[Dailydrool] Drool and coffee

[Pamela McQuade]

If your husband is tempted to overfeed Maggie, have him think about basset health for a while. The fact is that too much weight can be bad for a dog's back. Our Abner came to us hugely overweight. What I had to learn was that I was in control of how much he ate. When we switched to a lower-calorie food and stopped feeding him extras, he did lose weight, though he wasn't happy at first. We found that green beans really helped fill him up--and he enjoyed them too.
 
I wish I had made him lose weight earlier, since I might have saved him having intervertebral disc disease and having to have back surgery. It was a very painful experience for us and him. So I will always preach the importance of getting hounds to a good weight and keeping them there.
 
But the back isn't the only thing to suffer when a dog is overweight. Major organs can experience damage too. Bassets don't live as long as we do, and their bodies don't seem to be as forgiving as ours sometimes are. It's up to us to do what we can to help them live long, healthy lives.
 
This is a good time to become aware of hound health, because it is not too late. At six and a half, your Maggie can have many years of health ahead. Feed her the best food you can afford. Don't feed too many treats, human or canine. And love her up in all the ways you can love a basset. It will all make a difference.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets