Beagles kept as companion animals in the UK - demography, disorders and mortality

Beagles are a popular companion animal dog breed and are generally stated to be a healthy breed. This VetCompass study aimed to report the demography, common disorders and mortality of Beagles under primary veterinary care in the UK. Anonymised clinical records within VetCompass were followed over time to extract disorder and mortality data during 2019 on Beagles under primary veterinary care in the UK.

Beagles comprised 19,906 (0.88%) of the 2,250,417 dogs in the study population. Annual proportional birth rates showed an increasing breed popularity from 0.41% of all dogs born in 2005 and peaking at 1.06% in 2012, followed by a decrease to 0.90% in 2019. The median adult bodyweight was 18.19 kg (IQR 15.68-21.07). From a random sample of Beagles (3,729/19,906, 18.73%), the most diagnosed disorders were obesity (24.27%, 95% CI: 22.89-25.65), periodontal disease (17.78%, 95% CI: 16.55-19.01), overgrown nail(s) (11.61%, 95% CI: 10.58-12.64), otitis externa (11.18%, 95% CI: 10.17-12.19) and anal sac impaction (10.59%, 95% CI 9.60-11.58). Once disorders were grouped by pathology, the most common group-level disorders were obesity (24.27%, 95% CI: 22.89-25.65), dental disorders (21.48%, 95% CI: 20.16-22.80), ear disorders (13.62%, 95% CI: 12.52-14.72), claw/nail disorders (13.14%, 95% CI: 12.06-14.22) and anal sac disorders (11.10%, 95% CI: 10.09-12.11). The median age at death was 11.28 years (IQR 9.32-13.08) for 322 deaths recorded during the study period. The most common causes of death at group level were neoplasia (19.26%, 95% CI: 14.76-23.75), mass (13.18%, 95% CI: 9.32-17.03), poor quality of life (12.84%, 95% CI: 9.03-16.65), and brain disorders (6.76%, 95% CI: 3.90-9.62).

Their disorder profile suggests the Beagle breed should not be considered to have an extreme conformation. Owners and veterinary teams should put special emphasis on care related to bodyweight control and dental hygiene in Beagles. Their median age at death of 11.70 years suggests reasonable overall health but neoplasia is a common biomedical cause of death in Beagles.