As one of the most popular dog breeds in America and around the world, beagles are well known for being the perfect pet. Maybe it’s their sense of adventure, and maybe it’s their propensity to snuggle with their owners. Everybody loves their beagle for a different reason.
That being said, it is of the utmost importance to keep your beagle happy and healthy. Knowing what goes into your pup’s diet and what can and can’t beagles eat is very important for being a good pet owner and having your beagle stick around for a long, long time.
Ask any beagle owner, and they’ll tell you that they’re a sucker for their cute furry friend begging for a little food now and then. It can be really tempting to give them a little of what’s on your plate as a treat.
Before you make your beagle’s day, make sure you know what foods it is safe for your beagle to have a little bit of! So, what can and can’t beagles eat?
Table of Contents
What Fruits Can Beagles Eat?
You might think that fruit might seem like food you’d want to avoid giving a beagle. After all, there are a lot of horror stories that float around about dogs and any kind of fruit. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth! There are many examples of fruits that dogs love and are great for their health.
Fruits can be an excellent source of vitamins for your beagle, as well as improving their health in a multitude of other ways. Furthermore, your beagle will definitely find a healthy fruit that it loves to chow down on, so they make for great treats or additives to meals!
Blueberries
It is exceptionally beneficial for your beagle to eat blueberries. This is due to the high amounts of antioxidants found in blueberries that, just like in humans, promote the health of cells by destroying free radicals that are damaging your beagle’s cellular structures!
In other words, this can help your dog’s eye health, heart health, and the health of many other individual parts of your dog’s body, as well as decrease cancer risk. Talk about a healthy snack!
They are perfect treats and can be given either fresh or frozen. You can also add them to your beagle’s regular meals to not only give them an extra healthy kick but to give them a little flavor as well.
Apples
With all the things you hear about apples and their supposedly “toxic” seeds, you might think feeding them to your beagle would be a bad idea. After all, you don’t even want to risk feeding your dog something that might harm it. Well, good news for you, apples are completely harmless!
In fact, apples are an excellent source of vitamins for your pup and are abundant in vitamins A and C, as well as providing your dog with the fiber it needs to make digestion comfortable.
This low-fat, low-protein snack is great for dogs of all ages, but especially aging dogs. Just make sure you take the seeds out first!
Bananas
Bananas can be a great little treat for your beagle as well! Due to their uniquely high amount of potassium, as well as fiber and vitamins, bananas can be really beneficial for your beagle.
That being said, they shouldn’t be a staple part of the dog’s diet. Bananas have a lot of sugar, so adding them to your beagle’s main meal can be a mistake and lead to sluggishness and weight gain if given in abundance. Best to stick with them as just a tasty treat!
Cranberries
If you’re looking for a tart alternative that your beagle will love and be able to eat, look no further than cranberries. They can be eaten either as they are or dried and make for a fantastic snack or treat for your dog!
However, cranberries are best given in small quantities. This is because they can give your dog an upset stomach if consumed in large quantities. Try adding only a few to your dog’s food or giving one or two as a treat.
This is a great way to switch up the taste of things like apples and bananas. The tartness is something your dog might love or might hate, so try it out first before adding it to any of your beagle’s food!
What Fruits Can’t Beagles Eat?
However, there are also some fruits that you should avoid giving to your beagle if possible. Some fruits can be toxic and even poisonous to your beagle. That’s why you need to be educated on what you should be and should not be putting into your dog’s body! Read on to find out what fruits your beagle can and can not eat.
Grapes
You should never, under any circumstance, feed grapes to your beagle! Whether they’re green grapes, red grapes, raisins, or any other kind of grape, do give them to your dog. Grapes and raisins are extremely toxic for dogs.
They are not just bad for your dog; they can lead to deadly side effects. Feeding your beagle grapes or raisins can lead to sudden acute kidney failure. You should not only not feed your beagle grapes and raisins, but be extremely careful when eating them yourself, and make sure they are stored somewhere that your beagle won’t be able to reach!
Avocado
Avocado might seem like a fun thing to feed your dog, as humans love it, and it is extremely healthy for them. However, it is not okay for your beagle to partake in your favorite toast-topping and salad additive as well. This is because the skin and pit of the avocado contain persin.
Persin is a toxin that causes dogs to have serious digestion problems. It can lead to diarrhea and vomiting, even in small amounts. The inside of the fruit has less persin but will still give your dog digestion issues. It is best to avoid giving your beagle any part of the avocado.
Cherries
Cherries are not suitable for consumption for beagles. This is due to the presence of cyanide in their seeds. While the trace amounts that are in cherries are fine for humans to eat, they can be poisonous to dogs.
Cyanide is extremely poisonous to your beagle, so, similarly to grapes, you need to be exceptionally careful about cherries. This includes after you throw away the pits! We’ve all seen our lovable furballs digging through the trash for some old food. Make sure that your garbage is far out of reach if it has cherry pits in it!
Tomatoes
You should avoid giving your beagle tomatoes. They are not inherently poisonous to beagles if they are properly ripe. However, some of the green parts of unripened tomatoes contain solanine.
Solanine isn’t deadly for dogs, but it can make them sick. Your beagle would have to eat a significant amount of unripe tomato in order to get seriously ill. Despite this, it’s probably best to just avoid tomatoes and save your pup some stomach pain.
What Vegetables Can Beagles Eat?
Whether your child doesn’t like them and you don’t want to waste them, or you’ve got too many for the soup, or for some other reason, you may be tempted to give your beagle some extra vegetables! Well, fear not! There are plenty of veggies that are nutritious, tasty, and perfectly healthy for your beagle to chow down on.
Vegetables, like fruits, have a ton of vitamins and minerals that can be exceptionally effective when it comes to promoting things like your beagle’s heart health, eye health, and other aspects of their physical wellbeing. As long as they’re eating vegetables that will help instead of harming them, your pup should be eating a good amount of those crunchy veggies!
Read on to find out what vegetables are safe for your beagle!
Carrots
Carrots are perfectly fine for your beagle to munch on. They can be served cooked or raw and be used as a treat or part of a larger meal.
Carrots are very healthy for your beagle, as they are high in fiber and vitamin A. This will not only help your beagle’s digestive system work well, but carrots can also be healthy for your beagle’s teeth!
Crunching on this healthy little orange veggie is one of the best things your beagle can do to promote their health! Feel free to throw a couple of extra carrots into their dinner tonight.
Green Beans
Green beans are fine for your pup if they seem to like them! They can be prepared however you like, and still be eaten perfectly well by your beagle. They have a ton of vitamins and minerals and are low in calories and high in fiber. This makes them a great addition to your beagle’s meals and makes them a serviceable treat as well.
Celery
Celery is quite abundant in vitamins A, B, and C. This alone makes it a great thing to feed to your beagle, as getting the right vitamins is extremely important to promote the health of any dog. Celery is also known to promote heart health in dogs and help fight cancer. This makes it one of the most important and healthiest vegetables you can possibly feed to your dog.
Not only is it super healthy, but there is one more fantastic benefit to celery as well. Celery is known to fight bad breath in dogs. This is great because everyone has had a few days where it’s tough to pet your beagle because of some bad breath.
Peas
Peas are a fine veggie to feed to your beagle. They have a good amount of vitamins and minerals, which is always great but is common in most veggies. What sets peas apart a bit is that they have a lot of protein and fiber. This makes them great for young dogs, as they help with digestion and help to build muscle as well.
If you do opt to give your beagle peas, try not to give them peas high in sodium. This can be unhealthy for dogs. This is especially important with canned peas, which tend to be high in sodium.
What Vegetables Can’t Beagles Eat?
As many vegetables that there are that promote heart health, give vitamins and minerals, and make your beagle healthier overall, there are just as many you should avoid giving to your furry friend. That’s why it is so important to be an educated dog owner to avoid feeding your beagle something that might hurt them or make them sick.
Read on to find out what vegetables should be avoided!
Onions
Onions should be avoided at all costs! Feeding your beagle onions can make them very sick. This is because, along with leeks, chives, and shallots, they are part of the allium family of vegetables, which are poisonous to most pets, including dogs (but especially cats).
If your beagle eats onions or any other vegetables in the allium family, it can cause the rupturing of red blood cells in your beagle’s stomach! This can cause stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
If you want to keep your furry friend happy and healthy, avoid having them eat allium vegetables like onions at all costs!
Asparagus
Asparagus isn’t particularly unhealthy for them; it’s just impractical and pointless to feed it to them. It can’t be eaten raw and, once cooked down, really lacks in nutrients that would benefit your beagle at all. So, it’s not that you can’t feed your pup asparagus, but there are much better options than this veggie.
Mushrooms
Try to avoid giving your beagle mushrooms whenever possible. This is because wild mushrooms can make your dog sick. That being said, not many of the species of mushrooms you are eating are the types of wild mushrooms that can make your dog sick.
However, it’s better to play it safe. There are plenty of other veggies that give more nutrients, are more well-liked by beagles and other breeds of dog, and don’t have the outside chance of making your beagle sick.
Related Articles:
- How Much Should a Beagle Puppy Eat?
- Why Is Your Beagle Not Eating (All Reasons Explained)
- Why Do Beagles Eat So Much? (And When Is There Something Wrong?)
- Why Do Beagles Eat Poop? (And How To Stop Them)
- Can Beagles Swim & Do They Like Water?
What Human Food Can Beagles Eat?
So, now we know what fruits and vegetables our beagle can eat. However, that’s not enough. There are plenty of non-fruit and non-veggie foods that your beagle might love that you wouldn’t think to feed them!
While some of these foods should only be given in moderation, others can be made staples of the diet. Consult your veterinarian and do some research considering each of these foods in particular. All of these are simply foods you can give to your pup in moderation, but some can be great everyday meals!
Read this section to find out what foods might be safe and delicious for your beagle!
Eggs
Beagles can eat eggs! They are fine to feed your pup in moderation as a snack. They are high in protein, which can be great for helping build muscle in younger dogs.
However, just like in humans, be careful with feeding your beagle too many eggs, especially the yolks. This is due to the high levels of cholesterol present in eggs, as this can lead to health complications (especially heart health) in the future.
Unlike humans, beagles can sometimes consume raw eggs. This can be of great benefit to their health if it is part of a raw food diet. We will cover the raw food diet later in the article, so scroll down if you’re interested!
Fish
Feeding your beagle fish is totally fine! There are a lot of health benefits that can come from eating fish, including the promotion of heart health, vitamins D and B12, omega-3 fatty acids, and other health benefits as well. It also promotes healthy bones by being a great source of calcium. Be careful, though.
Make sure the fish you are giving your beagle doesn’t have small bones in it that your beagle could swallow. These bones could give them small cuts in their mouth and throat, or worse, cause them to choke. Make sure to clear out any bones from any fish you give to your pup.
Meat
There are a few types of meat that are perfectly fine for your beagle to be eating. These include turkey, pork, chicken, and red meat. All of these are high in protein, so they promote the building of muscles in your beagle.
It is important to add meat to your beagle’s diet. This is because dogs are naturally carnivorous, so the protein that comes from meat is important to promote their health properly.
However, be careful with red meat, as overfeeding your pet red meat can lead to digestive issues and other health issues.
What Is The Best Food For Beagles?
There is no “best” food for beagles, but there are diets that can be great for beagles in particular. As a fairly active and adventurous breed of dog, especially for their size, the raw food diet comes to mind as a great option for beagles.
Scroll down to read more about the raw food diet, if it is safe, if it is healthy, and if it might be right for you and your man’s best friend to try it out!
As for non-raw food options that are great for your beagle, just remember what nutrients your dog needs to live a long, happy, healthy life. Dogs are carnivorous, so make sure your pup is getting enough protein from whatever food it is eating.
There should also be a lot of vitamins being eaten by your beagle. Any of the fruits and vegetables above in the can-eat sections of the article would be perfect for this!
There are also supermarket brands of dog food that can provide all of this, but if you want to know and control what is going into your pup’s body, preparing the food yourself is for the best.
Interested In Training Your Beagle?
If you haven’t trained your beagle properly, then this is the perfect time to start. Whatever bad behavior your shepherd has, whether it’s barking at night or other bad behaviors, using the right training program is the key to having an obedient and happy pup.
The training program I love and highly recommend is Brain Training For Dogs.
With Brain Training For Dogs, you’ll save yourself a ton of time and effort. Instead of banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why your dog won’t listen, you’ll follow a path that has been tried, tested, and most importantly, that’s given proven results. Not to mention the fact you’ll be able to fit the course around your schedule, not fit your schedule around a trainer or obedience class.
So instead of worrying about whether they’re going to be well-behaved or not, you’ll only have to worry about how much fun you’ll have with them!
And in most cases, it’s still going to be:
- Cheaper than hiring a professional.
- Cheaper than replacing everything they might break.
- And definitely cheaper than a lawsuit against you, if they decide to bite someone.
Just imagine how great it will feel to finally be able to trust your beagle completely and never worry whether they’ll be naughty or not. Instead, you’ll have the peace of mind that you have a well-behaved pup, and the boundaries you set for them will always be there, EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT.
And the best part is it also has a 60-day money-back guarantee! So there’s no reason not to give Brain Training For Dogs a try!
So if you’re tired of your dog’s bad behavior or how they react around other people and pooches, then give it a try! You’ll be amazed by the results!(You can also check out a full review here to learn exactly what the course has to offer!)
What Is The Raw Food Diet?
The raw food diet is a diet given to dogs that mainly consists of uncooked and raw foods. Examples of this are uncooked meat, chicken, vegetables, eggs, and other foods that humans would not consume raw.
This may seem like quite extreme diet, but it can actually be very beneficial for the health of your dog.
Many who advocate for the raw food diet site shinier coats, healthier teeth, healthier skin, smaller stool, and increased energy. These obviously great health benefits are worth looking into for any beagle owner.
Before starting your beagle on the raw food diet, it is probably best to consult a veterinarian who knows your dog well. This will allow you to know how much of your dog’s diet can be raw and if this diet would have health benefits for your dog specifically.
Oftentimes, dogs who are too young, too old, or sick will not do well with the raw food diet and should have their food cooked. Still, it seems to work for a lot of people and their furry friends, so it’s worth looking into!
Here are some of the pros and cons of giving your beagle the raw food diet!
Raw Food Diet Pros
There are a number of potential benefits that come with feeding raw food to your beagle. It is an especially great diet for dogs who are very active or spend a lot of time outdoors. Despite this, it can be great for indoor dogs as well.
One of the major benefits of feeding the raw food diet to your beagle is how it increases the rate of muscle growth in dogs. The consumption of raw food, according to some reports, allows for the development of strong bones in muscles in dogs of all breeds.
This will allow for your beagle to be more active, live longer, and be healthier overall. Strong bones and muscles are key in making your beagle happy and healthy, and a raw food diet can help them get there in many cases!
Another great thing about the raw food diet is that it tends to give dogs, including beagles, shinier and healthier coats. This is a tell-tale sign that a dog’s coat is in far better shape than a dull and matte coat would be.
As a bonus, you get to pet your beagle’s new and improved shiny, soft coat! While it’s most certainly not the main reason to change your pup’s diet, it’s still pretty neat.
Furthermore, the raw food diet can help your beagle’s digestion too. It seems as dogs consume the raw food diet, their stools get smaller and more compact. This is due in part to the high fiber that raw vegetables provide to the diet. The smaller and more compact stools are a great sign that your beagle is digesting healthily.
Not only that, but you get to stop picking big, gross poops. It’s a win-win!
Raw dog food is also great for managing the weight of your dog. Since it has less artificial ingredients, preservatives, and fats than supermarket canned dog food or dry food, it is great for watching the weight of your furry friend.
Making sure your pet maintains the proper weight is one of the most important aspects of being a good pet owner, as it is crucial that your pet is not overweight to make sure they are healthy and happy. Part of this is staying active, and part of this is making sure your pet is eating right.
Luckily for you, the raw food diet provides both of these, as it cuts out unnecessary fats and, as mentioned above, provides your pup the necessarily strong bones and muscles to stay active for long periods of time!
No one knows your beagle better than you, and the raw food diet allows you the most direct control of what is going into your dog’s body! This will allow you to very directly make sure that your beagle is consuming only the healthiest, most organic, and freshest ingredients you can find and that they are being prepared in a safe, healthy, and delicious way that your beagle deserves.
Raw Food Diet Cons
There are some negatives to the raw food diet, though! For a number of reasons, it is not perfect for every beagle or every dog individually. That’s why you should consult a veterinarian and see if the raw food diet might be right for you and your beagle, rather than just jumping right in.
Here are some of the potential cons when it comes to feeding your beagle the raw food diet:
Sometimes, raw food contains fragments of bone that may be difficult for your dog to eat or digest. This comes with the territory and probably won’t be the end of the world for your dog, but it still might be uncomfortable for your pup going down and might make things a little difficult coming out once in a while.
You can always take the bones out of the raw food you prepare unless you are feeding your dog chicken, turkey, or another meat off the bone. Still, this would take an exceptionally long time and only add time onto a process that already takes a while, which brings us to the next potential con.
Preparing raw food for your beagle two to three times per day is an extremely time-consuming process. This is because you need to make sure the raw food you’re giving your dog is clean and sourced from a healthy place.
Not only is the raw food diet time-consuming, but it is also expensive. Buying individual raw ingredients from the store is far more expensive than getting the normal pre-packaged dog food from any old brand. That’s not to say it’s better to get the other kinds of dog food, but your finances should be taken into account!
There are also bacteria and parasites that can make their way into raw food. These can be found in other foods as well, but raw food tends to have a bit higher of a chance of housing these illness-causing microorganisms. It is extremely important to thoroughly clean any raw food you’re giving to your pup! Still, the risk of this should not be minimized.
Raw dog food should not be given to dogs that are very young, very old, or suffering from an illness such as cancer. This is due to the risk factors associated with eating raw.
An immune system compromised in any way, be it due to age or other factors, can be easily taken advantage of by bacteria and parasites that are looking for a home.
This is another reason consulting your veterinarian is extremely important before making the decision to switch to raw!
Conclusion
So, there are many foods that are suitable for beagles to eat that come off of human plates! Maybe it’s time to skip the nasty canned dog food or the big boring bags of dried dog food that crowd the store shelves.
Whether you’re looking to give your pup some fruits like blueberries, apples, bananas, or cranberries, or some veggies like carrots, green beans, celery, or peas, or even a raw diet filled with delicious meats, eggs, and fruits and veggies, it is up to you to decide what goes in your beagle’s body, not the supermarket!
However, there are plenty of human foods that are very bad for your beagle and can be extremely toxic for it to eat. Therefore, it is extremely important to get and stay educated on what kinds of food your beagle can consume safely, and this article is only the start!
Finally, if you think the raw diet might be the way forward for you and your dog, the place to start is at your vet! Consult them and ask questions about the raw diet and if it would be a good match for you and your furry friend.
Now, I bet that beagle of yours is hungry. Maybe a couple of carrots will hold her over until dinner?
Sources
- http://www.beaglepro.com/fruit-for-beagle
- https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/fruits-vegetables-dogs-can-and-cant-eat
- https://emborapets.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-what-beagles-can-and-cant-eat