[Untypically Jia]

One thing I'm not used to with a basset is how they'll eat and eat and eat and drink and drink and drink, even if they're not actually thirsty or hungry. I read up as much as I could on how because they tend to bloat and overeat, that you should feed and water bassets multiple times a day and not let them over do it.

We've been doing good with the food (cause there are lots of websites saying how much a 12 week old should be eating) but with the water we're having a few problems. We either seem to be over doing it with water (and she fills up and then pees ALL over the house multiple times, and her belly gets full and uncomfortable) or I'm thinking we under do it because she cries at the gate in the hallway right where the bathroom is (I think her old owners let their dogs drink out of the toilet because once she dove right through the gate and went straight to the toilet like she knew exactly what it was).

So I was curious what feeding schedules everyone else finds work for them?

 

[LY909]

I have a 4 year old basset and he is on a food & water schedule everyday to help with the housebreaking. He gets 1 cup in the morning and 1 cup at night, with a kong filled with milkbone and peanut butter during the day (monday-friday) when we go to work. The water is there from 5:30pm to 6am to help him to control it during the day. This really helps him with the housebreaking and he is very good about holding it in. But once we get home, he is very thirsty and drinks a lot water (which makes sense since he haven't had any during the day) so we take him out about 1 hr after he drinks his water.

 

[Mikey T]

read up as much as I could on how because they tend to bloat and overeat, that you should feed and water bassets multiple times a day and not let them over do it.

Compared to other large breed large chested dogs basset do not appear to be more prone to bloat prehaps less. but the risk is far greater than a small dog. That said the risk in real terms is realitively small. Also boat is extremely rare in puppies, One of the biggest risk factors for bloat is age.

The reason for feeding puppies many smaller meals and this is true for all breeds is their relatively small stomach size compared to the amount of nutrients(food) the require. then simply need multiple meals to gets the amount of food required to grow

With a young puppy I use 4 meals evenly spaced when the dog starts skipping a meal or leaving food etc I then switch to 3 times a day then 2. I never feed an adult dog less than twice a day. There is also a theory out there to help in house training to match the number of bowl movement the dog has to the number of times it is fed. This act of eating will stimulate the dog to defficate if the two are matched. If the dog eats then has to go, it makes preventing accidents much easier. This sort of schedual makes it almost fool proof. To some extent this can be done with water as well but you need to be very cautious about limiting acess to water in elevated temperature. it is highly critical the dog have access to prevent heat stroke or other life threatening condition. If the house has air conditioning or because of the seasons temperatures are moderate reasonable restriction to water should not be a problem.

 

[Untypically Jia]

Thank you Mikey, I really enjoy reading all your replies to my many, many questions.

Thank you for easing my worry about the bloating. All my other puppies ate until their bellies got all big, but I read the basset bloating thing and got worried about her.

 

[mhvonalmen8908]

We don't restrict our dogs water intake except to only fill it once a day. They only get multiple refills if it's hot and they've been outside most of the day. This works great for us!

As for food, we feed both of them twice a day. We take the recommended amount of food for their weight from the back of the bag of food and then divide it in half! Easy peasy! They think they need more food during the day but if I let them, they'd eat the whole bag of food at one go!

 

[Mikey T]

We take the recommended amount of food for their weight from the back of the bag of food and then divide it in half!

I have always found regardless of breed that following recommended feeding guidelines results in an overweight dog.

 

[Rusty Stickers Mom]

If Rusty doesn't eat regulary he throws up the yellow bile. We are fortunate that my Husband is retired and home during the day. SO, we feed both Rusty & Stickers 3 meals a day. One cup at breakfast, 1/3 cup at lunch and one cup for dinner. A small biscuit about 9:00 at night. This way Rusty always has some food in his stomach without too much.

 

[mhvonalmen8908]

I have always found regardless of breed that following recommended feeding guidelines results in an overweight dog.

We feed the smallest amount within their range. Doppler's recommended range is 3-3 1/2 cups. He gets 3 cups a day. And it works fine for him. Virga gets about 2 cups of food a day which again is the bottom amount within her weight range. Neither of my dogs are fat. In fact I've done the test that you've linked in some of your other posts and they're both at the right weight according to the test. The only time either of them was overweight was right before we switched Doppler to adult food. In fact, his weight gain was the reason we decided to switch him.

 

[Mikey T]

Thank you for easing my worry about the bloating. There is ligitamate concern wit...[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloat]Bloat
As a general rule, bloat is of greatest risk to deep-chested dogs. The five breeds at greatest risk are Great Danes, Weimaraners, St. Bernards, Gordon Setters, and Irish Setters.[11] In fact, the lifetime risk for a Great Dane to develop bloat has been estimated to be close to 37 percent.[12] Standard Poodles are also at risk for this health problem,[13] as are Doberman Pinschers and Rottweilers.[14] Basset Hounds have the greatest risk for dogs less than 23 kg/50 lbs.[2]
As a general rule, bloat is of greatest risk to deep-chested dogs. The five breeds at greatest risk are Great Danes, Weimaraners, St. Bernards, Gordon Setters, and Irish Setters.[11] In fact, the lifetime risk for a Great Dane to develop bloat has been estimated to be close to 37 percent.[12] Standard Poodles are also at risk for this health problem,[13] as are Doberman Pinschers and Rottweilers.[14] Basset Hounds have the greatest risk for dogs less than 23 kg/50 lbs.[2]

Given the propensity to bloat many dane owners are electing to have the stomach tacked the the abdominal wall to prevent torsion which is life threatening when the dog is spayed or nuetered.


Risk Factors for Canine Bloat

Canine Bloat

The six more common breeds with the highest risk of bloat are Great Dane, Weimaraner, Saint Bernard, Gordon Setter, Irish Setter, and the Standard Poodle

...the Basset Hound has the seventh highest risk overall, although it was in the lowest weight group.

Bloat (Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus) in Dogs
a basset is six time more likely to bloat than a mixed breed dog. wich is less than the 9 times for a standard poodle and the 41. time for a Great dane.

RAISING FOOD BOWL INCREASES BLOAT RISK

Other preventive methods used by owners were not associated with a decrease in bloat. Such measures include restricting water and exercise before and after meals. The study confirmed that bloat risk increased with age, larger breed size, greater chest depth/width ratio and having an immediate relative with a history of bloat.

IMHO it is prudent to take reasonable measure to reduce risk. feeding smaller and more frequent meals . Using nutrient dense calorical rich food to reduce volume. taking measure to reduce the speed the dog eats, large size kibble, special bowls etc and to know and recognize the signs of bloat but not get too worked up about it because say compared to other risks it just is not that great.

 

[Nichole]

Our girl is a very healthy weigh but the drinking think has always been a struggle. We fill the water bowl when she's thirsty otherwise she throws a fit but we cannot fill it very full. The problem is if we fill the bowl all the way she'll drink it ALL and then throw up. If we overfill it we also keep an eye and yell her name to distract her and let her know she's had enough. She usually listens now the first time we tell her she's had enough. Of course, our girl almost never has an issue with accidents unless my husband and I don't get off work on time and i cannot blame her for that.