I remember when I woke up in the middle of the night out of a sound sleep, and I was jarred by my own snoring. Except it wasn’t me — that was the day I realized that my beagle snores.

If your beagle frequently snores, it may not be of concern. But if it seems that it’s causing them distress, you may want to get them checked by your veterinarian.

The Causes

Obesity

Humans aren’t the only ones that deal with the battle of the bulge. Over half of all dogs are considered to be overweight or obese. Barring an underlying medical issue, you should do everything possible to keep your beagle’s weight controlled within a healthy range. Extra pounds could potentially be restricting their airways.

What Can I Do?

Keep them moving. If they haven’t been particularly active over a period of time, or they are dealing with something that may restrict their activity level; start slow. Rome wasn’t built in a day, after all.

If you need some ideas: Beagle Exercise Needs: The Authoritative Guide

Rhinitis

Rhinitis is simply the inflammation and swelling of the mucous membrane of the nose. Very prevalent in humans, we tend to call these “a cold”. This can cause sneezing, snoring, labored breathing, nasal discharge, etc.

What Can I Do?

Ensure that your dog is eating and drinking normally and that they are remaining active. This will help to fight off an infection. Setting up a humidifier, like the ASAKUKI 5-in-1 aromatherapy device (on Amazon), can also help to ease congestion. Believe me, it helps.

One thing you don’t want to do is provide your pupster with is over-the-counter medications without first consulting your veterinarian. Better to be safe than sorry.

If you find that your beagle’s food and/or water consumption has noticeably decreased or increased, they have difficulty breathing, or seem otherwise listless and not seeming themselves after a week or so, reach out to your veterinarian.

Finally, if you do have other dogs: Isolate the sick one to prevent any further issues of spreading the infection, if possible.

Dental Issues

Snoring can be brought on by a mass or growth in their oral cavity or sinuses. If left untreated, an infection can spread and develop into a much more serious predicament.

What Can I Do?

Start heading to the vet. That is, unless — you are one. Then it’s all you.

Fungal Disease

This one is more prevalent for outdoor or farm beagles. Aspergillosis is brought by mold, that is usually embedded in dust, grass clippings, and hay. It’s an opportunistic infection, which means your beagle is only likely to contract it if their immune system is in a compromised state.

The fungi can cause sneezing, snoring, nasal discharge and swelling. Symptoms can include: nasal pain, a swollen nose, bleeding from the nose, reduced appetite, and nasal discharge. Your beagle will need to see your veterinarian, who will likely prescribe an anti-fungal medication.

What Can I Do?

Limiting your beagle’s exposure to grass clippings is rather unrealistic. However, when it comes to straw or hay; that’s a little bit easier.

Obstruction

Your beagle may have something that’s partially lodged in their nose or throat, such as a part of a toy.

This is an urgent matter and requires your intervention and/or your veterinarian’s intervention.

Anatomical Facial Structure

Some breeds are considered brachycephalic; they are characterized by having flatter faces, resulting in smaller noses, making for more difficulty breathing. Think pugs. That’s a perfect example. If you know someone who owns one, you know how frequently you hear them snorting or something like that.

What Can I Do?

It’s very uncommon for beagles to be affected by this issue, as they do not have shorter air passages.

Allergies/Sensitivities

Perhaps unbeknownst to many of us, but beagles can develop allergies just like we can. Be mindful if there is anything that they’ve recently been exposed to, that may be triggering an episode.

What Can I Do?

Try your best to remove the offending material, if possible; especially if it’s causing a severe reaction. Especially in this scenario, you should have your beagle allergy tested, as well.

Secondhand Smoke/Chemicals

This is entirely preventable. Not being mindful of their exposure to these could cause irreparable damage to your beagle’s respiratory system, among other systems. Snoring could suddenly be a mere inconvenience relatively. Don’t let it get to that point.

What Can I Do?

You don’t need me to answer this one. Just use common — I mean, uncommon sense. Don’t allow your beagle to be exposed needlessly to pollutants. That means smoke, cleaning chemicals, etc. They’re entitled to clean air, just as much as we are. The difference is that we have direct control over our environment, or at least have the ability to remove ourselves from one if we detect harm. Our beagles not as much.

Medications

Some medications like muscle relaxants, tranquilizers and painkillers can cause the muscles in your beagle’s throat to relax and cause snoring.

What Can I Do?

Have you observed a change in your beagle’s breathing habits, since a specific medication has been being provided? You should make your veterinarian aware immediately, so they can look into potential alternatives that will hopefully not have a negative effect on his or her breathing.

Their Bed/Sleeping Position

Their bedding or even the position in which they fall asleep can potentially trigger a snoring episode. As a matter of fact, if your beagle tends to lay on their back, they’re more likely to snore, when compared to beagles that sleep on their stomachs or curl up into a little ball.

What Can I Do?

Well, you can’t really choose which position that your beagle is going to sleep in. But you can make it that much more comfortable for them to be able while they are snoozing.

I used to be like many people — buy whatever dog bed was the cheapest. Then we had an epiphany. If sleep is so important for us (people), why on earth wouldn’t be for our 4-legged loved ones also? Well, that was enough of a catalyst to do some research and thoroughly narrow down to a few vetted dog bedding candidates. We ended up with the BarkBox Memory Foam Medium-Size Dog Bed (on Amazon). Now, Skyler is happier, and I’m guilt-free  — a maybe a little jealous. lol

Final Thoughts

So there you have it. A rundown on reasons why your beagle may be snoring, and solutions on how to hopefully correct them.

If you do find that your beagle is suddenly having snoring fits, you should have them checked out to rule out any underlying medical conditions.

Hopefully, you and your beagle will sleep more restfully.

Sweet dreams.