[Dailydrool] Avoiding back issues

[Pam McQuade]

A really key issue here is to keep the dog at a good weight. When we got our 
Abner, he was just massively overweight. Though we tried to get him to trim 
down, it seemed impossible. A year later, he went down in the back. How I 
wish we'd made him drop the weight earlier, but I think the hypothyroid 
problem we later discovered had a lot to do with his weight problem.

We've had four bassets, and Abner is the only one who has had back issues. 
Though bassets may be more likely to have this, I don't think it has to 
happen. But I'd also be careful about groomers and vet staff lifting a 
hound. I've heard of dogs who were hurt because they were dropped from a 
grooming table, and I'd think the vet staff needs to be strong enough to get 
a dog on and off safely. Following his back injury, we were told not to lift 
Abs or let him do stairs.

I'm not sure how much jumping and doing stairs contributes to the problem 
before damage is done. I often worried because our Alexis did the "Peachy 
hula," sitting upright to beg. But the vet actually told me that that might 
have helped her avoid back troubles. Of course, she never carried the extra 
weight Abner had.

Right now someone is doing a study to find out if intervertabral disc 
disease (Abner's problem) is heritable. Though I'd like to take a sample to 
help them out, Abner's not keen on having a little brush stuck in his mouth 
and rotated. But I sure would be glad to know that IVDD could be identified 
and eradicated, at least from good breeder's lines.

Here's hoping you never have to deal with back issues. You're wise to think 
of this beforehand. A bad back's a good thing to avoid, since it's very hard 
on both human and hound.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets