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Best Dog Food for Beagles: The Top Dog Foods

By Jacquelyn Kennedy
Updated on

Would you like to keep your Beagle healthy and happy throughout his life?

In that case, you should choose to purchase only the best dog food for Beagles for your dog. After all, the best food is curated especially for the breed and contains the right balance of all the important nutrients.

I can understand how difficult it can be to look for the best dog food for their furry companion—after all, there are so many different foods on the shelves!

Fret not because I’ve got you!

In this blog post, I have decided to compile a list of the best dog foods for Beagles in 2018 and share a thing or two about your Beagle’s nutritional needs and requirements.

After all, our goal is to keep your furry friend healthy and happy!

Let’s get started, shall we?

The Best Dog Food for Beagles: A Quick Preview

As I mentioned in the introduction, I have compiled a list of the best dog foods for Beagles available to buy in 2023, and in this section, I’d like to share these with you.

Don’t worry; this isn’t all!

I will review each of these dog foods in detail a little later in this blog post. Here at PetDT, we follow strict criteria when rating a dog food item.

We just want your dog to get the best!

I would like to share a few things about your Beagle’s nutritional needs with you.

Don’t worry; I won’t go into much detail about things.

Let’s take a look, shall we?

A Little About Your Beagles’ Dietary Needs

Best dog food for beagles2

Beagles come in not one but in two sizes, 13 and 15 inches! The dog is measured at withers to determine its size. There isn’t a desired breed standard weight of 20-25 pounds, which also depends on the height to a certain extent.

But, pet Beagles are known to weigh quite a lot—owing to their love for food.

So, naturally, obesity should be a concern for every Beagle owner. That’s why you should always make sure that you aren’t overfeeding or underfeeding your furry friend. And you must inculcate some form of exercise in your dog’s daily schedule.

Obesity can actually shorten your dog’s lifespan significantly as the disease brings with it other medical issues.

The Recommended Daily Caloric Intake for Beagles

According to the National Research Council of the National Academies, the daily average caloric intake of a Beagle must be 1010 for a 25-pound adult dog. However, older dogs that are spayed or less active need significantly less amount of calories.

Puppies and teenage Beagles, on the other hand, need more calories.

Although to determine the right amount of calories, I urge you to visit a vet as they can make a prediction more accurately based on your dog’s activity level, metabolism, special conditions, age, etc.

The Recommended Protein and Fat Intake

According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) a Beagle’s diet must contain at least a minimum of the following:

  • 22% of protein for growing dogs
  • 18% protein for puppies

Keep in mind that the values mentioned above are a minimum. Ideally, you must try to find a dog food that exceeds the above-mentioned limits.

The more protein, the healthier the food is.

As for the content of fat, you should make sure that the dog food of your choice should contain:

  • A minimum of 8% of fat for puppies and growing Beagles
  • A minimum of 5% of fat for adult Beagles

Even though people these days have a phobia of fats, I would like you to know that fat is actually good for your furry friend.

The omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids help with your dog’s skin, fur, heart health, and brain!

And it also enhances the flavor of the dog food!

Health Issues Faced by the Breed

A generally healthy breed, the Beagles go through only a few health issues throughout their life—which can be avoided completely if they’re fed right and live a good and healthy lifestyle.

Hypothyroidism is one of the most common (and avoidable) health issues faced by Beagles. The course of treatment requires a daily intake of the thyroid hormone and is a manageable condition. These dogs should be on a grain-free and low-carb diet for the best results.

Beagles are—as I mentioned earlier—prone to getting obese.

This is why the breed requires a proper feeding schedule and shouldn’t be allowed to free feed at all.

The Proper Feeding Schedule for Beagles

In this section, I would like to go through the ideal feeding schedule for Beagles.

Let’s take a peek, shall we?

4-8 Weeks of Age

During the first 4 weeks of life, the Beagle puppy must exclusively be given its mother’s milk, and the process of weaning must begin after week 4 as solid foods are slowly introduced to the dog.

Beagle puppies must ideally begin the intake of mainly solid foods by the age of 6 weeks.

Beagle puppies nurse every few hours and should be given 5-8 meals a day during the process of weaning.

8 Weeks – 6 Months of Age

Make sure that there aren’t many changes made to the puppy’s diet during the first few weeks, as they may cause digestive issues. If you do have to switch food brands, make sure to mix the old and new feed together and transition to the new feed in a slow and steady manner.

As the puppy is at a growing stage, he would be hungry and eager to eat. Make sure that you feed at least 3 meals per day and avoid free feeding altogether.

6 Months to 1 Year of Age

The number of feeds per day should be eventually reduced to 2 meals per day—one in the morning and one in the evening.

But keep in mind that the calories from treats also count!

1 Year of Age and Above

Your dog’s metabolism will start to decrease as he steps into adulthood, and you may also need to decrease your dog’s nutritional intake.

What About the Treats?

As I mentioned, the calories your dog gets from treats also count!

Ideally, most people agree with the following split:

  • 80% of your dog’s calories should come from the kibble or dog food
  • 20% of calories should come from the treats

So, make sure that you don’t give your dog unlimited treats between meals!

Best Dog food for Beagles: A Quick Overview

Every dog breed has nutritional needs unique to it.

So, it is clear that not all dog foods would be suitable for your Beagle and won’t meet his nutritional requirements.

You can go for dog foods that are designed to cater to the needs of the breed, or you can do your research and find some good dog foods that’ll be suitable for your dog’s needs.

In this blog post, I have chosen to include some of the best dog foods for Beagles that aren’t necessarily marketed for the breed.

Let’s take a look at the macros:


NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE Healthy Weight Adult Dry Dog Food, Lamb & Brown Rice Recipe Dog Kibble
$79.98 ($2.67 / Pound)
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12/17/2023 03:00 pm GMT

When assessing the kibble’s quality of ingredients, I feel that Nutro Lite and Weight Management Adult Dry Dog Food is an average dry dog food.

The good ingredients in this dog food make it one of the best dog food for Beagles available in the market.

But that’s not all…

We need to make sure that the macros on this one fall within the acceptable limits for this dog breed as well!

Let’s take a quick peek…

This dog food contains the following:

  • 21% of protein which is a near-average amount
  • 33% of fat, which is a near-average amount
  • 46% of carbohydrates which is an above-average amount

I believe this dog food is best suited for Beagles that are either adults or aging, as it contains a comparatively lower amount of protein.

There’s one more thing we also need to consider to make a well-informed opinion of this dog food.

Any guesses?

Yes, the content of meat it has!

To assess the protein content in this dog food, we need to single out the protein-boosting effects of all the plant-based ingredients it contains. We came to the conclusion that this kibble contains a moderate amount of meat in it.

Let’s finally weigh the pros against the cons, shall we?

So, here’s the deal:

Pros:

  • Near-average protein
  • Near-average fat
  • Above-average carbs
  • Moderate content of meat

Cons:

  • May cause a stomach upset in certain dogs
  • Can be tasteless

All in all, I feel that this kibble deserves the top spot in my list of the best dog food for Beagles.

What do you think?

Share your opinion in the comments section…


Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free Dry Dog Food, Small Breed
$47.98 ($0.25 / Fl Oz)
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02/17/2024 11:42 pm GMT

If we assess Wellness CORE Natural Grain-free Dry Dog food by just the quality of ingredients used to develop it, it comes out to be an above-average kibble.

However, there are a few other essential things we need to take a look at as well…

Let’s take a peek at the proportion of macros, shall we?

This dog food contains the following:

  • 38% of protein which is above-average
  • 13% of fat, which is a near-average amount
  • 41% of carbohydrates which is a below-average amount

All in all, the numbers suggest that this dog food is a good choice for adults as well as senior Beagles.

There’s one more consideration we need to look at.

The content of meat in the food!

After we tried and singled out the protein-boosting effects of plant-based sources, we determined that this dog food contains a significant amount of meat.

Let’s weigh the pros against the cons, shall we?

Pros:

  • Above-average protein content
  • Near-average content of fat
  • Significant content of meat

Cons:

  • May cause an upset stomach in certain dogs
  • May cause allergic reactions such as rashes

Moving on to the next one…


Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein, Natural Adult Small Breed Dry Dog Food
$32.95 ($7.32 / lb)
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02/17/2024 11:03 pm GMT

While assessing the Blue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Dog Food by just the quality of the ingredients used in it, it came out to be an above-average kibble in comparison to other dog foods available in the market.

There is a combination of factors we assess in order to determine whether or not dog food is worth investing your hard-earned money in.

Let us take a look at the macronutrients, shall we?

This dog food contains:

  • 33% of protein which is an above-average quantity
  • 17% of fat, which is a near-average quantity
  • 42% of carbohydrates which is a below-average quantity

All in all, I feel that these macros are ideal for an adult Beagle as the fat and protein are both within acceptable limits.

There’s one last thing that you need to consider in order to make your decision about this dog food.

The content of meat, of course!

When trying to single out the amount of protein found in the plant-based ingredients, it was found that Blue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Dog Food has a notable content of meat in it.

Now let’s finally look at the pros and cons of this dog food so that you’re aware of what you’re getting into.

Pros:

  • This dog food contains a notable amount of meat in it
  • Near-average fat
  • Above-average amount of carbohydrates

Cons:

  • Can cause stomach upset
  • Can cause heartburn
  • Contains chicken meal

Moving on…


When you look at the quality of ingredients that Taste of Wild Canine Formula contains, it is an above-average dry dog food.

So, this food is known to contain good-quality ingredients.

However, there are a few more things we need to assess to ensure that this dog food deserves to be on our list of the best dog food for Beagles.

Let’s take a peek at the macros…

So, this dog food contains:

  • 44% of protein which is an above-average quantity
  • 17% of fat, which is a below-average quantity
  • 31%of carbohydrates, which is a near-average quantity

I really feel that this dog food is a good choice for small to medium dog breeds such as the Beagle.

We aren’t done yet!

Let’s take a look at the meat content, shall we?

After singling out the protein content in plant-based ingredients, it was found that this dog food contains a significant amount of meat, which is amazing for hunting dogs such as the Beagle.

I feel this is one of the good and cheap dog foods available in the market.

Now, let’s weigh the pros against the cons, shall we?

Pros:

  • Above-average amount of protein
  • Near-average amount of carbohydrates
  • Significant amount of meat
  • Contains fatty acids

Cons:

  • May cause stomach upsets
  • May cause allergic reactions such as itching, redness, sores, etc.

On to the next one…


Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Adult Dog Food - Natural Dry Dog Food for Adult Dogs
$64.98 ($2.17 / Pound)
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02/17/2024 11:10 pm GMT

When we assess the Blue Life Protection Formula Adult Dry Dog Food by the quality of the ingredients used to make it then it most definitely is an above-average dog food in comparison to the other dog foods available to buy in the market.

But, that’s not all that we should look at, right?

Let’s talk macros!

This dog food is known to contain the following:

  • 27% of protein which is a near-average quantity
  • 16% of fat which is a below-average quantity
  • 50% of carbohydrates which is an above-average quantity

By just looking at the macronutrients, I can say that this dog food is a good choice for Beagles that are inactive or aging. The low amount of protein and fat does well to dogs that have a slower or aging metabolism.

However, that’s not all, folks!

We also need to assess the quantity of meat that this kibble contains…

When we single out the protein-boosting effects of plant-based ingredients, we conclude that this dog food contains a moderate content of meat which is excellent.

Let us finally look at the pros and the cons, shall we?

Following are the pros and the cons:

Pros:

  • Near-average amount of protein
  • Above-average carbs
  • Moderate amount of meat

Cons:

  • Known to be inconsistent
  • May cause an upset digestive system

Do you think this dog food is a good choice for Beagles? Let me know in the comments section…


Finding the Best Dog food for Beagles

Did I help you find the best dog food for Beagles? Let me know which one of these dog foods you chose in the comments section…

Keep in mind that Beagles should get 80% of their nutrition from kibble, and the rest 20% should come from treats. I recommend nutritional treats such as bell peppers, olives, tuna, etc.

I would recommend you consult your vet before making any changes to your dog’s diet, as they know best.

Here’s a final look at the best dog foods for Beagles:

If you have any doubts or questions, please feel free to leave comments, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!

You might also like Top 10 Affordable Dog Food – 2018 Check Self Pet Care.

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About the author

Jacquelyn Kennedy

PetDT was founded by Jacquelyn Kennedy, a dog lover and pet admirer. She built the website to provide pet owners with information, experiences, and opinions on breeds, temperament, personalities, health, nutrition, products, and care.