Beagles have a propensity for food. I do truly believe that if they could, they would eat to death. Twenty to twenty-five pounds is the most a beagle should weigh, depending upon their height. As they age, it is very hard to keep the weight off and a strict diet is the best way to keep a beagle healthy. Of course, any loving beagle will try to make you feel guilty for not feeding them every time you eat!

Our first beagle was a sweet little girl who would do anything to get food. Easy would search the garbage can if you didn't keep it covered. Being very smart, she waited until we left the house or went outside and then knocked over the garbage can and devoured what she could quickly. When we got back, she was waiting by the door and ran outside so she could escape punishment. We tried moving the can, putting it in a cabinet which she figured out how to open and finally, we got a can that was weighted and had a spring top. The latter is what we recommend. She could not topple it.

One time, we had a bar-b-que and cooked ribs. Our little beagle went around to everyone at the party and managed to get a bone from most of them.. She must have eaten ten ribs, at least. That night, we found her in a corner of our bedroom with her eyes red and sagging. She looked close to death. We rushed her to the vet who informed us she would have to stay the night. That night turned into a week. Easy had consumed so much fat and bone thet she developed Pancreatitis. We learned a hard lesson that we were "loving her to death". A bone or snack once in a while is O.K. But, beagles do not know when to stop eating if they are full. We felt very bad about the pain we had caused her to go through We never again let her have such liberties.

A cup and a half to two cups of food is all most beagles need to maintain good health. Easy was dissatisfied at first and seemed to be hungry all the time. But, she learned to enjoy dinner time and lived on for many years with more energy and less discomfort.