Expected life span for Beagles -- and how to help YOUR Beagle live longer.

Health problems in Beagles that affect quality of life and/or how long a Beagle lives:

Orthopedic diseases in Beagles:

  • hip dysplasia
  • luxating patella
  • intervertebral disk disease
  • wobbler's disease

Eye diseases in Beagles:

  • "cherry eye"
  • glaucoma
  • cataracts
  • PRA
  • corneal dystrophy
  • "dry eye"
  • eyelid abnormalities
  • eyelash abnormalities
  • lens luxation
  • persistent pupillary membranes
  • retinal dysplasia

Endocrine diseases in Beagles:

  • hypothyroidism
  • diabetes

Heart disease in Beagles:

  • pulmonic stenosis
  • cardiomyopathy

Neurological/neuromuscular diseases in Beagles:

  • epilepsy
  • inflammatory brain disease

Skin disorders in Beagles:

  • allergies/pyoderma
  • demodectic mange
  • hematoma
  • sebaceous cysts/lipomas
  • seborrhea

Tumors and cancer in Beagles:

  • mast cell tumors
  • perianal gland adenoma
  • sebaceous tumors

Urinary/kidney diseases in Beagles:

  • renal dysplasia
  • urinary stones
  • bladder cancer

Other health problems in Beagles:

  • blood-clotting disorders
  • ear infections
  • inherited deafness
  • hernias

How Long Do Beagles Live?

By Michele Welton. Copyright © 2000-2010


The typical life span for Beagles is 12-14 years old. Smaller breeds generally live longer than larger breeds, mostly because they don't suffer as many serious skeletal and cardiovascular diseases as larger dogs.

  • Their bones and joints don't need to support as much weight, so they don't break down as quickly.
  • Their heart doesn't need to pump blood through a huge body, so it doesn't wear out as quickly.
  • They have proportionately fewer growth hormones surging through their body. Studies suggest that growth hormones may shorten life.

However, long-lived doesn't necessarily mean healthy . . .

Smaller breeds are not necessarily healthy throughout their longer life. Many small dogs are very prone to health problems. It's just that their particular health problems tend to affect their QUALITY of life, rather than its length.


There are two causes of health problems in Beagles:
  1. GENETIC. Your puppy inherits these health problems from his parents.
  2. ENVIRONMENTAL. Your puppy's health is affected by everything he puts in his mouth (food, water, chew toys), by everything he breathes (fragrances, smoke, fumes), by everything put into or onto his body (medications, drugs, chemicals, vaccines, ointiments, sprays, cleaning products on your floors) . . . virtually everything he comes in contact with. Many of these things cause health problems in dogs.

To find a healthy Beagle and KEEP him healthy. . .

Book cover

I wrote How To Buy a Good Dog to help you find a puppy that has the best chance of growing up healthy. Genetic health problems have become embedded in the Beagle gene pool by unwise breeding practices.

In How To Buy a Good Dog, you'll learn how to find knowledgeable, responsible sources of Beagles that are genetically healthy.		 Book cover

I wrote a 11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy to help you KEEP your Beagle healthy for a lifetime. Environmental health problems can be avoided by raising your Beagle in all the right ways.

In 11 Things You Must Do Right. . ., you'll learn 11 "Golden Rules" for preventing health problems throughout your dog's life. By doing just these 11 things, you will minimize your Beagle's chances of developing health problems and maximize his lifespan!