your Beagle is getting all the right nutrition that they need to stay active, fit and healthy.

Most commonly, dry foods come in baked biscuit form, but you can also purchase freeze-dried.

Some argue that freeze dried foods are more nutritious than baked biscuits, as it’s likely that the high temperatures used to cook the biscuits remove some of their nutrients.  

When your Beagle crunches up their dry food, it also helps to keep their teeth clean.

Dry food lasts a long time after it’s opened which makes this a popular option for owners. 

If you decide to feed your Beagle dry food, then make sure it’s the highest quality option your budget allows for.

Higher quality dry foods contain a higher percentage of animal protein, instead of lower quality meat meal.

Foods with higher quality meat in them can help to keep your Beagle in tip-top condition.

Natural dog foods with a high percentage of human-grade ingredients are a great option.

For example, here in the UK we have Scrumbles or Lily’s Kitchen. 

These types of foods tend to be free from cereals, grains and other common allergens that can potentially aggravate any digestive issues or allergies your Beagle has. 

Wet Food

Wet food tends to come packaged in tins, pouches or cartons. This is a great way to get more moisture into your Beagle’s diet.

It can be particularly beneficial if your Beagle is prone to getting constipated or has other health issues that benefit from them taking on more water.

Wet foods are also a good option for older Beagles. They may not be able to chew up harder biscuits as easily as they once did. 

If you’re feeding your Beagle solely on wet food, then make sure it’s marked as ‘complete’ and not ‘complementary’.

This ensures it contains all the necessary nutrients to keep your Beagle in good condition.

Just make sure the wet food you choose doesn’t contain sugars, salts and artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

Not only are these unhealthy additions to your Beagles diet, but they may contribute to them potentially developing behavioural issues too. 

If you decide to feed wet food in addition to their dry food, then a complementary wet food will be fine.

That’s because they’ll be getting everything they need from their dried food already, and the wet food will just be an addition.

As with dry food, there are higher and lower quality wet foods available on the market, so always try to get the highest quality one you can afford.

Low quality wet foods are much more likely to cause digestive issues for your Beagle, particularly if they’re solely fed on wet foods. 

Again, natural dog food companies like Scrumbles are a good option.

They include a high percentage of human-grade ingredients without any of the horrible nasties and common allergens like gluten, grains, eggs and dairy. 

You can check out the nutritional rating of any dog foods on the website allaboutdogfood Here you can find out how suitable your chosen dog food would be for your Beagle. 

Just be aware that a solely wet food diet may potentially cause issues with your Beagles dental health.

If they don’t have access to anything to help remove the tartar from their teeth, it can build up.

Natural chews and regular tooth brushing can help to keep tartar in check. 

Raw Food

Some Beagle owners prefer to feed their dog a raw food diet, as it’s arguably the most natural way to feed them. It’s basically how their ancestors would have eaten in the wild.

Raw food usually comes frozen, so you just defrost the amount your Beagle needs for each meal.

Just make sure that the raw food you choose is a ‘complete’ meal to provide your Beagle with all the nutrients they need. 

There’s also the option to make you own ‘DIY’ raw food, which is known as a ‘BARF’ diet.

This is where you create raw food combinations yourself for your Beagle instead of purchasing a complete ready-made raw food. 

Care must be taken if you decide to do this though, to make sure they’re getting the exact balance of nutrients they need to stay healthy.

It’s very easy to get these measurements wrong, which could be very detrimental to your Beagle’s health.

So, only choose this option if you have the knowledge and are sure you can manage it correctly. 

Owners who raw feed their Beagles report that their coats are shinier, they have fewer digestive upsets, smaller and firmer stools and also appear to have more energy. 

Fresh Foods

Fresh foods are relatively new to the dog food market. They’re similar to home cooked meals, but prepared commercially. 

The recipes are made under strict guidelines to ensure they provide everything your Beagle needs to stay healthy.

Fresh foods are nutritionally complete, meaning you don’t need to feed your Beagle anything extra to keep them healthy. 

Brands such as Different Dog, Butternut Box and Pure Petfoods all offer fresh dog foods delivered straight to your door.

They’re gently cooked from high quality ingredients, then frozen to make them more convenient.

However, they usually only last for a couple of days once they’ve been defrosted, which can be inconvenient for some dog owners. 

Home Cooked Meals

Some owners choose to make their own food at home for their Beagles. This gives them complete control over what goes into their meals.

Even though your greedy Beagle is sure to eat whatever you give them, you must be careful that they’re getting enough nutrients.

It can be very detrimental to your Beagle’s health if they regularly eat foods that aren’t providing the full range of nutrition they need to stay fit and well. 

Home cooked meals are often given to Beagles during periods of recovery after surgery or illness.

However, it’s not usually advisable to feed this solely for extended periods. It’s unlikely to provide your Beagle with the right amount of nutrients they need to stay fit and healthy. 

What Dog Treats Can Beagles Eat?

Beagles are prone to gaining weight easily, so treats should be given in moderation as part of a healthy balanced diet. 

These are the dog treats Beagles eat:

Pre-Packaged

Pre-packaged dog treats can be purchased from just about any shop! This is obviously very convenient.

However, not all packaged treats are healthy for your Beagle, and some can be loaded with sugars and salt.

Try to choose treats that don’t contain any artificial colours, flavourings or preservatives, as these can be bad for health.

Natural

Natural treats are the best option for your Beagle. They’re usually air-dried which locks in the nutrients and makes them last longer when they’re stored correctly.

Natural, dried, fish and meat treats are often strong smelling, which your Beagle is sure to go crazy for!

There are also lots of natural options available for dental chews, including pizzles or bully sticks, hooves and antlers which are a much healthier alternative to traditional dental sticks. 

Home Made

You may want to bake your own treats at home for your Beagle and there are loads of recipes available for you to choose from.

Try to use natural, fresh ingredients when you’re baking to keep them healthier.

You could even try dehydrating your own meats at home for a longer lasting chew.

In warmer months, Beagles may enjoy frozen treats too, to help keep them cool. 

Fruit & Vegetables

There are lots of different fresh fruit and vegetables that your Beagle may enjoy.

These include things like apple (not the core or seeds), blueberries, banana, broccoli, carrot, celery and cucumber to name a few.

Fruit and vegetables are usually very low in fat too, which is great if you need to keep an eye on your Beagle’s weight! 

How Often Should I Feed My Beagle?

Adult Beagles should be fed twice a day, once in a morning and once in the evening. Ideally, at around 7am and 5pm. This gives them a consistent amount of energy throughout the day. Try not to feed later than 6pm as they need time to digest their food before bedtime. 

Beagle puppies should have their daily food allowance split into four meals per day.

This can be reduced down to three meals when they reach four months old, and then two meals at around six months old. They can then stay on this feeding schedule for the rest of their adult lives.

Beagle puppies can’t regulate their blood sugar levels as effectively as adults and their metabolism is also faster.

This means they need their food spaced throughout the day to be sure they have enough nutrition to grow properly. 

To be clear, they still get the same amount of dog food each day. You just split the portion into two, three or four meals.

You obviously need to look on the dog food packet or tin to see how much you need to feed based on their age and weight.

Senior Beagles may have a reduced appetite, so they might prefer just one meal per day. It just depends on the individual dog and any health issues they may have.

Before reducing down, always speak to your vet for advice.

Treats can be fed in addition to your Beagle’s normal meals. 

However, as Beagles are prone to gaining weight quickly, you should reduce their meal sizes accordingly to accommodate the extra calories from their treats. 

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So there you have it! Beagles are greedy and aren’t that fussy with food, so they eat pretty much anything you give them. They can be prone to obesity so their daily food intake must be controlled. Feeding the best quality dog food you can afford is the best way to keep your Beagle healthy!