[shirleybasset]

Can anyone tell me how much I should be feeding my 7 month old basset? She doesn't look under weight but I want to make sure I'm not over or under feeding her. Also she's growing really well but doesn't seem to be as advanced as other bassets I've seen of the same age. Her skin around her eyes hasn't dropped at all and she doesn't seem to have as much excess skin as most. Is this due to me under feeding her? I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right. All help welcome. Thanks in advance

 

[Mikey T]

The only acurate way is to judge the dog itself. Keeping in mind that basset from atleast a bone structure point of view are a large breed dog. So you want to feed and have the dog grow as a large bredd which mean keeping them thin as a puppy. Once the growth plates compeletely close 14-16 months of age then you can let the get to ideal weight

see Dog Diet Do's and Don’t's

According to Dr. Tony Buffington, Professor of Clinical Nutrition, Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, your puppy can be fed a regimen of specific caloric intake compared to his body condition score (BCS), using a simple one to five scale, from overly thin to obese. Using manufacturer feeding recommendations as an initial starting point, feed your puppy to a score of two and maintain this weight until he's fully grown. Feed whatever amount is necessary to maintain a BCS of two during the growth period, realizing that dogs have varying growth rates and activity levels. Once his adult stature is achieved, you may allow him to reach a score of three.

...2 = Thin - Ribs easily palpated and may be visible with no palpable fat. Tops of lumbar vertebrae visible. Pelvic bones less prominent. Obvious waist and abdominal tuck.

3 = Moderate - Ribs palpable without excess fat covering. Abdomen tucked up when viewed from side.

Corpulent Canines?​

People don't know how to determine the correct weight for their dogs. Dogs vary in height, bone structure, and muscularity, so there is no one correct weight for a dog of any given breed. The best way to determine whether a dog is overweight is to test 3 different parts of the body: the neck, the ribs, and the hips.

1. To check the neck, press your thumb and index finger deep into the side of the neck just ahead of the shoulder, and pinch them together. If your fingers are more than 1/2" apart, the dog is overweight. (Note: this is where old dogs tend to carry most of their excess fat, and they may actually be thin in other locations.)
2. To check the ribs, stand with your dog beside you, facing his butt. Place your thumb on the middle of his spine half way down the back and spread your fingers out over his last few ribs. Then run your fingers up and down along his skin. You should be able to feel the bumps of his ribs without pressing in.
3. To check the hips, run your hand over your dog's croup. You should be able to feel the bumps of his two pelvic bones without pressing down.

Some of you may be reading this and thinking, "I would never want my dog to be that skinny!" Think about the Olympic athletes. If you want your dog to be an athlete then it is only fair that you do what you can to help him achieve the body that he will need to perform and stay healthy and injury free for many years.​

Puppy Body condition Chart

Can feel and see outline of ribs. Puppy has a waist when viewed from above. Belly is tucked up when viewed from the side. Maintain current feeding regimen.​

Also keep in mind Studies have shown the large majority of over tend to thing their dogs are thinner than they really are. It is far better for a puppy to be a little underweight than over weight so you want to errror on the under weight side​

 

[shirleybasset]

Thanks. She definatley doesnt fall under the overweight category so I'm happy with that. What about the skin? When should that start to drop? And have you any suggestions on which dry food in the uk is best for a basset hounds diet??

 

[Soundtrack]

Did you see the parents? If they didn't have loose skin, neither will the pup.

 

[vonny01]

Thanks. She definatley doesnt fall under the overweight category so I'm happy with that. What about the skin? When should that start to drop? And have you any suggestions on which dry food in the uk is best for a basset hounds diet??

Some decent foods in the UK are
JWB
Burns
Wainwrights
Skinners

 

[shirleybasset]

When we had her she was being fed on beta so I changed her over to wainwrights as I thought it would be better. Does the loose skin form part of the breed standard? I've never had a basset before and as u can tell I have alot of questions haha.

 

[Soundtrack]

The skin should be "loose and elastic" according to the US standard. Wrinkling is only called for on the front legs, and on the head *when it is lowered*. Other than that you should be able to pull the skin away from the body at any point. The dog should not be a mass of wrinkles, however overly "dry" skin is also faulty.

Most "pet" breeders do not breed to the standard, so their dogs are more likely to have less skin, longer legs, less bone, shorter ears etc.

 

[Mikey T]

according to the US standard.

The KC standard and therfore the
FCI standard call for more wrinklingl than the us standard as typically interpreted. KC Basset Hound Breed Standard

There may be a small amount of wrinkle at brow and beside eyes. In any event skin of head supple enough as to wrinkle slightly when drawn forward or when head is lowered

...Some wrinkles of skin may appear on lower legs, but this must on no account be excessive.

...Some wrinkles of skin may appear between hock and foot, and at rear of joint a slight pouch of skin may be present, but on no account should any of these be excessive.

Note a recent addition to the breed stand is not be excessive, this is response to the Pedigree dogs exposed repor on the BBC a few years ago that has cause an up roar in the UK. These changes are unwelcome by many European breeders as the FC! adopts the breed standard of the home country of the breed. So A change in the Breed stand in UK effect the rest of Europe and else where the FCI is present.

 

[bubbad]

If the haw is not showing (the pinkish part of the eye that gives a basset a bloodshot eye look) it isn't going to .Unfortunately,sometimes so called breeders will tell the people buying the pup that the wrinkles,baggy skin,etc. develope as the pup grows ,it doesn't.If they don't have it as a pup they aren't going to get it. I can't blame it all on the bad breeders sometimes people just think bassets grow that way and they don't.

 

[Soundtrack]

Actually, the UK standard *requires* less wrinkle than the US one. Wrinkle is only mandated on the head (when lowererd) and *may* appear elsewhere. I would have to check the original to see if that was always the case.

 

[Boomer's Mom]

Hubby likes to take his hand and draw the loose skin on his head towards his eyes and calls him a Shar-Pei.

 

[mhvonalmen8908]

Hubby likes to take his hand and draw the loose skin on his head towards his eyes and calls him a Shar-Pei.

We do the same thing to Virga. We also pull the skin back and call her a seal. It cracks us up!