Diseases Common in Beagles

A beagle is a small to medium sized dog and a member of the hound group. This dog is renowned for its keen sense of smell and often used as a tracking dog or for other purposes such as drug or body detection. The have existed for other 2000 years and can be traced back to ancient Greece, although the modern beagle was developed in England.

  1. Heart Disease

    • Beagles are vulnerable to heart diseases -- in particular pulmonic stenosis. Pulmonic stenosis is the narrowing of the connection between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery. When this occurs, it results in the lessened ability of the right ventricle to pump blood into the right side of the heart. This means the right side of the heart has to work harder, causing it to become enlarged. This results in significant damage and may cause respiration problems, low cardiac output, irregular cardiac rhythms, fainting and even death.

    Intervertebral Disk Disease

    • Intervertebral disk disease can affect many beagles and is a common problem. It occurs when the intervertebral disks that sit between the vertebrae and the spine are damaged and begin to push into the spinal column. This can cause lower back or neck pain or in severe cases loss of feeling, paralysis and bladder and bowel problems. In minor cases, confining an affected beagle to a cage and lessening movement may help but in severe cases some form of surgery may be required.

    Hypothyroidism

    • Hypothyroidism is common in beagles and occurs when the body fails to produce enough amounts of the thyroid hormone. This can be caused by problems with the dog's immune system or it can be a result of some medications or even just a lack of exercise. Hypothyroidism affects a dog's metabolism, slowing it down considerably. Symptoms include dry skin, weight gain, hair loss, lethargy and mental dullness.

    Epilepsy

    • Epilepsy is a disease that beagles are prone to suffering from and is generally manifested by seizures. Epilepsy is usually hereditary although other factors can cause it as well. These factors include vaccinations, liver disease, thyroid problems, heat stroke, kidney disease, low blood sugar and poisonings.