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hi, my name is chester

3K views 13 replies 13 participants last post by  bassetinkansas 
#1 ·
hi, my name is chester. I am a 10 month pld male basset. My mom has had me for about three weeks. I was brought home from a pet store in march by a family. At first I got lots of attention but then they became bored with me and i spent most of my time in a crate. My mom went to visit her sister and heard me barking. I was in a crate in a closet, it was dark and scary and I was all alone. I was barking because I was lonely, afraid and I had to go to the bathroom. I had giardia and had diarrhea and didn't want to dirty my crate. my old mom said "why don't you take him, he's a handful and I hate him". I can't believe she said she hated me, I only gave her love and its not my fault i have diarrhea! My new mom took me home, took me to the vet and bathed me. I only weigh 28 lbs. I am doing so much better slthough my stools are still really soft. I have new brothers and sisters to play with and I am a happy basset now. Can someone tell my mom what I should weigh and any suggestions on the soft stools will be welcome. i an on eagle pack dog food-duck and oatmeal and enzymes for my digestion. thanks in advance for any suggestions. :p
 
#4 ·
Thank you for saving Chester. I hope his first human ends up sick and locked in a closet! Grrr.....

Bassets weight vary by the dog. You do not want to let him get overwieght because of the problems it can cause with his back etc. Your vet is the best one to tell you a good weight for him. I have 6 adult bassets that weigh between 30 lbs. (a 4 year old female) and about 53 lbs. Ginger needs to lose about 5 lbs., but the vetpeople are thrilled with everyone else's weight.

Sorry I can't offer any advice on the loose stools. Again, I would check with your vet.

Welcome to cyberhound! Please post pics of your furbaby. We love pics.
 
#5 ·
I never cease to be amazed at the casual cruelty dealt to animals by seemingly normal people- enough said . Chester is a lucky boy. I've always thought that rescued dogs know you've saved them, and never forget it.

As far as weight, I'd get your vet's opinion. Bassets vary so much in structure that it's really impossible to comment without seeing him, although 28 pounds for a 10 month old seems light- his bones should not be protruding, and while he should have a visible waist, he should be nicely padded. Look at pictures of the bassets on this forum to get a general feel as to how he should look as far as weight.

As far as the loose stools: has your vet checked him out thoroughly to make sure all the parasites are gone? If that's not an issue, change in diet sometimes results in digestive problems - it's always a good idea to change food gradually, adding the new to the old in increasing amounts until the change is complete. At this point, that advice may be hindsight.

Hopefully he's just adjusting , but if the stools continue to be soft, or if you are seeing blood or mucus in the stools, I would consult with your vet.

The archives on this forum are a great resource- if you go to "search" in the upper right corner and type in the information you are researching, old threads will come up where that topic was discussed.

There are alot of experienced basset owners at Cyberhound and lots to learn here- good luck and bless you for rescuing 'the puppy in the closet'!
 
#7 ·
What a wonderful thing ou did for the little guy. Why do people do things like this??! I will never understand ...

Just keep him on whatever the vet suggested for a while. I would think once there's some normalcy in the mealtimes, walktimes and food, his digestive system will work itself out. If not, head back to the vet. All dogs are different ...but you have to rule out the bad stuff.

Thanks for taking the baby in :) Send us a photo when you are able. We love to share pictures.
 
#8 ·
Bless you for rescueing Chester. I won't get into that rotten thing that owned him. That person doesn't deserve to be called human :angry: :angry: You will find lots of friendly people here more than happy to share our experiences with our hounds. It sounds like he is already under the care of a decent Vet. He must have had some stool cultures done to get the diagnosis of Giardia. That's good those tests were done. Maybe his Vet can prescribe a vitamin supplement to help build him up to where he should be. As far as the stool, I know my Rusty (2 1/2 yrs.s old) has some issues with soft stool. He is now on Royal Canin Hypoallergenic diet. I am doing the switch VERY gradually. Over probably a 2 week period just so as not to upset his GI system. Hopefully this food will be the trick to solving his stool issues. I know when doing a food switch it takes several weeks to see how they are reacting to the food. Every switch should be done very slowly. Just show this sweet boy of yours TONS of love and understanding. He is very lucky to be with your family.
 
#9 ·
Hello Chester,

You and your new mommy are so fortunate to have found each other. I'm sure with the love and support of a REAL family and the assistance of a good vet and all of us bassets with our servants, you'll be on the road to recovery real soon.

Janice and little Ruby
 
#11 ·
Like everyone else, I'm totally pissed.

And you ARE an angel.

On to the stools: Great thoughts from everyone - didn't read them all super super carefully so I apologize if someone mentioned this already, but 1 TBSP of Pumpkin (not the pie mix, just pure pumpkin) is great for digestive problems. We found that out when we switched to homecooked diets - which we did specifically because of giardia and hot spots - plus the fact that the whole pet food thing is another area that pisses me off.

Anyway, it was hard to figure the diet out stuff out at first - a lot of yummy experiementation - which lead to some loose stools and another home-cooker suggested the pumpkin and holy poop, it really works.

I also give Slippery Elm when tummies get upset. AND OF COURSE, like every said, it's better to stabilize first and follow the vet's advice .... as long as they aren't transfixed by the marketing ploy - which you can tell by the posters in the office ... okay, minor rant :)

Chester is so lucky to have you - thanks for saving him.
 
#13 ·
Bless you, bless you, bless you for taking Chester in. One of our students told me yesterday that last week she and her fiance took in a basset. Some friends of theirs moved to a new house and found this poor boy tied in the basement with a note: "Here's a housewarming gift...." The dog is 13 months old, severely underweight, completely unsocialized. They apparently kept him in a small crate 20 hours a day. What's the point? Anyway, Michelle and her man took him. He's going to see the vet this Friday, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he's okay. He clearly needs all his shots, he has fleas so I'm sure he has worms, but with any luck all he'll need is some groceries and minor medical care, lots of love, and he'll be okay.

I hope Chester recovers from his ills so that he can enjoy a better life with you!
 
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