Basset Hound Products - Basset Hound Enthusiast

Basset hounds look like they are overweight and unhealthy, so it is only fair for someone to ask how long basset hounds live on average before getting one. While there is no one number, the average lifespan is 13 years. How Long Do Basset Hounds Live on Average? Basset hounds live 10 to 12 years on average, however, the oldest basset hound ever to live was 20 years old. If your Basset Hound comes from a family with good genetics, gets high-quality foods, and regular exercise, there is a good chance that it will live longer than 10 years. There is no certainty that your basset hound will live for 10 to 12 years. Those are the numbers taken as an average. You need to give the best care possible to your basset hound in order to live 10 to 12 years and hopefully some more. Basset Hounds are a unique breed of dog with a long and rich history of being loyal, friendly, and intelligent companions. These dogs have an average life expectancy ranging from ten to twelve years, making them one of the longest-lived domestic dog breeds. In addition to their surprisingly long lifespan, Basset Hounds are also known for their short legs and large ears that give them an instantly recognizable look. Owners should take into consideration their breed's long life expectancy before getting a Basset Hound since they may be making a commitment of over a decade. With proper medical care and plenty of exercises, Basset Hounds can remain in good health for most of their lives and bring many years' worth of joy to their owners' lives. What Is The Longest a Basset Hound Has Lived? Basset hounds are known for their friendly and playful personalities, but also for their short lifespan. They typically live between 10 to 12 years but have been known to live a bit longer. The Guinness Book of World Records reports that the longest-lived Basset hound was one owned by Chris O'Donnell, a gifted United Kingdom veterinarian. His beloved Basset named Tarra lived to be an astounding 20 years old. Even more remarkable is the fact that she was reported to still enjoy chasing rabbits in her final two weeks of life. It's likely due to excellent care and lifelong companionship with her loving owner that Tarra enjoyed such a long life despite the typical lifespan of this breed. Providing your Basset with plenty of mental stimulation through activities like long walks and training will help to keep them active and healthy. Moreover, it is important that they get sufficient exercise as they can be prone to weight gain, so regular daily exercise should also be included. Grooming is also essential and you should pay close attention to their face, ears, and feet; make sure you brush them regularly to keep away tangles and dirt build-up. Bassets should also have their nails trimmed at least once a month; this helps avoid splitting when trimming the nail too short. Finally, the diet of a Basset Hound should strike a balance between high-quality proteins and limited fat intake in order to best support their physical needs. With care, patience, and love your Basset will be a loyal companion for years to come! How To Care For Your Basset Hound In order for your basset hound to live the best and longest life possible, you have to know how to take care of it. That includes proper basset hound training, which foods to eat and not to eat, needed exercise, and more. Best Crate For a Basset Hound The first step to keeping a healthy basset hound is to prepare its crate the proper way. Always by a big crate, bigger than you actually need. Your basset hound would love to stretch his paws and not feel trapped inside. Make sure that the crate you buy is easy for cleaning. You should be able to pick it up and clean it with ease. You should clean your basset hound's crate every 2 weeks. Make sure that you get a crate that allows a lot of light in it. The crate will be located in the house, so you don't have to worry about getting cold. It should be big enough that your basset hound can bring in a few toys to sleep with. If you have more than one basset hound or other pet, you should keep one pet per crate. Basset hounds get along with other pets but at the end of the day, they need to rest properly. I bought a crate for my basset hound from WidWest. The price was very okay and I just love the crate. It is easily foldable, it has a huge door with a secure lock on it. I am able to take out the bed and clean the crate very easily. It is a see-through crate which allows a lot of light in for my basset hound. I like to have a feeding dish and a water dish right next to the crate, just in case my basset hound wakes up hungry or thirsty. He doesn't have to walk around the house and wake everybody up just to get some water. Basically, having a happy and healthy basset hound is essential to helping it live the longest that it can. As long as you provide them with a crate big enough to stretch, decent food and drinks, and lots of love, you are on the right path. Also, if the crate is not clean, the pet cannot be healthy. Best Toys For Your Basset Hound You should get your basset hound one or two toys, and not more. Once those toys are worn, then you can replace them. Basset hounds were originally bred as hunting dogs. So, what's a better toy than a colossal rabbit? Basset hounds are low-energy dogs that don't need a lot of exercises. Daily walks around the block are just fine. But, if your basset hound gets overweight, he will start to get lazy. The best way to get him stimulated is to get him a rabbit toy that he can chew. Try your best to simulate a hunting scenario that is in his DNA. Colossal Rabbit I got this colossal rabbit for my basset hound a year ago. He loves it. For some miracle, the toy is still in pretty good shape. I wash it twice a month because he drools on it a lot. Once I notice that it is getting worn, I will surely purchase it again. Hide-a-Squirrel Remember how I said that you should get your basset hound one or two toys only? Here is the second toy and the reason why. When I first got my basset hound, I bought him 8 toys and he got 5 more from my mom and dad. That brought us to a total of 13 toys for a low-energy dog that doesn't have the time nor the energy to only look at 13 toys and not play with them. He didn't take interest in any of those. I mean, he played with all of them for 15-30 seconds, but he didn't have a favorite. Having a messy house with all the toys is not fun. Then I decided to put all the toys in the garage and only left him with one toy. He and the colossal rabbit became best buddies. Then, I got him another toy that will bring him back to his hunting days. It was a hide-a-squirrel toy that I got from Amazon. My basset hound was perfectly happy with only two toys. This toy, in particular, spent all his energy and he went to bed exhausted as any other good puppy should. Basset Hound Diet The go-to food for basset hounds is dry dog food. But in reality, dry dog food should be only one-fourth of your basset hounds diet. Don't let your basset hound fill up on dry dog food as it might shorten his lifespan. Dry dog food alone does not offer all of the nutrients and vitamins that your basset hounds need to be healthy. Eating only one type of food for all of his life could lead to cancer, obesity, and other health problems. The rest of your basset hound diet should include fruits and vegetables. There are some fruits and vegetables that you can feed your basset hound with, and some that you should avoid at all cost. Fruits you can feed your basset hound include: Fresh fruits Melons (without seeds) Apple (without seeds) Bananas Strawberries Pineapple Pears Fruits to avoid feeding your basset hound with: Avocado (can cause breathing problems and diarrhea) Grapes and raisins (can cause kidney damage) Seeds from fruits (contain cyanide and are very harmful to dogs) Vegetables you can feed your Basset Hound include: Green beans Carrots Beets Cucumber Kale Spinach Celery Butter Squash Vegetables to avoid feeding your basset hound with: Mushrooms (only applies to wild mushrooms) Unripe tomatoes (can cause damage to the nervous system and kidney damage) Broccoli (can irritate the stomach) Potato plants (if you are growing potatoes, make sure to keep your basset hound away from the plant itself). Make sure that all of the vegetables and fruits that you feed your basset hound are fresh and not cooked. Cooking food will always take some of the important nutrients. Also, you might add some seasoning like onion powder which is toxic for dogs. Try mixing the dry dog food with some of the approved vegetables and then give your basset hound a fresh fruit as a treat. Not all basset hounds will love celery or kale, but give them time. There are many other healthy vegetables and fruits that they can still enjoy and be healthy.