Your cute little beagle has grown and become slightly inactive, but he is still as adorable as ever. Now he doesn’t require as much amount of nutrients as before.
Adult dog foods are high in calories and other nutrients made for active and energetic beagles who have increased nutritional requirements. Feeding the same food to your old buddy beagle can make him gain excess and unnecessary weight.
Senior dog foods are specially made for senior dogs to support their health.
In a rush? Here are our quick picks – or continue to know more.
Quick Picks: Best Dog Food for Senior Dogs
- Orijen Senior [Best Overall]: This is a premium quality dog food with protein-rich ingredients like deboned chicken, deboned turkey, and fish. It is an ideal choice for health senior beagles.
- Nulo Senior [Best for beagles with joint problems]: Another great option for your old beagle. It contains glucosamine and chondroitin to promote better joint health.
- Victor Senior Healthy Weight [Best for Overweight Senior beagles]: Victor Senior is ideal for inactive and overweight seniors. It contains fat-burning supplements to manage weight.
When to switch to a Senior Dog Food
A beagle can be told seniors when he is anywhere between 8 to 12 years old. The age varies for each dog, depending on their health, activity level, and behavior.
Let’s discuss some factors that determine whether or not your beagle needs senior dog food.
Activity Level
When beagles mature, their activity level declines. With less physical exercise, they do not require as many calories as before.
If your beagle has been slow lately, then it’s time to put your old beagle on a senior dog food diet.
With lower activity levels, if you keep feeding him adult dog food, which is high in nutrients, then this can make your pooch overweight and increase the risk of many other health problems that come hand-in-hand with obesity.
Age
Beagles are viewed as seniors when they are 9. However, it is no hard-on rock rule. Beagles can become seniors when they are anywhere between 8 to 12 years old.
Many veterinarians recommend switching to a portion of senior dog food as soon as the beagle turns 9 years old even if he is still energetic.
With age, the risk of joint problems and other health complications increases. Senior dog foods contain supplements that are good for dog’s joint and immunity.
Decrease in Appetite
If your old buddy beagle no more gets excited after seeing his food, then its time to make a switch.
Sense of taste and smell weakens with age in dogs too. That’s why they lose appetite. Food doesn’t seem as appealing as before.
Premium senior dog foods are specially made to tempt them.
Talk to your Veterinarian
The best way to find out if your beagle needs a switch in his diet is by consulting your vet about geriatric exams.
In Geriatric exams, the vet reviews the dog’s overall health by conducting many tests like:
- Extended Physical Exam
- Complete Blood Count (CBC)
- Chemistry Profile
- Heartworm Antigen Test
- Fecal Flotation
- Urinalysis
Based on the results, the vet will later suggest an ideal dog food diet for your beagle.
Buying Guide
The best senior dog food for your old beagle should have the following features:
- The senior dog food should contain supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin. They are good for your canine’s joint.
- It should contain antioxidants to promote better health and immunity.
- Make sure that the dog food should not contain any meat by-products. By-products are leftover parts of animals which are not consumed by humans. They do not have as much protein value as real meat.
- Try to avoid dog foods with ingredients like corn, wheat, and soybeans.
- The product should not contain artificial colors, artificial flavors, and artificial preservatives.
Well, I know it can be challenging to select the best food for your senior dog, so to make things easy, We made this list of 7 best dog foods for old beagles.
Best Dog Food for Senior Beagles
My wife and I spend more than 20 hours researching various senior dog foods and going through 100s if not 1000s of reviews to make this list. And after narrowing it down to 15 products, I asked our veterinarian to select the top 7.
1. Orijen Senior Dry Dog Food
Orijen has always been our preferred dog food brand. They aim at providing the highest quality protein of fresh meat.
The significant share of protein of Orijen Senior comes from deboned chicken, deboned turkey, and Atlantic flounder fish. Apart from that, it does not contain any type of filler, and it’s 100% grain-free.
It is genuinely a premium-quality dog food for old beagles. Many dog owners have reported that their dog loved the taste of this food.
5 Primary Ingredients:
- Deboned Chicken
- Deboned Turkey
- Atlantic Flounder (fish meat)
- Cage-free eggs
- Whole Atlantic Mackerel (fish meat)
Calories per cup: 414
Dog Food Type: Dry Kibble
2. Nulo Senior Dog Food
Nulo Senior dog food is another excellent choice for your old beagle. It is 100% grain-free and does not contain any artificial colors, flavorings, or preservatives.
This product relies on deboned trout, turkey meal, and salmon meal for protein. It is high in meat and low in carbs.
5 Primary Ingredients:
- Deboned Trout
- Turkey meal
- Salmon Meal
- Yellow Peas
- Sweet Potato
Product Highlights
- 80% Animal-based protein
- Low in carbs
- It contains glucosamine and chondroitin to promote better joint health.
- Grain-free
- Made in the USA.
Calories per cup: 396
Dog Food Type: Dry Kibble
3. Victor Senior Healthy Weight
If your beagle has some extra pounds to shed, then I will highly recommend Victor Senior Dog food. It contains fat-burning supplements that help your overweight senior beagle lose weight and get healthy again. It contains L-carnitine that helps to lose and manage weight effectively.
This is also recommended for seniors who are inactive and do not get any exercise at all.
Product Highlights
- It is low in calories
- Contains multiple antioxidants.
- Contain glucosamine and chondroitin for better health of joints.
- It is budget-friendly.
5 Primary Ingredients:
- Beef Meal
- Whole Grain Brown Rice
- Whole Grain
- Millet
- Grain Sorghum
Calories per cup: 370
Dog Food Type: Dry Kibble
4. Halo Holistic Senior
It is common for older beagles to have dental problems. It can be painful for the pooch to chew dry kibbles. In such situations, good-quality wet dog food is the best option.
Canned or wet dog food contains soft meat, which is easier and less painful to chew. Halo Holistic Senior wet dog food does a fantastic job of providing all the nutrients that dogs need.
Product Highlights
- Easy to chew
- Highly digestible
- No artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
5 Primary Ingredients:
- Chicken
- Chicken Broth
- Chicken Liver
- Oat Bran
- Pea Flour
Calories Per cup: 411
Dog Food Type: Wet
5. Diamond Naturals Senior
If age has made your beagle inactive and overweight, then this dog food is an excellent low-cost option. This recipe relies on chicken for the source of protein.
Product Highlights
- Contains Glucosamine and Chondroitin for joint support
- Added fruits and vegetables for antioxidants.
- Does not contain corn, wheat, or any types of fillers.
- Does not contain artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
5 Primary Ingredients:
- Chicken
- Chicken Meal
- Whole Grain Brown Rice
- Ground White Rice
- Egg
Calories per cup: 318
Dog Food Type: Dry
Feeding Guide for Senior Beagle
It is challenging to say how much you need to feed your senior beagle. Every dog has a different metabolism and activity level.
It also depends on what kind of dog food you are feeding. Wet, dry, home-cooked, canned, and chicken, beef, bison each one of them has different amounts of nutrients.
The majority of senior dog foods include their own feeding guide. They mention feeding amounts based on the dog’s weight.
To give you a general idea, a senior beagle requires approximately 42 calories per pound in a day.
