A very nice lady came up to me today to tell me why beagle was too thin.  This is what happens when you cross from a lean breed to a more portly breed :)  She said to give her Tuna, goats milk and rice pudding but also to give her calcium tablets to build up her bone.  She is quite a dainty little thing.  Has anyone else heard of this as I thought their bone structure was given by nature but if anyone else has heard of this then I am willing to give it a go. 

I believe myself it's given by nature thats their structure and know matter how much calcium you feed them i dont believe it would change them.  Unless she ment a fatter dog might make give it an appearance of looking stocking but i dont think this would help.

Warm regards Susan

Genetics has the most part to play in what you have in front of you...be very careful with calcium as if you over calcify you can stunt growth and if you under calcify can result in ricketts.
What age is your beagle?
a good quality complete food has all the balanced amounts of nutrients required,
no need for huge protein levels the most important thing is the right caclium/phosphorous ratio for growing dogs and surprisingly fat levels, try something that is higher in fat but lower in protein that should keep the metabolic rate at the right level rather than raising it and making the dog burn off the dietary nutrition quicker

Speak to your breeder first. It may be that she appears small because the lady has only seen males before. Our boy plays with a bitch who is 4 days older than him and stood together she looks tiny or he looks chunky i haven't decided which. As long as she is healthy i dont think you should worry too much, beagles have a tendancy to be fat and you generally have to watch how much they are eating. Did i read somewhere that you have been showing her? If so and she was too thin, would the judges have picked that up? ( i dont know much about showing). I would also adise you speak to your vet before you give her anything. It's the same as people though, my breeder had 7 of her own dogs all in different shapes and sizes. I saw your website and think she looks lovely, beautiful dals too.

Hi again TTS,

I agree with Gary's advice on this - perhaps have a look again at the substance of both parents and any other progeny from either of them for the best guide.  If she's just a little thin in actual body cover for the breed, then a slightly higher fat content in her diet will probably quite quicky make a difference but if it is bone substance which concerns you this is more likely to have been genetically determined.  I think you're a very caring and concerned owner who is perhaps getting a little anxious over nothing (no offence intended ;) )  As you probably already know through your experiences with your other breed there are always different opinions on what looks right and what doesn't and a multitude of different opinions on how to "correct" everything :rolleyes:  Half the time it's a load of poppycock :P :P :P

Regards, Teri  

Thanks for all your advice guys.  I actually thought the calcium scenario sounded a bit weird to me.  I have tried feeding her milk but she just doesnt like it.  She has JWB and tripe, sausages and pasta with cheese.  She also helps the puppies out with their food but she is just laid back in the food area well about life really. :)