[jameshayes]

Hi,

I have recently joined this forum, I joined because this site is a very valuable tool - If i ever had questions about Bassets health,

My partner has recently given 2 bassets a home (Millie & Bailey - Littermates) They are from a litter of 8.

She selected Millie at the age of 4 weeks, we spent an hour with the pups and found that she was the best looking with the best features. Then in the interim while waiting to collect her pup at 8 weeks she decided to take 2. (Bailey)

When we went to collect the pups it turns out that Millie was alot smaller than the other pups - I don’t want to say runt because it is a horrible term but she was definitely smaller than the other bitches.

Millie was 3.5KG(8 pound) and Bailey was 5KG.(11 pound) -This was on week 8 - they are 10 weeks now(getting weight tonight)

Both pups were taken to the vet and he said Millie was fine(although we noticed her coat is far from the quality of baileys). Bailey on the other hand has a slight heart murmur, the vet said it is nothing to worry about just yet because it could be that it's not 100% developed and he will look at it again shortly.

So basically(after a long post -apologies)
-I was wondering does anyone have any experience with Baileys problem.
and
-Does anyone know if Millie’s coat(currently a lot fluffy'r and not as long or black as Baileys) will develop to be similar to Baileys?


Thanks for any help.

And as requested here are some photos of them...

 

[Rubydoo]

They're GORGEOUS!

Ruby was literally the runt of a litter of 10 and she was by far the smallest. We got her at 11 weeks of age and while she's the most beautiful, she has had some health problems. That's not to say that the other ones haven't...I know that one of her sisters was reared in the same city as us when we first got her. The sister is a champion basset and has given birth to all sorts of other champions. From what I have learned from the breeder, (we keep in touch on occasion), the sister hasn't had pano or arthritis that Ruby has. BUT, Ruby's birth mother, who had to be put down recently at age 13, has had those cysts like Ruby has. BTW, Ruby looks like her grandmother, not her mother. But her birth father, who has sired all sorts of champions, she doesn't look like in coloring either but has his exact expressions.

Janice and little Ruby who's the champion of our household

 

[Soundtrack]

I've had some "runts" turn out to be the largest in the litter when full-grown.

As for the coats, there can be quite a variety of coat texture and length, even in the same litter. I had one litter that ranged from long, fluffy, golden retriever-like coats (a disqualification) to plush, soft, thick coats to ultra-sleek, smooth coats. Color will vary a lot too.

 

[mgbrown66]

Rico was the runt of his litter, and is over 65 lbs now. Sometimes the dog just gets stuck in an erea of the womb that doesnt allow them to grow, but they are genetically similar to all the other pups.

And the female will be much smarter than the male. They always are with this breed.

 

[charvie]

I got Mocha and Beldin from the same litter; Beldin was 7 of 10 born and Mocha was the runt at 10 of 10 born.

They're now 2 years old and Mocha is doing very well, she is a good weight and very clever and developmentally sound. There's been no major issues with her and I wouldn't trade her for the world.

And I donno if it's just me, but I've always had a bit of a soft spot for the "runts" of the litter ... there just seems to be something about them and I love it when they "overcome" their originally small stature.

Also both Mocha and Beldin have very different coats. Beldin's is very short and coarse while Mocha's is very noticeably longer and softer ... she still feels almost puppy-ish actually.

Thanks for posting the pic of the pups though ... they're beautiful!

 

[FredMom]

Beautiful puppies!!!

 

[copsmom]

First they are beautiful puppies and I love their doghouse!!! I have sisters that are littermates and they are very different. Dolly weighs 52lbs and Patty is 41lbs.They are fed the same thing but they are just so different. Good-luck with your babies.

 

[sadeyes2]

Hi James, welcome to the forum. Lovely little pups. Been to Ireland many times. Love it!

My Toby has a fine coat too, IMO I don't think it is as well insulated as the heavier coats. Sorry about the heart murmur, but you may get a better response by posting on the Health&Genetic forum. I know that must be a worry.

Know it's common in Ireland to have dogs outdoors, but I think given the circumstances ,your GF may want to consider bringing them indoors.

If you do, there are many folk on here who can give you great advice on toilet training a basset.

 

[Maggie's Mommy]

Sorry about the heart murmur. I hope you get some good answers. I own brother & sister littermates. They look very different. To start, Stickers (the female) is the only one from that litter of 6 that is tricolor like her Dad. Rusty and the others are Lemon & White. Rusty is a male and big boned. Stickers is very petite. They weight is about a 6 pound difference. They both have very soft fur and amazing temperments but don't look alike.

See for yourself.

 

[Elmer-n-Button]

I think Button must have been the runt of his litter. He was the last one, and I didn't get a chance to see the rest. But when I saw him laying against the fence, overdosed on wormer, I had to have him. His legs are a little bowed and he walks on his toes, I think. But his temperament is the best. He is just a love bucket. He's fine now, of course, and almost 63 pounds. His mother looked like a pot belly pig! Never saw such a fat basset! I'll post some new pics of my little men soon! Been kind of busy!

 

[jameshayes]

Hi All,

Thank you all for all your help. Bailey is now fine, there is no sign of the heart murmur, the vet said it must have been a valve that just hadn't developed! So he is fine, I have 3 dogs myself (2 Tibetans and a Maltese) who all sleep indoors, and Michelle’s 2 dogs -Bailey and Millie- both sleep outdoors, they seem happier outdoors,

They will play in the house for most of the day(they are now toilet trained) and then about 7pm they settle down in the house and when people start to move around the house again - about 9 they get up and walk down to the kennel.. It's like it's their own house, their area.

Thank you for your help on the coat's question - I suppose it's like human hair, even though we are from the same mothers -most of the time brother+sisters have different hair...

So Millie is the runt - so she is smaller, but hey - she has all the brains!
Bailey is a big pudding! He's bright - but nowhere near as intelligent as his sis! - The vet loves Bailey - he had to get Medicine when he was in their and the vet said "this wont taste very nice but you need it!" --Bailey nearly ate the packaging as well!!!!

They are 10 weeks old now so the vet said they are ok to walk in public as of this weekend - not looking forward to lead training them!!


Oh, and more more Q, does anyone know why some bassets nails are black and others a pink/white colour?

 

[BubbaLeroy]

Baily and Millie are adorable. So glad the heart murmer resolved itself. Welcome to the forum, BTW.