10 Best Dog Food For Beagles: 2020 Buyer’s Guide

If you’re the proud parent of a beagle, you’ll know that they’re happy-go-lucky little guys who are curious, energetic, and love to play!

Dogs who are lively need a high-quality diet that can keep them in prime condition for all the frolicking and human-loving they’re going to be doing.

The food you choose to feed your beagle can make a huge difference towards raising a happy, healthy, playful pup. The best dog food for beagles can make for a cheery, bouncy pup while a low-quality food can make your pooch miserable and unhealthy. 

Best Dog Food For Beagles

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Testing Protocol & Criteria Used For Evaluation

Criteria 1 – Ingredient Quality

The quality of what goes into your pet’s food can never be understated. Beagles can be prone to weight gain if they don’t get enough exercise, so low-quality filler ingredients are bad news. 

Some specifics we’ve looked at in this area are the presence of real meat in the first 5 ingredients, high-quality, natural carbohydrate sources, the addition of ingredients that provide essential vitamins, minerals, and Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids. Additions such as glucosamine are helpful as beagles can suffer from hip dysplasia and intervertebral disk disease. 

The ingredients in your beagle’s food can make or break their health and wellbeing, so this is at the top of the list of criteria. You can’t go wrong with a food made from healthy, natural, whole foods, and minimally processed.

Criteria 2 – Protein Quality

Beagles are lively little fellows, so they need a good amount of protein to keep those muscles strong. What matters most about protein, though, is the source. Plant proteins work well, but they lack some nutrients that animal proteins do and are a little less digestible. 

What we’re looking for here is a high-quality animal protein source, preferably as the first ingredient on the list. We want specifics here, so beef, lamb, salmon, or anything along those lines is great. General ingredients like “animal meat” or “animal fat” are to be avoided, as are any meat “by-products”, even if these have been identified. 

Be aware that meat “meal” is a good quality protein source as long as it’s specified what meat it comes from. Beef meal, lamb meal, and the like are very high protein, easily digestible sources. Although real meat is always number one, meat meal is an acceptable high-quality protein source. 

Criteria 3 – Nutritional Value (Protein & Fat Counts

Because of their active nature, beagles tend to thrive best on a food that has a moderate to high protein count and a higher than usual fat count. Protein contributes towards strengthening muscles and bones, and fat is metabolized to be used as energy. 

We’ve reviewed foods with a protein count of 24% and above (with the exception of specified low-protein options), and a fat count of 15% or higher. We’ve also had a sneak peek at the quality of the carbs, and although this is rarely mentioned on food labels, natural, non-processed carbs get the thumbs up. As hypothyroidism is something beagles can suffer from, we’ve also had a look at whether or not the food contains kelp, which is a useful ingredient to help stimulate thyroid hormones. 

Criteria 4 – Calorie Count

Beagles like to eat, and if they end up getting less exercise than they should be, the pounds can rack up. If a pup is getting enough exercise, they can eat a slightly higher calorie food with no worries, as they will burn it off bouncing around during playtime. 

We’ve aimed for foods with moderate to slightly high calorie counts to help these little guys keep up with their generally energetic dispositions. The rest is up to you and your beagle, when it comes to deciding which one would suit them better. Beagles typically need between 650 and 900 calories a day, so if you’re feeding them twice a day and adding treats in between, you’ll need to do some mathematics to make sure your pup is within the right ranges for his size. 

Criteria 5 – Affordability

This one is always important, and is more human-oriented than pup. As our pets can’t exactly walk into the store and buy food themselves, the affordability factor is something that pet owners need to consider from their own point of view. 

It might seem like you have to shell out a fortune to make sure your pet is getting the best food, but that’s not necessarily true. Of course, there will always be some foods that are more expensive than others, and if you have the means to buy them, then there’s nothing at all wrong with that. If, however, you would prefer something a little easier on the pocket while still being easy on your pup’s tummy, you can definitely find those too. 

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Questions & Answers

When it comes to choosing the right food, the biggest thing to consider is YOUR beagle. Does he have a sensitive stomach? Is he prone to food allergies? Is she active or more sedentary? 

These sorts of questions will make all the difference when it comes to choosing the right food for your pooch. Every dog is different, so you will need to consider yours as an individual. Things like calorie count, ingredients to avoid, and protein and fat levels will all depend on the answers to the above questions. Pups who are quite active, young, and strong, will be able to handle a higher calorie and protein count, while those who are older or less active will need fewer calories. Always consider the important factors in relation to your dog and his or her particularities. 

While this does depend largely on the dog, the general diet requirements for a beagle are a food comprised of whole, natural ingredients, with a high-quality, identifiable animal protein source as one of the first ingredients. 

Carbohydrates should be fresh fruits and veggies, and gluten-free grains such as rice and oatmeal are acceptable carb sources too. The fat content should be made up of natural oils such as flaxseed, canola oil, or salmon oil. You want as few artificial ingredients as possible – preferably none at all. A calorie count of between 300 and 400 is great. 

Beagles tend to scavenge, so they will end up eating a whole lot of stuff they probably shouldn’t. This makes it imperative that you feed them healthy stuff, whether it’s their daily food, treats, or even scraps off your own plate. 

Foods to avoid include hot or spicy foods, chocolate, raisins and grapes, and anything containing caffeine. Avocado is also a no-no. It’s also best to avoid feeding your pup cat food, as the nutrient content is somewhat different and catered specifically to cats. Here is a more comprehensive list of foods that can be poisonous to your dog. 

Beagles typically weigh between 25 and 30 pounds (11-14 kilograms) and the appropriate calorie range for this weight is 650 – 900 per day. Of course, this depends largely on your pup – his health, energy levels, and amount of daily exercise will all affect how many calories he should be taking in. 

A typical dog food has between 300 and 400 calories in a cup of food, so with 2 meals a day and the occasional treat in between, your pup should be hitting these counts quite nicely. If you feel he might be eating a little too much and getting heavy, either adjust the amount of food down, or the amount of exercise up (depending on which one seems to be the bigger contributor to weight gain). 

A great dog food for beagles should be all-natural, containing an identifiable animal protein as the main ingredient, high-quality natural carbohydrate sources, and healthy sources of Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids. 

The calories should range from 300 to 400 per cup. The protein count should be between 24 and 30% for active pets, with a fat content of 15% or upwards. These features make a great dog food for beagles, although you can adjust them up or down depending on the energy and activity level of your beagle.

Beagle puppies can be fed kibble from about 8 weeks old. 3 meals per day is recommended, and you should also stick to a strict schedule as this is where training begins. It’s advisable to moisten the kibble with water for their little teeth to dig in more easily. Keep this up until your little guy or girl is 6 months old. 

At this point, you want to start working your way down to 2 meals a day. You can slowly start lessening the food in the middle meal and increasing the amount in the first and last meals of the day. By one year old, your beagle should be quite used to eating 2 meals a day. 

Treats need to be kept in moderation, especially if you have a less active beagle. As most of the foods we’ve mentioned above are made with real, natural food ingredients, there is nothing wrong with sharing a little bit of the same from your dinner plate with your pup. 

Of course, some human foods are not good for pups, and you can you can check out a fairly comprehensive list here. Also, if you’re feeding your pups tidbits off your plate, be sure they’re not coated in salt, spices, or dressing. The more natural, the better! Also, be cautious with bones – any bone that is cooked can splinter and cause damage, while raw bones are generally safer.

Beagles are pretty hardy little dogs and don’t tend to suffer from many health problems (especially food-related). Of course, health is also a very individual thing so your beagle may be more prone to certain things than others are. Food allergies can arise, so if your pup reacts badly to a particular food, it may be time to change their diet or see a vet. 

There have been concerns about the effects grain-free dog food has on pets, but the FDA has stated that there is no proof of this, so you should rest assured that your dog won’t be likely to have any health concerns in that regard. Apart from that, the food mentioned above is healthy, hearty, and high-quality, so there should be no issues.