[charvie]

I was just wondering at what age are bassets considered to be "getting old"? Beldin is starting to get pretty grey already on his face. Particularly around his muzzle and under his eyes. Also he seems to be sleeping more and at times quite cranky and can have some pretty drastic "mood swings" - which is kind of odd for him.

Medical reasons for his changes in behaviour have been ruled out. He's fine physically. The vet suggested "Maybe he's just getting old."

I mean I guess I didn't really think of that, it doesn't seem like it's really been that long ...

 

[Esther]

dont know about mood swings but lulu started getting gray on her muzzle around 4.

 

[Mikey T]

at 2 years

at 3 year

at 5 years

at 7

Just as in humans we often use greying as a sign of agining but many people along with dogs start greyung when they are still very young. while it is age releated it is very poor as a diagnostic tool trying to determine age.

 

[charvie]

Thanks, Mikey I guess it was just the grey in combination with the crankiness was making me wonder a bit ... mostly I'm just happy he's still healthy so no cause for concern there ...

 

[Mikey T]

crankiness...

More in the morning, when he just gets up etc. If so he may have son arthritis causing pain. dog are very stoic and often can be in quite a bit of pain befor they show signs.


Has a thyroid panel been done?


Some dog do become cranky with age but IMHO it is more healtk related than a natural sign of aging. I have a few that became less craking as they got older.


Art there other behavioral changes you may want to investigate CDS

If you notice changes in your older dog's habits or behavior, be sure to talk with your veterinarian. Above all, resist the urge to tell yourself that your dog is “just getting old.” With your help, your veterinarian can determine if the changes in your dog are associated with canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome.
If your dog is over the age of 8, please take a few minutes to complete a Senior Dog CDS Checklist that you can print and take to your veterinarian.

 

[charvie]

Oh, thank you, Mikey T

I know he had a battery of tests done re his thyroid and stuff back when Mocha got sick and we were trying to rule out if he had the same thing she did etc ... recently though he's mostly just had his regular check ups and misc appointments when I'm concerned about something or for ear cleanings and what-not.

Not really so much in the morning as far as crankiness goes. There doesn't really seem to be any pattern to it. Well, I guess that's not quite right either ... he's definately less patient with stuff going on around him if he's trying to nap ... and he is getting more possessive of things he considers "his".

I've tried to make sure his bedding is out of the way of "high traffic" areas around where we live, but when he chooses to nap in the middle of the living room it's harder to avoid him. Also the animals have their own feed bowls and stuff. Trying to limit "cranky-causing" issues.

 

[Mikey T]

he's definately less patient with stuff going on around him if he's trying to nap ... and he is getting more possessive of things he considers "his".

Resource guarding. Unless you work actively to change the behavior it tends to become self rewarding and gets worse over time.

 

[Esther]

regarding the diagnostic tool for aging... when austin was sick they listed him at 8y/o bc it was five yrs after the adoption--the rescue had said he was 2-3. come to find out he was 13-14... a real shock! the vet has written multiple papers on the subject. he uses an eye test. he said that, over time, a dog's eye develops layers--think about it like peeling an onion, just in reverse. layers thicken over time and he is able to use pinpoint light refraction to test. if the dot does certain things while being shone through the eye they use that somehow to measure age. He worked with purina and did a blind study of over 500 dogs (whose real ages were known) and was statistically accurate with a +/- 1 year accuracy. Pretty impressive.

There's your somewhat useless tidbit for the day.

 

[mhvonalmen8908]

That's a really neat tidbit Esther! Very interesting. I've never had a really old dog before. But my parents have a 15 year old mutt at home and she didn't start greying until she was about 10 years old. She's still the most loving and sweetest dog you'll ever meet. Doesn't matter who it is.

 

[charvie]

I know how old Beldin is ... was just wondering if there was an age where bassets would start being considered as "getting old" ... I think I read their life expectancy was roughly 10ish to 14 years?

And oh dear... thanks again Mikey ... didn't think of it as that way - sorta puts a bit of a new perspective on that ... going to have to re-establish "alpha" I'm thinking?

 

[AmyB]

Sadie's coloring changed very little throughout her life, just a little gray.
Here's a 2 year old Sadie:

And a 10 year old Sadie:

Spencer on the other hand, changed drastically.
Here he is at 1 year old:

He started getting gray in the face at about age 5:

The gray continued to grow, until age 14, when he was pretty much a washed out color all over:

People would often comment on what an "unusual" color he was for a Basset & were often surprised that it was gray. I loved his gray little self.

Sorry about going overboard on the photos. Can you tell I'm missing my babies? :mellow:

 

[mhvonalmen8908]

My husband's basset growing up was a beautiful red, almost a liver color, and white when he was younger. But when I met him he was a very washed out color. From far away he looked completely white but when you got up on him you could see his faded red spots. There was one spot on his tail that was still pretty red. And he got cantakerous as he got older too.

 

[Gracie's Mama]

AmyB -
Sorry about your babies. And no need to be sorry for the pictures. I can't speak for everyone but I LOVE pictures. Looking at them, taking them and sharing them. Just not being IN them.

 

[Scully]

People would often comment on what an "unusual" color he was for a Basset & were often surprised that it was gray. I loved his gray little self.

People used to say that about Scully all the time too! I would often hear "what do you call that coloring", or "I've never seen a basset with that color before". I was constantly explaining that she was just getting really gray. She actually started graying in the face at about 4 years old, and then the gray slowly crept in everywhere else too.

 

[Wworm]

Awww, love the pics Amy B-- they are so cute!

Of course, I will still love Worm when he turns all white & turns into a 'ghost dog." but gosh, i wish bassets aged better. they must carry some gene(s) that cause them to do this. it seems more extreme than most dog breeds.

my last dog was a doxie and he just turned a little white in the face at age 11 & 12, but otherwise, retained his beautiful red coat on his body up until he left for the Bridge...

I have to say that Worm's face is already going a little white and he is only 10 months old!!!! I see some white hairs on his red ears already, both sides. Also his muzzle where he goes from red to white-- i can see the white area expanding. his avatar has a sharper delineation of red/white than he does currently. I would be willing to bet $$ that he will turn out to be more of a Spencer (also 'cause his Dad's face has some white in it) than a Sadie...

I hope they will figure out how to breed for the gene(s) that allow them to keep their coat longer. personal preference. know many here will disagree... though the washed out, ghostly color is pretty cool, too.

 

[Mikey T]

... going to have to re-establish "alpha" I'm thinking?

has nothing to do with pack order hierarchy etc auch trechniques can back fire when dealing with resourse guarding. There have been numerious thread on this recently and most of the aggressive dog thread are resource guarding as well.

they must carry some gene(s) that cause them to do this.

it thought there is a greying gene but in bassets it is highly variable. Toughy who is my avitar hardly greyed as well.

 

[dreamons]

Great pictures AmyB. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Esther]

The grey makes us look more regal, no?
Like Mr. BuddyLee... he's all white and gorgeous...

 

[charvie]

wow thanks everyone I appreciate the feedback ... and yep, they say a little grey just makes a gentleman look a little more distinguished, right?

And thanks again Mikey T ... you always seem to have good info and suggestions. Never really had a problem before with Beldin and that type of behaviour so now I'm trying to think back to where I started noticing a change and wondering if there was something that may have helped "bring it on" ...

 

[Mikey T]

Resource guarding in dog is normal adative behavior in dogs. Just because it is normal does not make it acceptable howver

Is beldin an only dog? often times this behavior lurks in the background with singl dog and comes more to the for front as they start guarding with the addition of another dog. applying what worked with another dog to humans

That said why , when where, and how it started is immaterial to correcting it.