[Sandy S.]

Hey thanks Cassie, I put Dodger on a short leash , tied his leash to his crate he doesn’t mind at all and now it’s great he only has his little area, thanks again love that he doesn’t sniff all over driving me crazy..lol, but that’s not why I am writing , I think Dodger has something wrong with him he is Hughe for a beagle he weighs over 50 lbs and is getting bigger and I have no idea why, I know most beagles only weigh between 15-23 lbs, but not this much, I looked up thyroid problems, and they say beagles have the hereditary type of hypothyroidism and I can’t afford to take him to the vet to do the blood work till next month, but he’s still getting bigger because I bought him a harness and it was to large and I took it in…. Know it fits him, they say with this disease he could have cancer, but it also says it’s one of the most over diagnosed disease of vets in America, so what do you guys think?

 

[Mollys Mom]

How old is Dodger? Oliver weighs 47 pounds and he is not over weight, just a bigger beagle. How much are you feeding him (treats included).

 

[Sandy S.]

How old is Dodger? Oliver weighs 47 pounds and he is not over weight, just a bigger beagle. How much are you feeding him (treats included).

He’s only 2 and he doesn’t get table scraps, but I get the large dog milk bones and break them in half and it says a medium size dog can have UP to 5 a day, but Dodger only gets maybe 2 or three pieces a day, but he does get his share of rawhided, but only other things he gets is apples and carrots, sometimes I do give him my rye toast corners only other people food he gets, so he really gets no, oh cheese he gets cheese once a day a slice of cheese a night his treat, that’s all 🤫and he and I walk everyday at least a mile, but more if it’s nice, over 17 degrees, neighbors think I am nuts, but Dodger an I are 365 ers ( we walk everyday) I am just worried Molly😥

 

[orange beagle]

How much kibble/dog food does he eat?

 

[Mollys Mom]

Best to just keep an eye on him and watch his food intake until he can get to the vet. If he is still happy to go for walks, having normal poops, isn't coughing or short of breath, he could be just fine.

 

[Sandy S.]

How much kibble/dog food does he eat?

He get 3 cups , but he eats like a cat, it can take him 3days to eat it all, funny thing is he takes it out of him bowl and munches it down bit by bit, but yeah it can take him days to eat 3cups of his kibbles and I have to tell him he has special water to get him to drink, he is terrible about drinking water he’d feather eat snow than drink water.

 

[Mollys Mom]

Oliver gets about 3/4 cup twice a day mixed with some canned food and warm water. Good way to get some hydration in him. He eats what's in his bowl and that's it except for tiny treats.

 

[allymcbeagle]

Is he a tall also? Beagles usually gain weight and height until they're 18 months, he's just over that in age. If the weight gain has been over time, it's not as concerning (does seem to me he has quite a bit of extra food in addition to his meals and may be why he nibbles over a period of time). Is his stomach distended? I'd be concerned about a distended belly. Doesn't sound like he's drinking too much (too much water could be a diabetes or Cushings).

Some thoughts about cost. Do you have a veterinary school nearby? Sometimes they offer visits and procedures at lower-cost if you cant afford it. Or, can your vet examine him to see if he needs the blood work immediately? If so, would explain you can't pay now and ask your vet if you can have it done and pay in installments a bit now and then rest later or postpone paying until next month. Worth asking and if you can have it sooner will give you peace of mind. Also, a local beagle breed rescue group might be able to give you the name of a vet that would use a lower cost lab.

It's amazing how much calories are added with what seems like little snacks and milkbones. Ally started getting overweight, the vet had us reduce kibble o account for the treats so that total calories was the same and cautioned us about adequate nutrition (hubs had to give her a bit of whatever he was eating).

 

[johnclick]

Hey thanks Cassie, I put Dodger on a short leash , tied his leash to his crate he doesn’t mind at all and now it’s great he only has his little area, thanks again love that he doesn’t sniff all over driving me crazy..lol, but that’s not why I am writing , I think Dodger has something wrong with him he is Hughe for a beagle he weighs over 50 lbs and is getting bigger and I have no idea why, I know most beagles only weigh between 15-23 lbs, but not this much, I looked up thyroid problems, and they say beagles have the hereditary type of hypothyroidism and I can’t afford to take him to the vet to do the blood work till next month, but he’s still getting bigger because I bought him a harness and it was to large and I took it in…. Know it fits him, they say with this disease he could have cancer, but it also says it’s one of the most over diagnosed disease of vets in America, so what do you guys think?

I had my Beagle, Joe Buck for fourteen +years. He developed a cough so I changed his diet to canned food, a bad idea because he started gaining weight. Later, I took him to the vet, only to find he had developed congenital heart disease brought on by age and weight. Because of my experience, I would suggest a trip to the vet to find the best weight control plan, since overweight on a Beagle can be dangerous. Best wishes and congratulations on having a Beagle as a companion.

 

[ChrisandTammiebeagles]

Hey thanks Cassie, I put Dodger on a short leash , tied his leash to his crate he doesn’t mind at all and now it’s great he only has his little area, thanks again love that he doesn’t sniff all over driving me crazy..lol, but that’s not why I am writing , I think Dodger has something wrong with him he is Hughe for a beagle he weighs over 50 lbs and is getting bigger and I have no idea why, I know most beagles only weigh between 15-23 lbs, but not this much, I looked up thyroid problems, and they say beagles have the hereditary type of hypothyroidism and I can’t afford to take him to the vet to do the blood work till next month, but he’s still getting bigger because I bought him a harness and it was to large and I took it in…. Know it fits him, they say with this disease he could have cancer, but it also says it’s one of the most over diagnosed disease of vets in America, so what do you guys think?

Hey there Sandy, my wife and I have our beagle (Loki) and he had hypothyroidism and he was overweight, and was put on medication. Please don't be alarmed, as if this is your beagles condition it's treatable and manageable. He will probably be on medication for the rest of his life and need his blood work done for med levels once a year, but it's just like anything else, we gave him medication when he ate in a pill pocket. Your beagle should be just fine, so please don't stress. I will try to find out what Loki's medication was. If you need any other information please don't hesitate to reach out and message my wife and I.

 

[windy]

I had 2 boxers that had hypothyroidism. The meds are pretty cheap, and it is a pill once a day. They had blood work done once a year, but that was all the attention they needed. It made a big difference in their looks and energy levels. It seemed like a lot of animals, including two of my cats, had the disease. Cats do not do as well with it. It seems strange to have thyroid problems be so prevalent. With cats, it was hyperthyroidism, which makes it hard for them to keep weight on.
I hope you find a solution if it is not just over-eating. Some dogs require very little food per pound than others. One of my beagles gains weight because she is always sneaking food. The other day she decided my cellphone looked tasty and grabbed it and broke the screen. Luckily, she did not do any damage to herself. The only damage was to my wallet and a gain for the phone seller.

 

[Sandy S.]

I had 2 boxers that had hypothyroidism. The meds are pretty cheap, and it is a pill once a day. They had blood work done once a year, but that was all the attention they needed. It made a big difference in their looks and energy levels. It seemed like a lot of animals, including two of my cats, had the disease. Cats do not do as well with it. It seems strange to have thyroid problems be so prevalent. With cats, it was hyperthyroidism, which makes it hard for them to keep weight on.
I hope you find a solution if it is not just over-eating. Some dogs require very little food per pound than others. One of my beagles gains weight because she is always sneaking food. The other day she decided my cellphone looked tasty and grabbed it and broke the screen. Luckily, she did not do any damage to herself. The only damage was to my wallet and a gain for the phone seller.

Hey thanks everyone for all your advice, I am getting some doggy insurance and Dodger has a vet appointment next months so he will be covered by then to get his testing for what ever is going on thyroid or not, but I am sure it’s not over weight, because he doesn’t eat much at all really only time he does he is in his crate , weird…lol other than that he just nibbles, and drinking water nah not much of that either, canned food that’s a treat for him and I have to put cheese in that for him to eat that. A friend of my said some beagles are just big males especially, so he just maybe a large beagle, we will see at the vets next month, I think Cassie said the same thing, we will see, but thanks ever one… 🤩🥰Dodger thanks you too🐾ruff

 

[allymcbeagle]

Hey thanks everyone for all your advice, I am getting some doggy insurance and Dodger has a vet appointment next months so he will be covered by then to get his testing for what ever is going on thyroid or not, but I am sure it’s not over weight, because he doesn’t eat much at all really only time he does he is in his crate , weird…lol other than that he just nibbles, and drinking water nah not much of that either, canned food that’s a treat for him and I have to put cheese in that for him to eat that. A friend of my said some beagles are just big males especially, so he just maybe a large beagle, we will see at the vets next month, I think Cassie said the same thing, we will see, but thanks ever one… 🤩🥰Dodger thanks you too🐾ruff

Am happy to hear you have solutions for Dodger. Hope that the vet can get to the bottom of it, and wishing you and Dodger the best possible outcome!

 

[Cassie]

What was the vets opinion?