beagle: inherited diseases and health
The inherited conditions below have been documented in this breed in published research. That does not mean your dog has them or will get them – but it helps to know the names when you talk to a breeder or a vet.
Conditions this breed is prone to
Veterinary charities list this breed as more likely than others to get these conditions. Read the signs and what to do:
Cherry Eye
Epilepsybeagle and chocolate: how much is dangerous?
Typical adult weight: 9 kg. Grams of chocolate at which signs can start (20 mg/kg) and at which severe signs are reported (40 mg/kg):
| Dog weight | Milk | Dark 70–85% | Baking / unsweetened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 kg | 90 g signs 180 g severe | 22 g signs 45 g severe | 13 g signs 26 g severe |
Based on published doses: signs from about 20 mg/kg, severe signs from 40 mg/kg (US FDA, Cortinovis & Caloni 2016, Swedish Poison Information Centre). An estimate, not a diagnosis.
Inherited conditions documented in the breed
Conditions documented: 37
A gene variant is known for 24 of the conditions below, so a DNA test may exist. Ask your vet or the breed club.
| Condition | Body system | Inheritance | Gene variant known |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander disease[1] | Nervous system | Autosomal dominant | Yes |
| Ataxia, spinocerebellar, SPTBN2-related[1] | Nervous system | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Cerebellar abiotrophy[1] | Nervous system | – | – |
| classical Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (cEDS), COL5A1-related[1] | Integument (skin) | Autosomal dominant | Yes |
| Coat colour, dilution, MLPH-related[1] | Pigmentation | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Corneal dystrophy[1] | Vision / eye | – | – |
| Degenerative myelopathy[1] | Nervous system | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Encephalopathy, generic[1] | Nervous system | – | – |
| Factor VII deficiency[1] | Haematopoietic system | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Gangliosidosis, GM1[1] | Lysosomal storage disease | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Geleophysic dysplasia, ADMATSL2-related[1] | Skeleton (incl. short stature & teeth) | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Glaucoma, primary open angle[1] | Vision / eye | – | – |
| Glaucoma, primary open angle, ADAMTS10-related[1] | Vision / eye | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Granule cell type cerebellar hypoplasia[1] | Nervous system | – | – |
| Haemolytic anaemia, nonspherocytic[1] | Haematopoietic system | – | – |
| Haemophilia B[1] | Haematopoietic system | X-linked recessive | Yes |
| Hypocatalasia[1] | Homeostasis / metabolism | Autosomal | Yes |
| Hypothyroidism[2] | – | – | – |
| Intervertebral disc disease, predisposition to[1] | Skeleton (incl. short stature & teeth) | Autosomal dominant | Yes |
| Intestinal cobalamin (vitamin B12) malabsorption, CUBN-related[1] | Homeostasis / metabolism | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Krabbe disease[1] | Lysosomal storage disease | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Myoclonus epilepsy of Lafora[1] | Behaviour / neurological | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Narcolepsy[1] | Behaviour / neurological | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Night blindness, congenital stationary, LRIT3-related[1] | Vision / eye | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Orchitis[1] | Reproductive system | – | – |
| Osteogenesis imperfecta, COL1A2-related[1] | Skeleton (incl. short stature & teeth) | Autosomal dominant | Yes |
| Polydactyly[1] | Skeleton (incl. short stature & teeth) | Autosomal dominant | Yes |
| Pulmonary valve dysplasia[1] | Cardiovascular system | Multifactorial | No |
| Pyruvate kinase deficiency of erythrocyte[1] | Homeostasis / metabolism | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Renal cystadenocarcinoma and nodular dermatofibrosis[1] | Neoplasm | Autosomal dominant | Yes |
| Renal dysplasia[1] | Renal / urinary system | – | – |
| Retinal atrophy, progressive, X-linked, type 1[1] | Vision / eye | X-linked | Yes |
| Scott syndrome[1] | Haematopoietic system | Autosomal recessive | Yes |
| Stomatocytosis[1] | Haematopoietic system | – | – |
| Tapetal degeneration[1] | Vision / eye | – | – |
| Transitional cell carcinoma[1] | Neoplasm | Somatic mutation | Yes |
| XX difference of sexual development, generic[1] | Reproductive system | Multifactorial | No |
What this list means
- “Documented in the breed” means at least one published case or study – it says nothing about how common the condition is.
- Many of these conditions are rare. A responsible breeder can tell you which health tests the parents have had.
- Where the gene variant is known, a DNA test may exist – ask your vet or the breed club.
- If your pet shows signs of illness, contact your vet. This page cannot tell you whether your pet is ill.
About the breed
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- Height
- 33–40 cm
- Weight
- 9 kg
- FCI number
- 161
Not sure how serious it is?
OkPaw asks a few quick questions about your pet and tells you in 30 seconds whether it can wait. Free on Google Play for Android.
OkPaw is on Android now – an iPhone version is on its way.
Sources
How this page was made: the list is taken directly from the sources below; nothing on it was written by AI. Names of conditions may be machine-translated. It is information, not a diagnosis. How we write our pages