Bloodhound

    • Silver

    Bloodhound

    you lucky people, living in a Country where bloodhounds are everywhere! It's absoluteley my favourite breed and when I was looking for a dog...well, i've been struggling to find a good bloodhound breeder in Italy but I failed. In my Country there are just few and I did not feel too convinced about their blood lines so I turned into a mixedbreed adult dog from the pund [:)]
    Do some in this board have a bloodhound? Do american breeders try to make selection to reduce bloat risk and eyelid problems?
    • Bronze
    The issues of bloat in dogs does not affect just bloodhounds, but a goodly number of the hound group.  It has to do with them being deep chested.  I am not sure that some animals are genetically more prone, but breeders do instruct new owners on prevention of bloat by careful feeding and watering and monitoring exercise so that the animals are not extremely vigorously active before or after a large meal or drink.  What you feed can make a big difference too as well as keeping your hound trim and in good physical condition overall....I hadn't actually heard of being able to selectively breed this trait out-especially as it affects more than one hound breed.  You also want to be aware of the early indications of bloat, because early intervention can save the animal's life.  It is also helpful to have a vet who is also familiar with this problem in dogs to work along with you