Are You Feeding Your Beagle Too Much….Or Too Little?

Feeding too much?

When you have more than one dog, it is sometimes difficult to control the weight of both.  As you can see the black dog, the Blue Heeler is overweight, stocky without a waist, and her belly is rounded when you look at her from the side.

The Beagle is trim, you can feel his ribs without them protruding, and he has a good waist when he stands.

How much do you feed your dog? 

Purina has done a 14 year study and has written guidelines to help. You still need to depend on a dog food (I prefer dry kibble) that has all the vitamins and antioxidants and at least 18% protein.  Simply, feed according to the current weight of your dog.

13-20 pound Beagle, 1 – 1 1/3 cups of dry food per day with plenty of water

21-35 pounds will consume 1 1/3 – 2 cups dry dog food

36-50 pounds should be fed 2 – 2 2/3 cups dry food per day (That would be a mixed breed beagle like mine)

So What Do You Do When You Need To Put One Dog On A Diet?

Alabama, the Blue Heeler definately needs to be on a diet.  I know she is older, so actually I need to take better care of her health.  I never had a dog that ate too much, so this was new to me.  My Dad always told me an animal won’t overeat.

I mentally noted the amount of food she ate, and realized she would go to the bag of dog bones on the floor, duck her head in the bag, and pull one out — any time she wanted.   The treats she ate were based in wheat as the main ingredient.

I moved the bag of dog treats off the floor and into the back pantry where I would have more control over the distribution.  “Bama” has since learned to beg.  But within another few weeks she should be able to show a waist again.  This would be a simple solution.

I also feed “Bama” outside with her allotted food, and the Beagle inside the house.  Somehow I have to keep the two seperate until I can get the weight under control for overweight dog.

If you have suggestions, would appreciate it.