[molly & rofus]

I have two eight year old, lemon bassets, they are brother and sister out of the same litter. I have noticed my male dog, Rufus, is going very grey in the face. He has slowed down a lot. Both dogs have slowed on the walk. My bitch, Molly, is still very puppy like and playful while my male is becoming more of a retired gentleman.

I am worried that this is the beginning of the end for my two best friends. What age do bassets live to and do the male dog's of the breed generally age before the females?

My worry is that when one goes that the other will not be far behind. They have never been apart, our vet even allowed both dogs to stay together when one needed treatment, otherwise they freak out.

I am concerned that separation anxiety will break other dog's heart when one goes.

 

[Mikey T]

typical is 10 -12 years of age but had them live as long as 17 years. Greying in dogs is like in people so grey prematurely it in itself is not a good indicator of aging. I have had red+whites and tris start greying as early as
2-3 yrs old. CDS Cognitive
dysfunction syndrome is quite common in dogs 8 years and up, might be relatied to the excessive carb diet that kibble is. There is a similar link to dementia, diabetes and high carb diet in people would make sense it is the same for dogs. One can Switch to a food designed to support cognitive function like Purina Bright Minds, or one can just add the "secret ingredient' MCT oil ( Medium Chain Triglecerides) about 1/2 tablespoon twice a day or one can Use Coconut oil which is approximately 60% MCT at twice the rate of MCT. Coconut oil seem to take a bit longer to metabolized so the effects last longer. I can say MCT oil has a profoundly positive effect on my fathers dementia and clearly noticable change when he does not have is bullet proof coffee in the AM some other things worth trying are in the link below

A Holistic and Alternative Care for Dementia in Dogs

Dementia is dog often strike fears in the heart of pet owners. But modern complementary approaches has shown great results in helping pet owners cope with this disease.

rehabvet.com

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I have never seen a difference in aging between males and females.

the problem you are concerned about being litter mates and all is very real and often highly problematic, It is the one very big reason we never sell a pair of litter mates to a single owner,

 

[sameera]

Well I also haven't seen such difference between males and females. If you are feeling this type of problem I would recommend you to consult with some professional over there because it can cause major problem in the near future.

 

[TeazelsMum]

We had two, litter mates who we'd kept from a good litter, and for sure, the bitch went grey quite some time before he did. We lost him first however (lymphoma). With another pair, again brother and sister from what was our final litter, I always hoped he'd go first but that didn't happen. We lost her first and apart from the fact he'd never lived as the only dog in the household, he was really lost, at first. Eventually he settled down - mainly because we'd take him everywhere with us, when possible. We found him a companion (different breed) but that took 4 months before she arrived. I don't think he was especially impressed. As for dementia, I've never noticed that in any of mine and most lived, with sad exceptions, into their 14th year. Grey face or not.

I am a firm believer that if you can get a Basset over the 'dreaded 8s', they live on for at least 4 more years.