What Are The Most Common Diseases In Beagles?
Beagles, those ancient hunters selected for their wonderful sense of smell and robustness, also have their weaknesses. In this opportunity, you will be able to know the most common diseases in beagles.
Many of these pathologies are common to all dogs, but a little more prevalent in this breed. First, let’s give a brief sketch of the characteristics of the beagle, a dog as sociable and intelligent as it is beautiful. Don’t miss it!
What are beagles like?
Known for their use in hunting and animal testing, beagles actually conquered the human race for other reasons. One is his sociable nature and high energy, in addition to the general absence of congenital ailments.
Another reason is that they are very intelligent dogs, that they love company and that they are not aggressive at all. Although obedient, it can take a while for them to focus on the tutors’ instructions, especially if they are following a trail.
This brings us to the next point: it is considered, along with the dog-de-santo-humberto (or bloodhound ), one of the dogs with the best sense of smell in the canine kingdom. Their muzzle morphology favors the capture of odors near the nose, so these dogs are better at following tracks on land than in the air.
Beagles have a life expectancy of about 15 years, depending on their average size. They usually get along well with children, hence their popularity in homes as yet another member of the family. But beware, as is always emphasized, each animal has its own personality.
What are the most common diseases in beagles?
This breed does not have major congenital diseases. In fact, most are due to the characteristics of its morphology. Anyway, here are the ones most easily found in clinics:
1. Epilepsy
An epileptic seizure is defined as a brain crisis resulting from an excessive neuronal discharge that manifests as seizures, hyperthermia, excessive salivation, rhythmic blinking or facial contractions, among other signs. This disease can be easily controlled with medications such as phenobarbital or potassium bromide.
2. Hypothyroidism
This is one of the most common endocrine disorders in dogs, and beagles are not free of it. Because of the tendency to gain weight caused by the disease, correct diagnosis is very important. Hypothyroidism is characterized by a tendency to gain weight, hypothermia and a large number of skin signs.
Among the most common, we find hair loss, color changes, alopecia, predisposition to skin infections and, on rare occasions, nervous and reproductive system abnormalities. The cause of this disease is deficient activity of thyroid hormones, which in turn causes a decrease in metabolism.
3. Ear problems
The long, droopy ears of this breed are often a deterrent to proper ventilation in their ears, so these dogs tend to get ear infections. If you notice that your dog has his head tilted, is scratching, has a hot ear, or cries when touched in this area, he may need to see the vet to make sure everything is okay.
4. Eye diseases
It’s true that despite their strengths, beagles are one of the breeds that can have eye problems. These are the most common:
- Glaucoma: Glaucoma is the increase in intraocular pressure caused by excessive production of aqueous humor, the fluid that fills the eye. It is a serious disease that, if left untreated, can lead to blindness.
- Corneal dystrophy: usually manifests as a white opacity in the cornea or part of it and can be painful. Monitoring and treatment are necessary to prevent ulcers from appearing, as vision loss is usually mild.
- Distichiasis: this disease arises when the dog develops two rows of eyelashes and one of them grows into the eye or in a disorderly way, a fact that promotes eye irritation and even infection.
- Cherry eye: When the third eyelid weakens, there may be a prolapse of the tear gland that protrudes out of the eye, which gives this pathology its name. The most common treatment is surgery as it can lead to an infection.
Conclusions on the most common diseases in beagles
So, as you can see, beagles also have some diseases linked to their race. As always, the first recommendation is to avoid all of this with a good lifestyle, but timely veterinary care is what will save your canine companion that an accident or superficial injury has more serious consequences.
