The following disorders are reported for basset hounds in Chris Walkowitz and Bonnie Wilcox, DVM's Successful Dog Breeding (New York: Macmillan, 1994):

• Achondroplasia: dwarfism, or abnormally shortened and bent leg bones. Duh!
• Cervical Vertebral Instability: Other names include CVI, wobbler syndrome, and spondylomyelopathy. Unstable vertebrae in lower neck; weakness and ataxia; may lead to paralysis; in basset hounds, usually at C2-C3.
• Dermoid: Other names include corneal dermoid cyst. Congenital cyst on cornea; contains skin, glands, and hair.
• Enostosis: Also known as juvenile osteomyelitis, panostitis, or "pano." Acute, shifting lameness of large, growing dogs; deep bone pain, self-limiting.
• Entropian: "diamond eye." Eyelids roll in; hair rubs on cornea; effects are irritation, tearing and visual loss from scarring.
• Epilepsy: recurrent seizures with onset at 1 to 3 years; some epilepsy is not hereditary.
• Gastric Torsion: Also known as GDV, bloat, torsion, and twisted stomach. The stomach rotates on long axis, causing shock and death. Deep-chested breeds such as the basset are more susceptible to it than are other dogs.
• Primary Glaucoma: Increased fluid pressure in globe leads to pain, eye destruction, and blindness. Autosomal recessive.
• Lens Luxation: lens slips out of position, leading to secondary glaucoma. Autosomal recessive.
• Osteochondritis Dessicans: Otherwise known as OCD. Growth disorder of joints; cartilage death, pain, and lameness; may occur in many joints. Polygenic inheritance plus nutritional factors.
• Patellar Luxation: Poor structures that hold the kneecap in place, one or both; starts at four to six months; usually lateral in basset hounds. Polygenic inheritance pattern.
• Retinal Atrophy, Generalized Progressive: Commonly known as general PRA. Retina degenerates; first night blindness, then total blindness before middle age. Uncommon in basset hounds, but a few cases have been reported.
• Thrombopathia: Bleeding disorder in which platelets lack proper function. Autosomnal dominant, incomplete expression.
• Ununited Anconeal Process: Elbow dysplasia. Growth plate in elbow doesn't fuse; secondary degenerative joint disease; pain and limp; surgical correction required.
• Von Willebrand's Disease: Also known as pseudohemophilia. Bleeding syndrome with several abnormal factors. Autosomnal dominant, variable expression.