Identifying Beagle Health Problems

People love beagles for a lot of reason. Snoopy from The Peanuts comic strip was a very famous beagle and people want to have a Snoopy in their house. But the beagle breed of dog also comes with its share of health problems. Some beagle health problems are common to many dogs while others are specific only to the beagle breed. Keep an eye on your beagle and make sure you learn the warning signs.

Beagles will eat until they get sick and then they will just keep eating. Beagles are known for eating everything in front of them and this leads to the common problem of obesity. Any dog breed can experience obesity but a beagle is very susceptible to it because they will gladly trade exercise for food and that isn’t healthy. Be diligent about your beagle’s diet and make sure they get a lot of exercise.

One area of beagle health problems that you will need to watch for is in your beagle’s eyes. While many of these eye conditions affect a certain percentage of the beagle population they are relatively uncommon in other breeds so keep a close eye on your beagle. One condition is known as distichiasis which is an irritation or infection in the eyes caused by the over growing eyelashes. This condition can be corrected with surgery but it needs to be addresses as soon as possible to avoid complications.

Another eye condition that affects beagles is various forms of renal atrophy, which is basically the deterioration of different parts of the eye over time. And then when parts of the eye start to fail other parts lose their strength due to lack of use. You may notice excessive dryness, or tearing, in your beagle’s eyes. If you suspect any eye problems at all with your beagle then get it to your vet right away as any condition with the eyes needs attention before it becomes worse.
Beagles are also victims to their own breeding as well as anything in the environment around them. The floppy ears on a beagle can cause beagle health problems as they do not allow the proper air flow to the ears causing build up. Moisture is also not allowed to escape and this can cause infection after a while. So keep an eye on your beagle’s ears and take a look under them once in a while.

For all of the things that can go wrong with beagles they also experience some things that are exclusive to beagles that are completely harmless. Beagles sometimes experience reverse sneezing, which sounds like they are gasping for air when they are not. It is not clear why this happens but it is completely harmless. For all of the other things that can harm your beagle just keep an eye on your beagle and be sure to treat any suspicious behavior or events as potentially dangerous and get your beagle to the vet immediately if you suspect any problems.


Michelle Adams participates in animal rescue organization fund raisers on a regular basis. Beagle owners should always be on the look out for any beagle care problems and discuss potential symptoms with their vet. It is important to be aware of emergency care for your beagle options in case you should ever need them.