Basset Hound care on Cape Ann

A long, low dog does best with steady exercise and a body kept lean. The AKC says a Basset needs regular, moderate exercise, usually a daily walk at a moderate pace, both for health and to keep it from becoming overweight. A 2013 study in PLOS ONE named the Basset among the chondrodystrophic breeds prone to intervertebral disc extrusion, found that relatively longer backs and being overweight both raised the risk in the dogs it studied, and concluded that a lean body shape is particularly important.

Day to day, that means walking rather than leaping. Lift a Basset into the car with both hands, or teach it to use a ramp, rather than letting it jump down from the back seat. On the trails, choose the carriage paths at Ravenswood Park over a scramble across the boulders of Dogtown Common, and let the dog set the pace. Weigh it every month and ask your vet for a target weight; the AKC's nutrition notes warn that too many training treats cause obesity.

Know the warning signs, too. VCA describes disc disease as causing back or neck pain, reluctance to move, uncoordinated walking and, in severe cases, paralysis, and notes that some dogs go from walking to total paralysis in under an hour. A Basset that yelps when picked up, moves stiffly, wobbles on its back legs or refuses a step it managed yesterday needs a vet the same day.

Treat a suddenly painful eye as urgent. The AKC lists glaucoma among the Basset's health issues, and its test list for the breed includes a DNA test for the Basset form of primary open angle glaucoma. VCA names the Basset Hound among breeds associated with glaucoma, lists squinting, rubbing, watery discharge, a red or bulging eye and a cloudy or bluish cornea among the signs, and calls acute glaucoma an emergency, because blindness can follow quickly unless the pressure comes down.

The rest of the AKC's list belongs in your file and your vet's. It names hip and elbow dysplasia, hypothyroidism, luxating patella and two bleeding disorders, thrombopathia and von Willebrand's disease, which are worth raising with your vet before any surgery. The ears need checking often, the AKC adds, because long, droopy ears limit air circulation, and head shaking or scratching may mean a vet visit. Our Basset grooming page covers the ears, lips and dewlap on the grooming table.

The AKC notes that Bassets were developed to work in a pack, enjoy canine company and settle for a comfortable sleep after play, and it scores the breed five out of five with other dogs. That is a starting point, not a placement. Our playgroups of 7 to 10 are matched by size and temperament, and the free evaluation, weekdays between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, shows whether your Basset joins a group that moves at its speed. Daycare is $42 a day or $33 for a half.

Plan breakfast around the day. VCA lists the Basset Hound among breeds predisposed to bloat, a life-threatening emergency in which the stomach fills with gas and can twist, and counts a single daily meal and fast eating among the risk factors. Split the food into two meals and leave a quiet gap between breakfast and drop-off. A bath before pick-up is $65 or $75 by weight and nail clipping $16; our dog grooming page lists the antiseptic shampoo and every other add-on.