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

O'Neill, Daniel; Schiksnis, Morgan R.; Brodbelt, Dave C.; Church, David B.; Goldberg, Samantha; Engdahl, Karolina S.

Abstract

Background 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.
Results 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).
Conclusions 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.

Citation

O'Neill, D., Schiksnis, M. R., Brodbelt, D. C., Church, D. B., Goldberg, S., & Engdahl, K. S. (2025). Beagles kept as companion animals in the UK – demography, disorders and mortality. Companion Animal Health and Genetics, 12(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-024-00140-9

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 1, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Jan 28, 2025
• Publication Date: Jan 28, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jan 28, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 4, 2025
• Journal: Companion Animal Health and Genetics
• Print ISSN: 3059-3255
• Publisher: Springer Nature BioMed central
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 1
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-024-00140-9
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40575-024-00140-9?utm_source=rct_congratemailt&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=oa_20250128&utm_content=10.1186%2Fs40575-024-00140-9
• Additional Information: VetCompass