BEAGLE FEEDING AND THINGS TO REMEMBER
I know you are really excited to bring your new Beagle puppy home and give it the best start possible, so here are some important details we need to share with you to make that possible. Please read this ENTIRE letter for the benefit of your puppy, yourself and us.
FEEDING YOUR PUPPY, LOOSE STOOL, AND WHY IT HAPPENS.
The stress of moving from one home to another can be significant for your new puppy. The most important thing you can do for your new puppy is to feed the same food, provide the same treats and also use FortaFlora probiotics. Doing this means less tummy upset, less accidents and quicker house training! A change of water or the fast reproduction of a single celled organism (coccidia) can also trigger stomach issues.
Being a breeder of over 35 years, we have tried MANY different dog foods. The best food we have found, and that we recommend and feed our own dogs, is TLC Whole Life Food. Please be sure to order the TLC Puppy Food in advance (if possible) so that you will have it in time for your puppies arrival. Try to stick to the bag feeding directions as closely as possible. Labradors are quick growers and we recommend switching to the TLC Whole Life Dog Food once your puppy is over 4 months of age.
ALSO!!... If you stay on this food on auto-ship for one year we will INCREASE OUR HEALTH GUARANTEE FOR ONE ADDITIONAL YEAR!!!
TLC Whole Life Dry Puppy Food and Dog Food -
Uses high quality ingredients from trustworthy sources.
Has never had a recall!
It is free of any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.
The first two ingredients are highly concentrated meat based ingredients.
It is manufactured in the United States.
Packed with Omegas for healthy skin and coat.
The TLC Puppy Food has prebiotics and probiotics for optimal digestion.
The TLC Dog Food is fortified with glucosamine and chondroitin for healthy hips and joints.
Each case contains TWO 15 lb bags of food with 120 cups of food total!
5 star rating on Dog Food Advisor!
The TLC Puppy Food and TLC Dog Food are priced the same and SHIPPING IS FREE!
Lane Rae Beagles TLC Pet Food Link
https://tlcpetfood.com/nutrition/beagleandlablover
The canned food we use and recommend is Evanger’s. We use about a tablespoon of food and initially put it at the bottom of the bowl under the TLC Puppy Food. This excites the puppy and stimulates appetite ensuring they continue to eat through the rehoming transition. Plus they LOVE IT!! Once they are over the excitement of a new home, and eating regularly, you can put the bit of canned food on the top of the food if you desire.
When I first read the ingredients on any of the cans of this food I was floored! It is a family owned business and you can see they really care about the ingredients. It is grain free, gluten free and the ingredients are very basic without any artificial preservatives. If the can says “Beef and Bacon” then it has “Beef, Bacon, Water Sufficient For Processing, Liver, Guar Gum”. Guar Gum helps normalize the moisture content of the stool, absorbing excess liquid in those with diarrhea, and softening the stool in those with constipation. It also might help decrease the amount of cholesterol and sugar that is absorbed in the gut.
Check out the Evanger’s Basket! Evanger's Baskets are mixed with a variety of cans, treats, and dry samples. This basket includes coupons, an Evanger's calendar, and is put together by the family's 88 year old Grandma Evanger. She was hired to make baskets for donations, awards, and new Evanger's customers!
Evanger’s is sold at some stores but we order it through their
Evanger’s website. https://evangersdogfood.com/
Dogs that have their nutritional needs met will be less likely to get into the trash, steal food, be reinfected with intestinal parasites, be aggressive towards other dogs, more mentally relaxed and eat their own fecal matter.
CONCERNING HUNGER
A dog that is being provided a food that has full nutritional value with a high calorie content will be more satisfied and feel full after their meal. Dogs that are fed these foods are less apt to be naughty, pick up bad habits, become food aggressive, be re-infected with worms, require additional vet visits or surgeries and overall be a much happier dog. This is one reason we feed and recommend TLC Whole Life Dog Food!
They will be less likely to eat non-digestible objects -
Dogs only know they are hungry and some may ingest sticks, stones, plants and just about anything they can get their teeth on. Yes, some of that may be due to teething when they are puppies but chewing and swallowing are two different things. If a dog is regularly swallowing things it shouldn't because he's hungry. That can cost you a very large vet bill due to a life threatening condition!
They will be less likely to get into the trash. Dogs can smell everything. If they are hungry they will get into any trash they can find to gobble up the leftovers, even if they are spoiled or have bones that can be very dangerous. Not to mention the plastic they may eat and other items in the garbage that are unhealthy. Dogs with a full stomach won’t be nearly as tempted.
They will be less likely to steal food.
They will be less aggressive towards other dogs.
They will be more mentally relaxed.
They will be less likely to eat their own fecal matter.
YOUR PUPPIES WEANING AND FEEDING PROCESS
Weaning Process - At 3-4 weeks our puppies are introduced to Hoosier Hill Organic or Land O’Lakes Doe Match powdered goat replacer milk. We recommend these products and they are also listed on our Recommended Products page on our website. We mix this initially in standard milk form, according to the directions, so it is easily lapped up (and most of the time they just bathe in it their first few feeding sessions ...what a fun mess!).
As the natural weaning process begins, we soak the dry puppy food to create a gruel, add some canned food and some powdered goats milk. By Reducing the soaking time, over a period of weeks, we ensure that all of our puppies are fully on hard kibble by the time they are 7 weeks of age. We Admit to spoiling our babies though, so along with their dry food (with enough to just wet the food), we continue to give them milk on occasion and canned food in their kibble.
We recommend that you put a small amount of water on all of our dogs' food before feeding if they are fast eaters. Though it is a very rare issue, bloat and torsion is a painful, and sometimes deadly, Putting water on the food significantly reduces the chance of it occurring. Actual bloat and torsion happens when gasses build up in a dog's digestive tract and cause significant and painful bloating. Once the bloating reaches a certain stage, the digestive tract can then flip and pinch itself off at both ends. This is a very scary and painful condition which requires emergency surgery. In some cases it is fatal.
Another emergency is when a dog eats too much dry food and due to lack of fluid, which allows the food to pass more easily down the digestive tract, it gets stuck and surgery is required to remove the obstruction. Remember that it is best to not feed your dog when he has just gotten done exercising or when he is panting hard. We always recommend adding just enough water to wet the food as a precaution. Who would want to be handed a bowl of dry cereal without any milk ….right?
When to Feed - We do not recommend free feeding for your puppy. If your puppy has the option to eat as many times as it wants, throughout the day, their intake normally increases. This causes the need to eliminate many more times each day than if their food intake is controlled. This makes house/crate training much more difficult, and in most cases, nearly impossible. The best approach is to feed your puppy on a schedule until they are fully house trained and you can trust them to not overeat. Most of our dogs LOVE to eat though and that is a concern for the breed. As your puppy grows into an adult you will be more able to tune in with their physical traits and know if free feeding will be an issue for your particular dog.
We would recommend feeding your Beagle puppy 2-3 times a day on your schedule. We currently feed around 7:00 am, 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm.
At feeding time, it is a good idea to place the bowl down (or in the crate) and let them eat for 15-20 minutes. If at any time they walk away from the bowl (without fair distraction), consider them “finished” and pick up the bowl.
How Much to Feed - The feeding instructions on the bag of TLC Whole Life Puppy Food is only fairly accurate for Beagles. We prefer that they are eating 1-1.5 cups a day up to 16 weeks, 1.5-2 cups a day total if they are over 16 weeks and if your Beagle is larger they may need 2 cups or more each day. Veterinarians tend to like a trimmer dog and we feel that this is unhealthy for a growing puppy. To know if your puppy (or adult) is in proper weight, there are two simple visual signs that will let you know. When looking down at their waist from above, you should be able to see a nice indention (waist) behind their rib cage. Their ribs should be well padded with fat. If you are able to see the ribs your dog is too thin. We would recommend that you have your veterinarian run a fecal sample before simply increasing their food amount. We provide more information about intestinal parasites in another of our articles.
Treats - All treats can be given in moderation, but when you ARE treating your puppy, be sure to provide treats that are not full of fillers and empty nutritional value. We always look for the most nutritious treats possible or make them ourselves. Feeding a treat that has no nutritional value is like giving cake to your child. They LOVE it, but it does not have ANY value to build strong muscles, bones and immune system. As long as other treats do not make up more than 10% of their daily food, we encourage treats!
If you are using treats for training, we would recommend taking the daily ration of food and using that for the majority of reward treats. Puppies are happy to eat just about everything and so that should go over just fine. Some owners choose a feeding time and use half of the food for training and then give the remaining food as their meal.
When To Switch To Adult Food - We recommend switching to TLC Whole Life Dog Food when your Beagle puppy is 4 months of age and feeding at least 2 cups total each day, over at least three feedings. The TLC Puppy Food has a higher protein percentage than the TLC Dog Food. Too much protein, absorbed too quickly, can be detrimental to healthy growth. It can result in an imbalance of calcium and phosphorus, which can negatively affect bone and joint development and be a contributing factor to (growing pains from growing too quickly) and orthopedic issues such as hip and elbow dysplasia. These are rare issues in Beagles, but it is best to be mindful of them.
Watering Instructions - Our puppies are allowed free choice of water from 8:00 am - 9:00 pm at the age of 8 weeks, but we do not recommend this for a new puppy that you are trying to house and crate train. We recommend offering water at regular intervals 8-9 times a day. I would not allow your puppy to have free choice of water while inside the house. Instead offer it water for 10 minutes 6-7 times each day while inside. When outside in warm weather, the puppy should always be allowed free choice of water. The more they drink, and the more often they drink, the more they have to potty however.