This is a specific conversation about Puppy food — getting the foundations right — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
A 12-week-old Beagle coming into a home with two adult cats — that's a fun household! Juggling separate feeding routines is genuinely one of the trickier parts of this setup, especially with a puppy who'll happily hoover up anything left unattended, including the cats' food. Puppy nutrition is one of the most important investments you'll make — the right food in the first year sets the foundation for long-term health, and the differences between puppy foods are more significant than most people realise. To point you in the right direction: what is your Beagle currently eating, and has the breeder or vet recommended anything specific so far?
The breeder gave us a small bag of Royal Canin Beagle Puppy to start with but it's nearly finished. We weren't sure whether to just stick with that or try something different. The cats eat wet food so we're already keeping their bowls up high, but the puppy seems obsessed with getting to them.
inparticular.ai
Honestly, the breeder did you a favour there — Royal Canin Beagle Puppy is actually one of the best choices you could make for this breed at this age, and I'd say stick with it rather than switching. Here's why it matters: Beagles are a breed with a famously powerful appetite and a tendency to eat too fast, which puts them at risk of bloating and weight gain from very early on. The Royal Canin Beagle Puppy kibble is specifically shaped and sized for Beagle jaws to slow down eating, and the formula is calibrated for their energy needs without overloading calories. At 12 weeks you don't want to be switching foods unnecessarily either — their gut is still settling in, especially with the stress of a new home and two resident cats to navigate. Before I give you the full feeding picture, can I ask: how much does your puppy weigh now, and are you feeding three times a day or have you already moved to two?
She was about 2.3kg at her first vet check last week. We're doing three meals a day at the moment — morning, lunchtime, and evening. The vet said that was right for now.
inparticular.ai
Perfect — three meals at 12 weeks is exactly right, and your vet is spot on. At 2.3kg she's roughly where you'd expect a Beagle pup at this age. The Royal Canin Beagle Puppy feeding guide on the bag will give you a daily gram amount based on her expected adult weight — for Beagles that's typically around 10–11kg, so use that as your target weight when calculating portions, not her current weight. Split that daily amount across the three meals. The key thing with Beagles is to weigh the food rather than scoop it — they will absolutely convince you they're starving when they're not. On the cat food situation: you're already doing the right thing keeping bowls elevated. Just make sure the cats' wet food is picked up after 20–30 minutes so there's nothing for her to get into during free time. My recommendation is to buy the Royal Canin Beagle Puppy in the larger 3kg bag — it's much better value than the small bags, and at this stage consistency is your friend. You can find it easily on Amazon UK.
That's really helpful. Should we be worried about her eating the cat food if she does manage to get to it? And is there anything we should add to her diet at this age — like puppy milk or supplements?
inparticular.ai
Cat food isn't toxic to dogs, but it's not ideal — it's much higher in protein and fat than a puppy needs, and eating it regularly can cause loose stools and throw off her nutritional balance. The occasional stolen mouthful won't do lasting harm, but it's worth being consistent about preventing access. On supplements: no, don't add anything at this stage. Royal Canin Beagle Puppy is a complete food, which means it already has everything she needs — the right calcium-to-phosphorus ratio for bone development, DHA for brain development, and appropriate vitamin levels. Adding puppy milk, calcium, or multivitamins on top of a complete food can actually cause imbalances, particularly with calcium, which affects bone growth in puppies. The only thing worth adding is plain water, always available. Keep it simple — complete food, correct portions, three meals a day, and no sharing with the cats — and you'll be setting her up really well.
Great, I feel much more confident now. We'll order the 3kg bag and stick with what we've got.
inparticular.ai
That's the right call — and honestly one of the easier decisions you'll make with a Beagle, because food obsession only grows as they get older! One last thing worth knowing: Royal Canin Beagle Puppy is designed for up to 12 months, so you won't need to think about transitioning to adult food until around her first birthday. Enjoy the chaos of a puppy and two cats settling in together — it usually works out brilliantly once everyone establishes their pecking order.
