[WatsonBoy]

Hi Friends!

I am new to the site (and to the breed!) and thought I would introduce myself and ask a question or two of you seasoned basset owners

My fiance and I adopted Watson, a 10-month old basset hound, about a month ago. He has brought so much joy and laughter to our lives. Of course, there have been frustrating moments, as with any puppy, but for the most part he is an angel. (We got new carpet installed after a flood in our house, and about 48 hours later he had eaten/dug/tore a giant hole in it...) Y'all have really helped me understand some of his habits and personality traits, and I really appreciate all the wisdom that circulates this forum!

So I have a few (probably basic) basset hound care questions. What kind of ear drops/cleaning solution do you recommend for bassets? Also, do you have your bassets on any sort of supplements or vitamins (ie, for bone or joint health, etc)? We want to make sure our little guy is as healthy as possible, but we don't want to do anything unnecessary, either.

Again, the wisdom, advice and anecdotes on this forum have really helped me in this first month with Watson. Bassets certainly are a unique breed, arent they?

 

[SophieB]

Hi Watson Boy... since 30 people have looked at your message and haven't replied, I thought I'd say hello and welcome to you and Watson I use Otoclean for my Bassets' ears.

I make sure after cleaning and wiping any 'dirty' bits away, that I dry their ears as carefully as I can with cotton wool balls or pads because their ears can get warm and moist that would encourage bacteria to multiply.

I also put a small amount of Thornit* powder into my dogs' ears about once every fortnight and it seems to help prevent ear infections. I get both online and the ear drops are much cheaper than at the vets (mine charge at least 3x the cost for creams, drops etc that can be bought online)! Google the names and you'll see where's best for you to buy it if you want to try what I use.

I sometimes squeeze a capsule of cod liver oil onto their food but I don't know what others do!

Thornit* powder: 20g size last ages as you need only a small amount each time (on the end of a teaspoon handle):

http://www.petmeds.co.uk/p-528-thornit-ear-powder.aspx?_kk=thornit%20powder&_kt=efd3864e-288d-4a55-b7cd-3a3c2b1ca3dc&gclid=CLfDtsC8_qQCFQTpzAod6A6gFA

"Thornit Ear Powder is an old-fashioned canker powder and the best remedy ever for dirty and smelly ears, and ear mite problems, in dogs, cats and small animals. Itchy ears are usually caused by an ear mite which also creates blobs of wax that can be seen in the ear. These blobs can also weep and smell.

Simply sprinkle a small amount of Thornit Ear Powder onto the inside of the ear surface NOT the ear hole, and massage in. Once the wax starts to move, stop the application."

Read the reviews on the above link. Thornit powder definitely keeps my dogs' ears healthy and clean smelling.

 

[shallhb]

Hi,
Our two Bassets are on California Natural venison dog food, and we add a supplement to that--Missing Link is one. They are very active hounds, working in obedience and tracking, so I think the supplement is worth it. So far as ear cleaning goes, we've been using Clean Blue Extreme, and that seems to have cut down on the ear infections. you can find it at Home | CleanBluePetCare.com.

 

[MollyMcFrecklesMom]

Welcome to the forum

I am currently using an ear cleaner I found at the pet store, but my vet also recommended a vinegar and water solution - 1 part water to 1 part vinegar. I clean Molly's ears once a week, same time that I brush her teeth and check to see if her nails need tending. I call it "Molly maintenance day."

 

[WatsonBoy]

Y'all are the very best. Thank you so much for the information and warm welcomes! We are so in love with Watson and look forward to being a part of this forum.

 

[Mikey T]

Also, do you have your bassets on any sort of supplements or vitamins (ie, for bone or joint health, etc)? We want to make sure our little guy is as healthy as possible, but we don't want to do anything unnecessary, either.

Provided you are feeding a quality food that the dog is thriving on it is ussually counterproductive to supliment, More often than not you end up doing more harm than good. Over nutrition is as bad often mores so than undernutrition. such as calcium suplimentation is known to cause a whole host of orthopeadic problems in puppies from ocd to hod.

What kind of ear drops/cleaning solution do you recommend for bassets?

any of the comercial cleaner will work well but I tend to look for ones that do not contain alcohol because it is irratating to many dogs. The purpose of acohol besides being antimicrobial is as a drying agent, ie removing moisture wich makes the enviornment more ideal for microbial growth. Vinegar is antimicrobial but not astringent, Witch Hazel is astringent but not antimicrobial combining both in a homemade solution achieves the same effects as alcohol with less irratation