How Much Should You Feed a Beagle? Feeding Chart & Health Tips

Beagles are one of the most popular dogs in North America. They currently rank sixth out of 196 recognized purebred dogs in the United States. They are small, typically only growing to about 13 inches tall from the shoulder down. They are relatively robust, though, weighing anywhere from 20–30 pounds when they reach adulthood.

One of the most important factors when it comes to caring for your pup properly is to feed them high-quality food in the right amounts. Beagles eat more when they are puppies and less as adults, typically eating between 1–1 ½ cups of food each day, or 8–14 ounces.

Below are the significant factors in feeding your Beagle, from the amount to the kind of food.

Feeding Chart

Important Note: Please note that while these tables list the average nutritional requirement of most dog breeds, Beagles do have a somewhat higher-than-average caloric requirement. Therefore, we would recommend consulting your veterinarian to ensure that your puppy’s meal plan doesn’t compromise their nutritional welfare.

Click here to download printable feeding chart

You can also complement this guide by using our dog food calculator here:

The exact amount of calories an individual animal needs to maintain a healthy weight is variable and influenced by many factors including genetics, age, breed, and activity level. This tool is meant to be used only as a guideline for healthy individuals and does not substitute veterinary advice 

What to Feed My Beagle Puppy

Click here to download printable feeding chart

There are multiple options for what you can feed your Beagle puppy. It also depends on what age you bring them into your home and what they were eating before they arrived. If you adopt a puppy from a breeder, they will typically begin to re-home them at 8 weeks, or 2 months old.

When you first adopt an 8-week-old puppy, you need to check to see what brand of food they were eating in their old home. You’ll need to keep your pup on that food for a while.

Then, you can slowly transition your puppy to a new food with each meal, adding a little more of the new and a little less of the old.  Doing so helps them avoid getting indigestion or disagreeing entirely with the new food.

Feed your Beagle puppy a diet that is formulated specifically for puppies. If you can find one to your liking that caters both to Beagle puppies and their breed size of medium, then that is even better.

While you can feed dogs a home-cooked diet, it is often best to provide your Beagle puppy commercial food for puppies until they are about 1 year old.

Avoiding Underfeeding & Overfeeding

Beagles are dogs that seem to have a voracious appetite. They will keep eating until they can’t move anymore if given the opportunity. That doesn’t mean you should keep feeding them that way, of course. Instead, watch the weight of your Beagle puppy carefully as they grow, to ensure that they are in a healthy zone for their age. You can often find weight charts to match their age with the weight that they should be at the time.

Another method that you can use is to look down at them from a perpendicular angle, so they are standing straight in front of you. You can tell that they are at a healthy weight if you cannot see their ribs, but you can feel them easily without a large layer of fat in between.

You can also visually measure them if you look at them from the side and see that their waistline is right behind their ribs, i.e., their thinnest section. The area around their ribs is the most indicative because they typically put on extra weight there.

When to Switch From Puppy to Adult Food

You should begin to switch your puppy to adult food at around the 10-month mark and throughout the time that they reach 1 year old. Their eating and weight gain should begin to slow down now because they are moving toward adulthood. Watch out for the number of treats that you give them.

This period is also when you can safely begin to feed them a homemade or raw diet. Do not abruptly transition them into this, though, since it will confuse them and their digestive systems. Work it into their puppy kibble and put less kibble in each day, slowly transitioning them.

Why Won’t My Beagle Puppy Eat?

Beagles have huge appetites and love to eat, so if this breed shows hesitation at eating or just stops eating, that is a sign of concern. The only time that they might show hesitation is when they are teething, which happens from about 2 months to 6 months old, off and on.

One of the reasons your Beagle might not be eating is that you have just brought them into your home. That transition can be difficult for some dogs, and they need a little time to adjust. If this hesitancy lasts for longer than a couple of days, talk to the breeder about their behavior. If it is abnormal, you may need to see a vet.

Often, your puppy could be suffering from emotional turmoil if they choose not to eat. If it extends for longer than a week, check with your vet. If a Beagle doesn’t eat, then it could be indicative of a deeper health issue.

How Much to Feed an Adult Beagle

An adult Beagle should typically eat 1 cup of food each day. They should eat less food than when they did when they were a puppy. At that age, they could be eating up to 2 cups of puppy food.

If they are especially active, they might need a bit more to maintain a healthy weight and muscle maintenance. Theoretically, though, you shouldn’t need to feed your active pup more; try giving them a higher-quality formula made for active dogs with higher protein levels.

Beagle Feeding Guide for Seniors

A Beagle is considered a senior from the time that they are 9 years old and older. As they begin to slow down, their metabolisms do too, so their diet needs to accommodate this. Otherwise, they will quickly gain weight faster than they would have when they were younger.

You should split their meals into two, just as you did when they became adults. Reduce the food amount slightly so they are eating about 42 calories per pound of body weight. It is also best if you transition to dog food meant for senior dogs. These formulas often cut down on the amount of fat and filler food because they will start to struggle to metabolize this.

• Related Read: Best Dog Foods for Seniors

Why Is My Beagle Always Hungry?

The Beagle as a breed is known for their incredibly large appetite. They are medium-sized eating machines and do not regulate themselves well. They do not seem to have the capacity between the connection from their brain to the stomach to register when to stop eating.

The most significant factor in their seemingly bottomless stomach is their slow digestive system. It takes humans about 20 full minutes before we start to digest our meals and begin to feel full. It takes Beagles up to 3 days. They will be convinced that they aren’t full for days.

That being the case, they will always seem to want to eat more. Whether this is the case with your Beagle puppy, adult, or senior, you shouldn’t allow their appetite to dictate how much you feed them. Instead, watch their weight carefully and use the observation techniques laid out above to visually determine if they are being under or overfed.

What Foods Are Bad for Beagles?

Beagles shouldn’t eat food that has many fillers in it or extra ingredients. Although they don’t frequently struggle with food allergies as a breed, they do struggle with their weight. They shouldn’t eat too much filler or they will begin to gain weight, even if you are feeding them an appropriate amount of food.

These dogs are not picky eaters, so if one of these foods readily present themselves on a reachable surface or land on the floor, they will snap them up. Some of these are toxic to dogs, so make sure to monitor their intake carefully and take them to the vet if they start showing signs of distress.

Conclusion

In conclusion, for most of a Beagle’s life, they should eat about 1 cup of food each day, split into two meals. As puppies, they can eat up to 2 cups because they need plenty of nutrition to grow. They should transition from puppy food to adult food from about 10 months old to 1 year. A senior dog needs to transition once again to accommodate a slower metabolism.

Only free-feed your Beagle if they are less than 2 months old, although this will typically be up to a breeder. Watch their weight for them, and their health will appreciate it over the long run.

Featured Image Credit: New Africa, Shutterstock