[Lukes]

Every where I read I see that Bassets are supposed to be real chow hounds.

However, when we first got Luke he would not eat much. After several tests from the vets we found out he had Giardia and round worms, but even after that was cleared up his appetite increased but still is on the low side. I realize he is still a puppy and should be thinner than an adult, but he looks so skinny that it gets scary sometimes.

I thought it was isolated to him, that it was a personality quirk, but when we got Dixie she acts the same. I can put their food down in the morning when I leave for work and 9 hours later when I get home they still have not touched them.

We have tried cutting out all treats, Eaglepack, Evo, Royal Canine, and about 5 other foods of varying quality, they turn their noses up to it all. I am not all that worried about Dixie, she looks and feels healthy still, however, Luke we can count his ribs from across the room. His vet last week did not say anything about it other than don't let them get fat. However my confidence in our local vets is almost as low as my confidence in our local medical doctors.

Does anyone else have this problem, am I over reacting, or does anyone have anything else to try?

Tim

 

[Mikey T]

however, Luke we can count his ribs from across the room. His vet last week did not say anything about it other than don't let them get fat. However my confidence in our local vets is almost as low as my confidence in our local medical doctors.

Does anyone else have this problem, am I over reacting, or does anyone have anything else to try?

Tim[/b]

1. You sould be able to see the ribs of a short haired dog. How prominante they are depends on a couple factors, including dogs position, more visible lying on there side, and coat color, with light coats there is more shadow contrast so ribs are easier to See.


2. No one should ever attend a physican or vet they have low confidence in. if it means traveling hours to get to one that you like that that is what should be done.

3. It is fat better to be a underweight than over weight.

4. Without seeing the dog one can not ligitimitly comment on whether you are over reacting or not. I can only speak for my own experience and what I have seen.
a. The average basset hound owner has an idea in their head of what a basset hound should look like and that basset hound is fat.

b. I have never seen a free fed basset hopund that was not over weight. (allowed free acess toi food)

c. Picky eaters are made not born. Chaseing the magic food, changing foods to somithing more highly palatable when they don't eat creates picky eaters

d. A healthy dog will not starve itself to death. Pick up the food bowls after 15 minute and do not put it down again until next meal time

e. some possible medicl cause for loss of appitite, cancer, nausea, and endocrine and metabolic disease

the following links are provide to give you a the proper method to judge a dogs body weight

[http://placervillevet.com/canine body condition.htm]Purina body condition cart[/url]
keep in mind 4-5 is now considered ideal

Corpulent Canine
"...a conservative estimate is that about 50% of the dogs that I see are overweight; approximately 25% are actually obese. These are not couch potato dogs. These are dogs whose owners expect them to jump in obedience, to run over rough ground in retrieving tests, and to perform in agility

...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.

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.)

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.

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[/url]

With all this keep in mind even with the tools provided above most owners still underestimate how fat their dogs are.
Owner impressions of three premium diets fed to healthy adult dogs
" However, mean BCS assigned by owners was significantly lower than mean BCS assigned by an investigator, with a moderate correlation between scores'

Purina® Study Confirms Link Between Body Fat and Certain Health Conditions

Purina research found that most owners couldn't accurately assess their dogs' body conditions. When owner and expert scores were compared, only 28 percent of owners characterized their pets as above ideal body condition, while 79 percent of the experts scored those same animals to be above ideal body condition. Dr. Larson says this gap is serious because pet owners are not likely to recognize that their pets are overweight and even moderate excess body fat may lead to problems.

and link on calorie restiction inrease life expecency and quality of life for dogs

Study Shows Return to IdealBody Condition Helps Improve Mobility in Arthritic Dogs

Life Long Purina® Study Reveals How to Help Your Dog Enjoy More Healthy Years

Purina Sponsors Online Tool to Help Dogs Live Younger, Longer


An some personal experiece Toughynutter (see avatar) at 62# was the skinniest basset in the North East. When competing in agility his weight went down to 48#

Below is a pic of mariah at ideal weight