Beagle
A Beagle is a very sweet pet. Ours has taken a lot of tail-pulling and puts up with a lot of noise. He is almost 10 years old and still acts like a puppy.
Beagles shed! Ours has a very thick undercoat. Brushing him everyday minimizes his shedding but he still sheds a lot.
What I Did:
Right after our Beagle's first birthday, he was diagnosed with epilepsy. This is a common health condition found in Beagles. We have to give him phenobarbital twice a day to control his seizures. We also have to do yearly bloodwork to make sure his phenobarb levels are not damaging his liver.
Our Beagle has chronic ear infections too. We regularly have to treat him with expensive ear medicine from the vet's office. Our vet says Beagles and Basset Hounds are prone to ear infections because of the way their ears hang.
How I Did It:
Our Beagle is active but also enjoys a lot of downtime. He is also very lovable, gentle and tolerant of little children. He is much like a kid himself, which makes him the perfect pet. Our Beagle also loves to play and never minds if he has a tag-a-long running and screaming behind him.
Lessons Learned:
- Beagles love to be walked. If you don't spend active time with them, they can get fat and bored. The boredom will lead to destructive behavior.
- Beagles love to be outdoors but some will wander because they are scent hounds. Get the right scent in front of them and they turn their ears off, ignoring your commands to come back.
- Be ready for health problems that may not show up right away. I mentioned ours has epilepsy and chronic ear infections that didn't show until he was 1. Medicines can be expensive but the time with our Beagle is so worth the cost of some pills to control seizures and ointment for his ears!
