Puppy First, Health First
MetLife pet insurance1 month included with every puppy†
Real people, daily9AM–11PM EST(888) 729-8812
The big picture
Beagles typically live 10–15 years, and most live healthy lives.
The National Beagle Club calls the Beagle a basically healthy breed. A large study of Beagles seen by UK vets agreed: their lifespan and health problems were much like those of dogs in general.
The problems vets see most often in Beagles are weight gain and gum disease.
Beagles are also known to be prone to a few conditions, most of them inherited.
This page explains each one in plain words: what it is, what you might notice and what you can do.
Worth knowing
This list is not exhaustive or official. Keep asking your veterinarian as your puppy grows.
Weight gain is the problem vets find most often in Beagles, a breed that loves its food.
A weigh-in at every vet visit shows a slow gain before it becomes a problem.
Measure every meal, count treats, and keep food and trash out of reach. A lean Beagle is also easier on its back and hips.
Gum disease (periodontal disease) is the second most common problem vets find in Beagles.
Your vet checks the teeth and gums at each visit.
Brush your Beagle's teeth every day, starting while it is a puppy.
Long, hanging ears make ear infections more likely, and allergies can make the skin itchy.
Look for redness, a bad smell or discharge in an ear.
Check the ears every week, and get your puppy used to gentle ear handling from its first week at home. The breed club lists allergies among the most common Beagle problems, so mention itchy skin to your vet.
In disc disease, a disc between the bones of the spine bursts out of place, most often at 3–6 years of age.
Signs range from sudden back pain to weak or wobbly back legs.
Keep your Beagle lean, use ramps, and stop it jumping down from heights. Mild cases are treated with rest and pain relief, and some dogs need surgery.
Hip dysplasia is an inherited problem with how the hip joint forms as a puppy grows.
Some dogs never show signs, while others limp or seem sore.
Keep your puppy lean, and skip lots of jumping until its growth plates close. Weight control and pain relief help dogs that do show signs.
Epilepsy means repeated seizures with no other cause found, and it runs in the breed.
A seizure can look like twitching, shaking or spasms, and the first ones usually appear in young adults.
There is no screening test, so call your vet after any seizure. Epilepsy is usually managed with daily medicine for life.
Less common
An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) can cause weight gain, tiredness or coat changes, and daily medicine treats it.
Glaucoma is raised pressure inside the eye, so a red, painful or cloudy eye needs a vet quickly.
Cataracts, cloudy spots in the lens of the eye, turn up in some Beagles, and a yearly eye exam finds them early.
Extra eyelashes, and cherry eye, a red swelling in the inner corner of the eye, can show up in young dogs.
Beagle pain syndrome, a swelling of the lining around the brain and spinal cord, causes fever and neck pain in young dogs; steroids usually help.
A narrow heart valve (pulmonic stenosis) is the inherited heart problem seen in the breed; a vet may hear it as a murmur.
A kneecap that slips out of place turns up now and then, and the breed club lists a knee check as an optional test.
Some deafness is linked to white spotting in Beagles, and a simple hearing test can check it.
Fatty lumps are common in older Beagles, and cancer also occurs, so have any new lump checked.
Factor VII deficiency, an inherited clotting problem, is usually silent but can cause extra bleeding after an injury or surgery.
Musladin-Lueke syndrome gives puppies tight, thick skin and a stiff, tiptoe walk in their first months.
Tumbling puppy syndrome leaves puppies unable to walk normally from their first steps.
Lafora disease is an inherited form of epilepsy that starts late in life, often with sudden muscle jerks.
Imerslund-Gräsbeck syndrome stops a puppy from absorbing vitamin B12, so it fails to thrive, and lifelong B12 treatment works.
DNA tests
A cheek swab or blood sample works at any age, and DNA tests check for several uncommon inherited conditions in Beagles.
Each result comes back as clear, carrier or at risk. Clear means no copies of the gene change, and a carrier has one copy and is healthy. At risk means two copies and a higher chance of the condition, not a diagnosis, and some at-risk dogs never show signs.
Checkups your dog will get
Care plan by life stage
Planning for Beagle vet costs
These are typical published costs for treating what a Beagle vet exam looks at and the conditions the breed is known to be prone to. Each range shows where it comes from and when, and your own vet's estimate will differ.
| Item | Typical cost | Per | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist's first exam (consultation fee only) | $198–$350 | per visit | at US veterinary teaching hospitals (Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee) | 2023–2026 |
| Item | Typical cost | Per | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist's first exam (consultation fee only) | $198–$350 | per visit | at US veterinary teaching hospitals (Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee) | 2023–2026 |
| Allergy skin test (intradermal) | $350–$550 | per test | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Michigan) | 2024 |
| Allergy blood test (serology) | $340–$350 | per test | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Michigan) | 2024 |
Planning for pet insurance
When you are ready to compare plans, here is one option for Pawrade buyers.
Only with Pawrade, you receive a pet insurance policy with no waiting period included for immediate accident or illness coverage, 1 month, with every puppy.† You activate it by calling MetLife; instructions arrive with your travel details. Continuing MetLife coverage after the first month is strongly recommended.
View the MetLife 30-day offer →†NH, NY, RI, SC and TN residents excluded. Activated by calling MetLife; coverage begins immediately following policy activation. See the offer for full terms.
Whichever plan you look at, read the policy before you buy. Check the waiting periods, how it defines a pre-existing condition, and its deductible, reimbursement percentage and annual limit.
A waiting period is how long after you buy a pet insurance policy before a claim counts.
| Policy | Accidents | Illness | Joints |
|---|---|---|---|
| MetLife policy included with your Pawrade puppy† | None | None | None |
| MetLife, bought directly | None | 14 days | Not listed |
| Industry standard | 0–14 days | 14–30 days | 6–12 months |
| Nationwide | 14 days | 14 days | Not listed |
| Trupanion | 5 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| Embrace | 2 days | 14 days | 6 months |
| Figo | 1 day | 14 days | Not listed |
The breeder's licensed vet checks your puppy before it goes home. The vet follows PetPay's exam standards, and the results go in your puppy's Veterinary Health Report.
Focus
Heart
Heart murmur, and how loud it is (grade)
02
Breathing
How open the nostrils are · Coughing or congestion
03
Temperature, pulse and breathing rate
Temperature · Pulse · Breathing rate
04 Focus
Eyes
Discharge · Vision problems · Eyelash problems · Cherry eye
05
Ears and hearing
Debris or discharge · Ear mites · Signs of infection · Hearing
06
Mouth and bite
Teeth and jaw alignment · Bite (overbite or underbite)
07 Focus
Skin and coat
Fleas and ticks · Hair loss · Signs of infection
08
Kneecaps
Kneecaps that slip, and how much (grade)
09
Hips
Hip pain
10
Hernias
Belly-button (umbilical) hernia · Groin (inguinal) hernia
11
Soft spot on the skull
An open soft spot, and its size
12 Focus
Body condition and weight
Body condition score · Weight
13
Reproductive organs
Both testicles in place (males) · Extra skin folds around the vulva (females)
14
History of vomiting or diarrhea
Any history of vomiting or diarrhea (reported, not examined)
15
Stool test for parasites
Fecal flotation test, with any treatment given
16
Past surgery and notes
Any past surgery · The vet's explanation of anything abnormal
The vet listens to the heart for a murmur, which can point to a heart problem present from birth.
Some Beagles are born with a narrowed heart valve (pulmonic stenosis), so a murmur is followed up with a heart scan.
The vet looks for cherry eye (a popped-out gland in the corner of the eye), extra eyelashes (distichiasis) and tears that spill over.
Extra eyelashes and cherry eye often show up later, so keep watching your Beagle's eyes as it grows.
The vet feels the skin and looks over the coat for fleas, ticks, hair loss and signs of infection.
Musladin-Lueke syndrome (MLS) gives some Beagle puppies thick, tight skin and a toe-walking gait. MLS is inherited in Beagles, and a DNA test can confirm it.
The vet weighs the puppy and scores its body condition.
Beagles can inherit a problem absorbing vitamin B12 (Imerslund-Gräsbeck syndrome), and it is treatable. If your puppy is small, thin or tired, ask your vet about a vitamin B12 check.
The vet listens to the heart for a murmur, which can point to a heart problem present from birth.
Some Beagles are born with a narrowed heart valve (pulmonic stenosis), so a murmur is followed up with a heart scan.
The vet looks for cherry eye (a popped-out gland in the corner of the eye), extra eyelashes (distichiasis) and tears that spill over.
Extra eyelashes and cherry eye often show up later, so keep watching your Beagle's eyes as it grows.
The vet feels the skin and looks over the coat for fleas, ticks, hair loss and signs of infection.
Musladin-Lueke syndrome (MLS) gives some Beagle puppies thick, tight skin and a toe-walking gait. MLS is inherited in Beagles, and a DNA test can confirm it.
The vet weighs the puppy and scores its body condition.
Beagles can inherit a problem absorbing vitamin B12 (Imerslund-Gräsbeck syndrome), and it is treatable. If your puppy is small, thin or tired, ask your vet about a vitamin B12 check.
Puppies grow and change quickly, and their immune systems are still developing, so no exam can find everything. The Veterinary Health Report is a strong early look at your puppy and a written starting point that your own vet builds on.
Health guarantee
Every Pawrade puppy comes with a health guarantee administered by PetPay, independent of the seller. The terms are on the health guarantee page.
Customers Love Us!
Hank · Beagle“Great customer service, communication, process, and puppy! Special thanks to Donna Conner and Ashlae Simmons who followed up with my all questions. Puppy Hank is doing great!”
Beagle Puppies for Sale
Frequently asked questions
Most Beagles live healthy lives, and the problems vets see most often are weight gain and gum disease. Conditions that run in the breed include epilepsy, disc disease in the back, hip dysplasia, an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), glaucoma and a clotting problem called Factor VII deficiency. Four more are inherited conditions that DNA tests can find: Musladin-Lueke syndrome, tumbling puppy syndrome, Lafora disease and Imerslund-Gräsbeck syndrome. A lean weight, daily tooth brushing and weekly ear checks go a long way.
Epilepsy, meaning repeated seizures with no other cause found, runs in the breed. Call your vet about any seizure, since epilepsy is managed with daily medicine for life. A separate inherited form, Lafora disease, starts late in life with muscle jerks, and a DNA test identifies it.
Disc disease of the spine (intervertebral disc disease) runs in the breed and shows up in adults. A lean weight, ramps and no jumping from heights help protect the back. A DNA test can show the inherited risk at any age.
Their long drop ears make ear infections more likely, so check the ears every week. Start gentle ear handling in the first week at home.
A DNA test works at any age from a cheek swab or blood sample, and it checks for several uncommon inherited conditions in Beagles. Keep the results with your puppy's records and share them with your vet.
A carrier has one copy of the gene change and is healthy, and carrier status matters only for breeding. An at-risk result means two copies and a higher chance of the condition, not a diagnosis, and for some conditions at-risk dogs never show signs.
Beagles typically live 10–15 years, and most live healthy lives.
Older Beagles do best with a vet check at least twice a year, a lean weight and continued dental care. Have any new lump checked, since fatty lumps (lipomas) are common in the breed. New jerks, twitches or seizures, a head tilt or loss of balance, and cloudy or painful eyes are all reasons to see your vet.
Measure meals, count treats and have your Beagle weighed at every vet visit. Beagles are food-driven and gain weight easily, so weight control is one of the most useful things you can do for their health.
Spaying or neutering is a conversation to have with your vet, who can tailor the decision to your own dog. Ask about it at a routine check-up, along with keeping your Beagle lean as it grows.
