Basset Hound Health Care & Feeding
By Michele Welton, Dog Trainer, Breed Selection Consultant, Author of 15 Dog Books
Start your Basset Hound off on the right foot by feeding the right food, giving the right vaccinations, finding the right vet, and if you're going to spay or neuter, don't do it too early.
Jump down to this list of
Basset Hound Health Problems
Or check out my advice for raising a healthy Basset Hound puppy or adult dog:
Dog Health Care – The Sensible Way
Read my advice on daily health care so your Basset Hound lives a long, healthy life and seldom needs to see the vet... [read more]
3 Best Ways To Feed Your Dog Healthy Food
You can dramatically increase your dog's chances of living a long, healthy life by feeding the right food. Cutting right to the chase, the best foods for your Basset Hound are... [read more]
A Quick Way To Make Homemade Dog Food
Your Basset Hound will love real chicken, turkey, beef, fish, eggs, yogurt, broccoli.... this is not just "people food" and I'll tell you why... [read more]
5 Best Kibble and Canned Dog Foods
Some are better than others, but I must be honest – I'm not a huge fan of dry or canned dog food. Here are my concerns... [read more]
Vaccinations and Booster Shots: Needed or Not?
How many vaccinations does your Basset Hound puppy really need? Does your adult dog need yearly booster shots? The vaccination guidelines have changed! Find out what some vets aren't telling you... [read more]
Spaying Your Female Dog: Pros and Cons
Should your female Basset Hound be spayed? Current research says, "The AGE at which you spay can be vitally important to your dog's future health." So what's the best age? [read more]
Neutering Your Male Dog: Pros and Cons
Have you been told that you must neuter your male Basset Hound? Current research shows that the issue is not so simple. Pet owners are not being told about some risks associated with neutering male dogs, especially neutering too early... [read more]
Make Sure Your Vet is the Best!
Is your current veterinarian really the best choice for your dog? Here's how to tell... [read more]
Assisi Loop Review
Does your Basset suffer from arthritis, hip dysplasia, disk disease, colitis? My honest review of a veterinary device you can use at home to reduce inflammation and pain. [read more]
Complete list of Basset Hound health problems
The major eye diseases in Basset Hounds are glaucoma, cherry eye, and eyelid abnormalities (ectropion and entropion). Also reported is lens luxation, and occasionally progressive retinal atrophy (PRA).
Since Bassets are a deformed (chondrodysplastic) breed, expect lots of orthopedic problems. Hip and elbow dysplasia, for example, are rampant, with probably half or more of the breed affected with incorrect hip and elbow joints. Ignore anyone who tells you that a Basset's deformed joints are "normal for the breed". Malformed hips in any breed lead to arthritis later in life.
Other common orthopedic diseases in Basset Hounds include luxating patella (loose knee joints), intervertebral disk disease, Wobbler's syndrome, and panosteitis.
With their deep chest, Basset Hounds are at higher-than-normal risk for the emergency gastrointestinal syndrome called bloat.
Ears and skin are notoriously problematic in Bassets.
- The long, folded-over ears with their narrow ear canals are extremely prone to chronic ear infections and hematoma.
- Bassets are prone to allergies that cause itchy skin, and the wrinkled folds of skin trap dirt and moisture and provide a home for yeast and bacteria, so bacterial skin infections (pyoderma) are common.
- The skin disease seborrhea occurs in Bassets, and non-tumorous growths are common.
- Follicular dysplasia is another skin disease occasionally reported in Bassets.
Up to 50% of the breed is affected or borderline-affected with von Willebrand's blood-clotting disease. Up to 30% is affected with thrombocytopathia. Hemophilia and factor VII deficiency also occur in Bassets.
Health issues of increasing concern in Basset Hounds include epilepsy (seizures), an endocrine system disease called Addison's disease, a red blood cell disease called autoimmune hemolytic anemia, and a cancer called lymphosarcoma.
A rare immune system disease in Basset Hounds is combined immunodeficiency.
There is an inherited tendency for hernias in some lines of Basset Hounds.
Preventing health problems
Some health problems are inherited. For example, if your dog inherits from his parents the genes for an eye disease called PRA, he will go blind and there's nothing anyone can do about it.
But most health problems can be prevented by the ways you raise your dog.
FREE eBOOK! My free online health care program, 11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy shows you how to raise your Basset Hound in all the right ways that help prevent health problems. Become your dog's health care champion!
About the author: Michele Welton has over 40 years of experience as a Dog Trainer, Dog Breed Consultant, and founder of three Dog Training Centers. An expert researcher and author of 15 books about dogs, she loves helping people choose, train, and care for their dogs.
My best-selling books – now available FREE on my website
Respect Training For Puppies: 30 seconds to a calm, polite, well-behaved puppy is for puppies 2 to 18 months old. Your puppy will learn the 21 skills that all family dogs need to know. Click here to read for free.
Teach Your Dog 100 English Words is a unique Vocabulary and Respect Training Program that will teach your adult dog to listen to you and do what you say. Click here to read for free.11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy helps your dog live a longer, healthier life. Get my honest advice about all 11 Things before you bring home your new puppy, because some mistakes with early health care cannot be undone. Click here to read for free.