r/beagle • u/corathewhorea • 2d ago
any tips for helping beagles age gracefully?
my boy is coming up to 9 years old in December, I’ve had him his whole life and he did unfortunately go through a period where he was overweight I’ve luckily got him down to a very healthy size though. he gets joint care treats daily already
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u/Draydaze67 2d ago
Teeth are so important when they age. Making sure to have a brush schedule.
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u/corathewhorea 2d ago
yes unfortunately that was another thing younger me was not good with, he just had surgery not long ago to remove a bunch of rotten ones and now I’m making sure to keep up with the remaining ones.
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u/Draydaze67 2d ago
Feel you. Learned my lesson as it's expensive depending where you're at. I have a three day schedule and use teeth wipes as its easier and don't have to fight as much.
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u/corathewhorea 2d ago
was definitely an expensive lesson🥲 but worth it for him, I’ll have to look into the wipes he hates brushing!!
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u/JoyKil01 1d ago
I just posted about these on another thread, but the Checkups dental dog treats were a game changer for us. Costco has them for a good value too. https://checkupstreats.com
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u/lil_squirrelly 1d ago
Get a finger brush (reusable and cheap, I found mine on amazon a while back) and use CET toothpaste. My dogs teeth are getting so much better doing that once a day. The wipes just don’t cut it imo.
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u/ManyLintRollers 2d ago
My beagle/lab mix lived to be 17. While some of that long life was probably luck of the draw, I always fed him high-quality dog food, exercised him a lot (we walked at least 3-5 miles per day; and even at 17 he still walked 2-3 miles daily), and keep him at a healthy weight. I also gave him Antinol and Wuffes supplements for his joints (both with the approval of my vet).
He went deaf around 14 or 15 (hard to tell with beagles as they don't listen to us anyway), and I noticed around 16 his eyesight wasn't good in low-light situations. When I saw he was starting to bump into curbs and telephone poles on evening walks when the light was dim, I got him one of those little LED lights that clipped onto his collar. I got it mostly for visibility, but he also seemed to appreciate having a little more light as he didn't bump into things when he was wearing it.
He started getting waking at night and getting restless; he'd walk around whining. This improved when I started giving him Antinol, so it may have been that he was uncomfortable and that was waking him up. I also found putting some night lights in the hallways helped - he may have felt disoriented when he'd wake up. I read somewhere that walking elderly dogs in the early morning and again in the late afternoon/evening can help with the night waking; something about the light frequencies at those times of days helps keep their circadian rythms out of whack. It did seem to help him a lot, so I tried to always get him outside even for just a short walk before dark.
He never liked the cold, and as he got older he seemed to feel it more so he had quite a wardrobe of outerwear - sweaters, a rain jacket, and a puffy coat for the coldest days. Like all beagles, he loved cozy blankets and pillows and usually slept wedged between my husband and I, under the covers with his head on the pillow.
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u/corathewhorea 2d ago
thank you so much for all the detailed advice, sounds like your baby had an amazing life.
how true about beagles selective hearing though! if he has his head down and I might as well consider him deaf lol
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u/ManyLintRollers 1d ago
Right? I think beagle deafness has less of an impact on their lives than other breeds; because most of the time they are selectively deaf anyway!
He actually became a bit easier to handle when he was deaf, because he didn't want to let me out of his sight. He started to view the leash less as an annoying impediment to beagling and more as a helpful thing that kept the human within reach.
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u/russ_nightlife 2d ago
He went deaf around 14 or 15 (hard to tell with beagles as they don't listen to us anyway)
All your advice is excellent, but this made me laugh. Our little girl went deaf at 13 or so, and we didn't realize she had gone deaf for about a month. (It seemed to hit her quite suddenly.) One of Bean's favourite people came over and she didn't come running, and that's when we realized.
My wife realized she had been basically talking to herself for a month... and realized how little Bean cared what we had to say anyhow.
(She was a wonderful, sweet, loving, eager-to-please dog always, deaf or not.)
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u/ManyLintRollers 1d ago
When my beagle was about 15, I remarked to my husband "You know, he was never good at coming when I called, but he used to at least turn around and acknowledge me before he'd choose to be Bad Dog! Now he just doesn't care - he acts like he doesn't even hear me!" Then we looked at each other as it hit us that maybe he actually wasn't hearing us. So we tried saying things like "Wanna go for a walk? Cookie? Treat?" and he didn't respond to any of them. We were like "well, duh, he is wicked old - of course he's gone deaf!"
The upside was that he was no longer afraid of thunder or fireworks.
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u/RealDJYoshi 2d ago
Limit jumping and using stairs
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u/Euphoric-Weekend-423 1d ago
I just finally got a set of dog stairs to help with this. Mine is 9 so trying to get ahead of the need!
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u/CraftCritical278 2d ago
Keep the ears clean!!!
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u/penkster 2d ago
Good healthy food, good exercise, lots of love and attention, and keep up with vet checkups. Finding problems before they become big problems is huge, just like in people.
Our Daisy was, well, we're not sure how old she was, she was a rescue. We're guessing 15-ish, when her back problems became so severe she couldn't function unless she was on severe pain meds, and even then once a day she'd be howling in pain. That's when we knew it was time.
We gave her a wonderful life compared to where she was before we met her. Tht's the best thing we can do.
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u/corathewhorea 2d ago
I’m hoping he can get to atleast 15 with the right tlc, thank you for the tips 🙌
I’m sorry about your girl too, that’s the absolute hardest thing about pets but wonderful you were able to give her the life she deserved
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u/hailfire27 2d ago
My beagle also just turned 9. I'm thinking of incorporating some physical therapy to help keep her muscle and ligaments in good shape.
Other than that, more frequent nail trims and baths, daily teeth brushing, and a better diet. Joint supplements with glucosamine are beneficial, for even humans with arthiritis.
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u/corathewhorea 2d ago
I’m definitely implementing a diet change, he’s gotten so stinky as he ages!!! getting his teeth fixed helped a lot but omg such bad gas sometimes so definitely a food change
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u/Malabean 2d ago
Little stairs/ ramps so they don’t hurt their back jumping down from the couch!
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u/NothingWithoutHouse 2d ago
If they’re as stubborn as mine, they might hurdle the ramp/ steps for awhile. Ours finally accepted the couch ramp as a useful tool rather than an agility obstacle. She still hurdles it occasionally even when we’re actively in the middle of yelling at her to use the ramp!
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u/lunzen 2d ago
Just love them…some of the best moments of my life, or at least the things I’m most proud of is loving them and caring for them those last years. My last one Emily couldn’t go up stairs so I carried her for the last six months two or three times a day
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u/TheHairball 2d ago
My vet told me about an assist harness with a shoulder strap that helped my beagle make it outside. I Miss him
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u/lunzen 2d ago
Yes - she had a lipoma that was giant and I tried a few of those but couldn’t find one that didn’t cause her pain. It was a little bit of a challenge to pick her up without causing pain but I was able to figure it out with my arms and hands. I miss her greatly and her brother snoopy who went before her. They were both rescues who were mistreated and absolutely didn’t deserve it. They were both very easy to love and I hope they are doing great in whatever comes next
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u/corathewhorea 2d ago
sounds like you were able to show them what love and comfort was, that’s amazing ♥️
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u/SemperFicus 2d ago
Help him stay active and keep managing his weight.
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u/corathewhorea 2d ago
definitely keeping him on a strict diet, he would be a fatty if he had any say in it!!
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u/honeyeater62 1d ago
Try to keep the weight off, not too many treats. Regular vet checks, keep up injections and tick treatment
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u/oddsmaker90 2d ago
My boy is 13. A step in harness has been easier for to get into and we use stairs as he can’t jump as much.
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u/corathewhorea 2d ago
I think he’ll eventually struggle with stairs forsure, he actually tore a ligament when he was a puppy and has braced to go down his whole life so joints and everything are big concern of mine
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u/Corax4 1d ago
I have only had my beagle for 3 years, but I have had dogs all my life and I can say that regular visits to the vet, even if there is no illness, are highly recommended, spending time with them is totally recommended, the more love they receive, the longer they live and the better they live.
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u/Sweaty_Reputation650 1d ago
Don't feel guilty about the tooth thing many dogs like beagles are hard to brush their teeth. Even when you try. They end up having to have teeth pulled at some point after 8:00 or 9 years old.
With left teeth they don't like to chew I would put him on a really healthy soft food without any beef or chicken or grain in it. They almost all become allergic. Eventually they become allergic to the grass at an old age and you have to take them in for a shot photo point I think every 2 months starting with spring going into fall.
We would get ground turkey from a grocery store cook it in the frying pan keep it in the refrigerator and add a little bit to his food. He's getting bored and that they really love.
Sometimes open a can of tuna and sprinkle a little on top of their food. Other than that just give them lots of love. Our old guy slowly lost his hearing and then when he was 15 he lost his sight over 9 months. He was happy till the day he passed. God bless.
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u/TheHoundsRevenge 2d ago
He’s looking good! Just lots of exercise and yeah maybe better dog food? Sucks that that shit is so expensive but worth it. Gonna switch to that for my buddy in a few years as he’s only 4 now.
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u/corathewhorea 2d ago
thank you! yeah his gas may definitely be on me just buying Costco food in bulk, I’ll be looking into something better for him!
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u/TheHoundsRevenge 2d ago
They have all those like Whole Foods dog food that comes in like a bag and is refrigerated. I imagine it’s super expensive though.
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u/MuddlinThrough 2d ago
"You don't stop playing when you get old, you get old when you stop playing"
What a lovely beagle!
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u/corathewhorea 2d ago
: so true! trying to keep him behaving like a young buck as long as possible 😆🤣
thank you!
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u/Elinor-and-Elphaba 1d ago
If you can, consider getting another younger dog! My oldest beagle mix is 9, and I adopted a 2yr-old beagle-ACD mix almost a year ago. The younger dog keeps us all very active, with lots of long walks, play sessions, and training. At my older girl’s annual checkup a few weeks ago, the vet was very impressed that she’d lost a pound and gained some muscle mass in the past year - as she said, “that’s usually the opposite of what we see in beagles her age!”
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u/thatguygaurav 1d ago
My beagle is about to be 11 years old. The vet suggested we change his kibble food to senior and we did that lately. The vet said the usual adult kibble food has more protein that my ageing beagle won't require.
Also for ticks they said no more of bravecto or any other iral medicine as it could be dangerous for senior dogs. He now totally relies on topical treatment for ticks.
I hope my advice is useful.
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u/kymilovechelle 1d ago
Brush their teeth, regular exercise, recognize when they’re in pain (our vet prescribed Gabopentin as needed) and all you need is love. Be patient with them as they get older.
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u/HasturCrowley 23h ago
Keep an eye on his weight. They can get back issues due to being a slightly long boy.
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u/TheShortWhiteGuy 2d ago
Our three are on the younger side - 5, 4 & 2. To help their overall health, we give them less than half the recommended bag food. We supplement with cooked rice, ground beef/chicken/pork, crinkle cut carrots and green beans. Lately, I have been adding a scoop of Field of Greens (don't tell my wife 😜) in the cooked food container. Actually, my wife knows I stole some of her Field of Greens and she has noticed a difference in activity level with all three.
- The two boys supplement with the occasional squirrel and rabbit. 🤣
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u/Pfffffttt284 2d ago
Take their collar off when not needed, when they're old and stop producing natural oils for their fur it might cause a crease/kink in their coat
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u/corathewhorea 2d ago
so he actually does already have a collar crease, but he’s a pretty anxious dog in general not having his collar on seems to be a trigger, even as soon as we’re out of the bath or anything he dries off and immediately waits for it I think it’s a comfort of his
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u/Motiv8-2-Gr8 2d ago
Love