Beagle Weight Loss The Role of Socialization in Weight Management

5 Best Weight Loss Dog Food for Overweight Beagles

Beagles love to eat, and that makes them more prone to obesity. For a healthy living, they need two things: Proper diet and daily exercise. Failing at any one of them can make them gain unhealthy weight.

Putting down some pounds of your beagle is not that difficult. All you need to do is burn more calories than he consumes. Now please dont put your pooch on a hard-core exercise routine.

Instead, switch to weight-loss dog food, which has lower calories and fats. Combine this with some exercise and BAM! you have a healthy beagle.

Cant wait to find out? Here are our three top choices or keep reading for more details.

• Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula (Best in General for Weight-loss):It is perfect for beagles who are not obese but a little overweight. This dog food plus some exercise will help your pooch to shed some weight and get back in shape.
• Nutro Wholesome Essentials (For quick weight loss): This recipe is for beagles who are obese and get tired easily. This dog food contains only 343 calories per cup.
• Victor Senior Dog Food (For steady weight loss) Dog foods for senior contain low fats and are high in protein. According to Dog Food Advisor, this dog food has fat to protein ratio of about 43%.

How to Find if your Beagle is Overweight

There are two types of beagles:

1. Small Beagles: under 13 inches at the shoulder.
2. Big Beagles: between 13 to 15 inches at the shoulder.

A healthy weight of an adult beagle of each of these types should be:

• Small Beagles: 22 to 30 pounds(10 to 13.6 kg)
• Big Beagles: 25 to 35 pounds(11 to 15.8 kg)

If your beagle above this, then your beagle is overweight. However, it is ideal to ask your veterinarian if your pooch is overweight and if he is, then ask how many pounds he is supposed to lose.

According to studies, overweight beagles have shorter lifespan.

What makes weight-loss food good?

There are so many options for weight-loss food available in the market today. But it is extremely necessary to select dog food that not only helps your dog to lose weight but also consists of all the essential nutrients.

A good weight loss dog food should have the following features:

• The dog food should be High in Protein and low in fats and calories.
• Calories per cup should be less than 400.
• It should not compromise on nutrients. Your beagle must get the necessary nutrients.
• The dog food should be delicious and appealing to your pooch so that he doesnt refuse it.

Buyers Guide

Before you select the dog food, you need to make sure that the dog food is of the best quality and not harmful to your beagle. Weight-loss dog food should meet these general criteria:

1. Should Be meat Based: The dog food needs to have meat as the primary ingredient. So always check the products top five ingredients and look for fresh or deboned chicken, beef, or any meat.
2. It should not contain artificial colors, preservatives, and flavors.
3. Avoid dog food with ingredients like meat by-products. By-products are leftover parts of animals which are not consumed by humans. It is a controversial ingredient, and it does not contain as much nutritional value as real meat.
4. Check if the food has been made in a country with high safety standards, like the USA, Canada, or Europe.

5 Best Weight Loss Dog Food for Beagles

To make things easy for you, I have listed down below some best weight loss dog foods which satisfy all the criteria and help your adorable beagle become healthy again.

1. Blue Buffalo Life Protection

This dog food is perfect for beagles who are not exactly obese but a little out of shape and needs to shed some pound.

The primary ingredient of Blue Buffalo Life Protection is the real meat. The real chicken provides a fantastic amount of nutrients.

It is an excellent option to achieve and maintain a healthy weight of your beagle.

Calories: 377 per cup

Top 5 Ingredients

• Chicken
• Chicken Meal
• Brown Rice
• Barley
• Oatmeal

Product Highlights

• It does not contain any by-products.
• Made with the finest natural ingredients
• No artificial flavors or preservative
• Does not contain corn, wheat, and soy.

Check it out on Amazon.

Also Read: 7 Ways to help your Beagle Lose Weight

2. Nutro Wholesome Essentials

This dog food is for quick weight loss for beagles who are obese.Its calories per cup count are very low, yet it contains healthy ingredients like real meat.

Calories: 343 per cup

Top 5 Ingredients

• Chicken
• Lentils
• Rice Bran
• Chicken Meal
• Powdered Cellulose

Product Highlights

• Real chicken is the primary ingredient
• Very low in calories for quick and effective weight loss routine.
• It contains essential antioxidants that promote better immunity.

Check it out on Amazon.

3. Wellness Core Natural

Wellness Core Natural Fat Grain-free provides healthy nutrition while keeping the calorie count low. It is made with high-quality and protein-rich ingredients like turkey, chicken meal, and chicken liver.

It relies on fruits and vegetables to provide antioxidants.

Calories: 360 per cup

Top 5 Ingredients

• Deboned Turkey
• Turkey Meal
• Chicken Meal
• Potatoes
• Peas

Product Highlights

• Grain-Free.
• The primary ingredient is meat-based.
• Made of natural ingredients
• Made in the USA

Check it out on Amazon.

4. Fromm Gold Weight Management Recipe

Fromm Gold weight management dog food will help your beagle to reduce and maintain a healthy weight. It is low in calories and contains lots of protein-rich ingredients like turkey liver, duck, chicken, lamb, and whole eggs.

Apart from being super healthy, it is super delicious. If you have a picky beagle, then you should definitely go with this recipe.

Calories: 341 Per cup

Top 5 Ingredients

• Turkey Liver
• Chicken Meal
• Pearled Barley
• Oatmeal
• Dried Tomato Pomace

Product Highlights

• Provides an excellent source of proteins and other nutrients
• The primary ingredient is meat-based.
• Supplemented With L-Carnitine

Check it out on Amazon.

5. Nulo Adult Weight-Management Recipe

Another great option for weight loss and management for your beagle. Nulo Adult Weight Management recipe is high in meat and low in carbs and contains 74% animal-based protein.

Calories: 368 per cup

Top 5 ingredients:

• Deboned Cod
• Turkey Meal
• Salmon Meal
• Lentils
• Yellow Peas

Product Highlights

• Grain-free
• Does not contain any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
• 74% Animal-based protein.
• It can help aid digestion.

Check it out on Amazon

6. Victor Senior Healthy Weight

Senior dogs are less active than adult dogs and hence require fewer calories. Senior dog foods contain all the necessary nutrients and are low in calories.

This makes senior dog food an excellent option for losing weight.

Victor Senior is nutritionally dense dog food with high-quality ingredients like need, chicken, port, and fish meals.

It contains glucosamine and chondroitin which are good for joints.

Calories: 360 per cup

Top 5 ingredients:

• Beef Meal
• Whole Grain Brown Rice
• Whole Grain Millet
• Grain Sorghum
• Chicken Fat

Product Highlights

• Contains 78% meat protein
• Good for joints
• Promotes better digestion and immunity.

Check it out on Amazon

7. Annamaet Grain-Free

This product majorly relies on the chicken meal for its protein source. The fat-to-protein ratio of this product is 23% which makes it a great weight loss recipe.

Calories: 350 per cup

Top 5 ingredients

• Chicken Meal
• Field Peas
• Lentils
• Potato
• Tapioca

Check it out on Amazon

Final Thoughts

To ensure that your beagle losses weight slowly and steadily increases his physical movements along with feeding weight-loss dog food.

Your goal is to burn more calories of your beagle than he gains. Only then will he be able to lose weight.

And please do not set an unrealistic goal. Losing 1 to 2 pounds in a month is a safe number.

7 Ways to Help your Beagle Lose Weight

My neighbors beagle, Cookie has gained a lot of unhealthy weight lately. So we decided to take this challenge of transforming Cookie by helping her to lose excess weight.

After doing a lot of research and talking with my vet, I found seven effective ways to help a beagle lose weight.

These ways worked amazingly for Cookie, and they will help any beagle to lose unhealthy weight. But just to be safe, consult your veterinarian before implementing them.

1. Start Measuring Calories

Start measuring your beagles calory intake and cut it down. If you are feeding your pooch according to the feeding guide mentioned on the dog food package, then stop. These guides are made for active dogs with an average healthy weight.

By feeding your overweight beagle according to these guides, you are feeding him 20% to 30% more than he needs.

Ask your vet to calculate the necessary amount of calories that your beagle needs every day and start feeding accordingly.

You can use this formula to get a general idea of many calories your inactive dog requires. But make sure to check it with the vet first.

First, divide the weight of your beagle by 2.2, then multiply it with 30, and then add 70 to it.

[(Weight of your Beagle / 2.2) x 30] + 70

Most dog food packages have calories per bowl or calories per 100 grams. Start measuring the calories and feed your beagle accordingly.

2. Use vegetables as treats

Manufactured treats are not the best option for an overweight beagle. Try replacing these treats with vegetables that your pooch loves. Some popular and healthy vegetables that many dogs enjoy are baby carrots, apples, bananas, green beans, and celery.

Try different types of vegetables until you find a few that work best on your canine. Here is a list of 32 vegetables safe to feed your beagle.

Make sure not to feed to much vegetables that contain natural sugar like bananas and apples.

But if your beagle is like my niece who hates veggies, then here are two low-calorie and healthy treats:

3. Daily Exercise

While cutting down calories will stop your beagle from gaining weight, exercising will help burn calories and lose weight.

Beagles are a breed of hunting dogs. They are suppose to run, chase, and be active. If you fail to provide enough exercise for your beagle, they start gaining weight and become lethargic.

To help your beagle lose weight without causing any health risk, take things slow but steady. Start with taking your pooch out for a walk just around the block. And gradually increase the distance.

Make a schedule and be consistent with it. Do not miss even a single day.

Here are 12 fun ways to exercise your beagle.

4. Feed many small meals

Once you know how much you are supposed to feed your beagle in a day, divide the ratio into 3 to 6 small portions and feed them throughout the day. According to Dr. Carol Osborn, it requires energy to digest the food that burns calories. Feeding small meals many times a day will burn more calories.

She says that feeding a small portion of meals every 4 to 6 hours makes your dog feel full throughout the day and reduces appetite spikes.

5. Cut down Carbs

Most beagles do not need a diet that is high in carbohydrates, and still, most dog foods have high carbs. Dog food for losing weight should be low in carbs and high in proteins.

6. High protein Diet

Many manufactured dog foods contain fillers, by-products, grain, and unhealthy preservatives. They are high in fats and carbohydrates and have low protein.

Switching to high-quality, grain-free dog foods with fresh meat as their primary ingredients can help your beagle achieve goals of being healthy.

I recommend these three high-protein dog foods for losing weight:

Make sure to consult your veterinarian before switching food.

You can even start feeding your beagle home-cooked food. Its the best way to ensure that your pooch gets all the essential nutrients. Ask your veterinarian or a pet nutritionist to create a home-cooked died for your beagle.

7. Play with them

Beagles love to interact with their human buddies. One way to make them happy and burn some calories is to play some games with them.

You dont need to go out; you can play some indoor games like hide and seek and fetch.

Bonus: Teach and revise tricks

Teach them some tricks and commands; this will be fun for you as well as your pooch. And the best part about it is that it will be a mini exercise for them.

Teaching new tricks also provides mental stimulation, which makes them feel good and excited.

Fix a time and add this to your schedule to teach and revise trick to your beagle. Just make sure you dont over-treat them.

Did you know obisity can decrease the lifespan of beagles.

Conclusion

DO NOT set an unrealistic goal of making your dog fit in just a month, its not safe for them. Ideally, losing 1 to 2 pounds a month is safe and less stressful.

Keep this weight-loss thing as much fun as possible for your beagle. And dont be too strict with everything. Its more about being consistent.

The above ways have worked for us as well as many other dogs. But to be safe, please ask your veterinarian before doing any lifestyle changes in your beagles routine.