What are the best dog foods for Basset Hound? Such a critical question that we will tackle in this post.
With its adorable droopy face and lovably laid-back personality, the Basset hound is one of the most recognizable dog breeds in the world.
Basset Hounds possess a variety of iconic features like a low-slung too long body, short legs with massive paws and a too large head with droopy jowls, extreme floppy ears and a mournful expression completely un-reflective of their joyful personality.
The Basset Hound, however, is far more than a pretty face. Originally bred in Europe to hunt small game like foxes and badgers, the Basset Hound has a keen nose and surprisingly loud and intimidating bark.
Basset Hounds are not fast, nor are they particularly agile or energetic. However, what Basset Hounds lack in athletic ability they make up for with uncanny ability to sniff out and locate game, remarkable intelligence and steadfast loyalty to their owners.
The Basset Hounds affable, low-key personality make them a great choice for first-time dog owners and families with children.
Best Dog Food for Basset Hounds
It is not uncommon for low-quality dog food brands to utilize filler ingredients to extend the value of their product.
The dog foods featured here are the best dog foods for Basset Hounds because they contain healthy proteins, fats, fruits and vegetables that Basset Hounds need to sustain a healthy lifestyle.
Unlike other dog food brands, these brands contain zero filler and no animal meal so you can be sure your Basset Hounds is getting the nutrition its body needs to remain healthy and happy.
Crafted by a licensed vet-nutritionist, all meals from Nom Nom are cooked on low heat, to preserve nutrients, in a restaurant-grade kitchen to pass human standards.
Nom Nom is a subscription-based service that revolutionizing the way we look at dog food.
Say goodbye to sorting through the dog food isle for quality dog food. With Nom Nom’s Heartland Beef Mash your dog's specifically engineered diet is delivered to your door.
It is an all-natural recipe that your Basset Hound will love. This recipe includes protein and healthy fats calcium potassium, and vitamins.
It is also packed with real animal proteins, fruits and vegetables like real ground beef, egg, potatoes, carrots, peas instead of artificial ingredients.
As a responsible dog owner, you want to do what’s best for your dog, but you have to operate within your own limitations.
If you’re concerned about the cost of your dog’s food, choose a brand that is known as much for the quality of their products as for their affordability.
From Chewy’s in-house brand, this American Journey Beef & Brown Rice Protein First Recipe is a great choice if you’re looking for a quality dog food. It features fresh chicken as the primary ingredient, a rich source of protein and taurine.
This recipe also contains deboned beef and chicken meal, for supplemental protein and digestible whole-grain carbohydrates like brown rice.
This formula contains fresh fruits and vegetables to provide natural sources of essential vitamins with chelated minerals to ensure optimal nutrient absorption.
Overall, this formula provides 25% crude protein and 15% crude fat with a balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Boasting a nice selection of fowl protein sources, this product also contains highly-digestible carbohydrates as well as whole fruits and veggies producing a well-rounded meal.
This dog food formulation keeps it simple by bringing your pup a nice selection of choice fowls in one healthy package. The first ingredient is duck, joined by chicken, roasted quail, roasted duck, and smoked turkey.
It’s a yummy combination that brings up the crude protein content to a steady 32%. There’s chicken fat in this recipe, helping the crude fat content up to a minimum 18%. The crude fiber is at 4% maximum and moisture is at 10% maximum.
These don’t vary much from the figures of the High Prairie and Appalachian Valley formulas mentioned above, except when it comes to the Omega fatty acids. Omega-6 is less at 2.4%, while Omega-3 is a tiny bit more at .4% minimum.
The caloric content at 375 kcal per cup is a tiny bit more than some other leading grain free formulas.
What Customers Like:
Packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids
Notable difference in pet's coat and skin health
Picky eaters eat this
Grain-free recipe made with real duck
Common Complaints:
Contains pea protein and eggs (may be a source of allergy)
Feeding raw is made simple by Ollie. With quality animal protein sources, whole fruits and veggies, it provides excellent doses of vitamins and minerals which helps with overall immune support.
Ollie is a pet food company that was founded in 2016 by Gabby Slome, Alex Douzet, and Randy Jimenez. This New York-based pet food company set out to turn the pet food industry on its head by offering fresh, custom meals for dogs similar to meal-prep services like Maple and Sprig for humans.
If your dog's ready for some sheep thrills, we suggest this meal centered around lamb and butternut squash. Perfect for pups with allergies, this feast also contains nutrient-dense cranberries and kale.
Ollie’s fresh food is made and hand-packed in the USA. They are partners with a veterinary nutritionist to formulate their nutritionally-balanced recipes in accordance with AAFCO standards. All of their food is cooked in small batches in their USDA-regulated kitchen.
They carefully source their ingredients from reputable farms in the U.S and Australia. Each partner must go through an extensive certification process to become a supplier. All of their food is made only with whole, food grade ingredients.
What Customers Like:
Each recipe is vet-formulated
Made from fresh, natural ingredients
Met AAFCO nutritional standards
Improved oral/dental health
You can customize your subscription
Common Complaints:
Price a bit expensive
Fresh pet food has a shorter shelf life compared to kibbles and canned goods
This poultry-free kibble boasts deboned texas beef as its number 1 ingredient as well as vitamins, minerals, fiber and other natural ingredients making it perfect for all breeds.
Formulated with vitamins and minerals, Merrick Real Texas Beef + Sweet Potato Recipe delivers grain-free nutrition with ingredients like real beef, sweet potatoes, peas, apples, blueberries.
It supports increased mobility with glucosamine and chondroitin and includes Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids for healthy skin and a shiny coat.
The specially designed recipe also contains a full selection of high-quality ingredients which make up a complete and balanced diet.
This kibble supports healthy skin, coat, and mobility, as well as high doses of chondroitin and glucosamine and high levels of Omega fatty acids. It provides everything your Basset Hound needs to live a long, happy and healthy life.
What Customers Like:
Great choice for dogs with sensitive stomachs.
The first ingredient deboned beef.
Includes antioxidant-rich ingredients.
Common Complaints:
Includes artificial ingredients.
Can be pricey.
6. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Healthy Weight
Bassets commonly suffer from arthritis and other joint issues, hence, it is a must to keep their weight under control. This healthy weight formula contains reduced calories, L-carnitine, chondroitin and glucosamine to achieve the ideal weight.
This product is designed to increase your Basset Hounds overall quality-of-life.
Each bag includes real meat, whole grains, garden veggies, and LifeSource Bits, a to add nutrients and antioxidants.
It also promotes healthy joints and mobility, which especially important to Basset Hounds who commonly suffer from arthritis.
The recipe contains only high-quality animal proteins, fruits and vegetables like chicken, duck, and salmon, apples, spinach, blueberries, and pumpkin.
Also, it is made without excess fat to maintain a healthy weight. It also includes L-Carnitine for muscle development and calcium, for strong bones and teeth.
This wholesome raw food diet offers all the benefits of raw feeding minus all the grinding, chopping and measuring. This highly palatable, freeze dried nuggets is chock full of nutrients and easy to serve: just add water.
This is a high-quality dog food that provides your Basset Hounds with all the benefits of a well balanced, protein-packed diet.
It includes real, lamb organs plus organic kale, carrots, squash, broccoli, apples, cranberries, blueberries & more. The best part is that this dog food includes zero filler ingredients like corn, wheat, soy, by-product meals.
What's more, it includes zero artificial ingredients like flavoring, coloring or preservatives.
What Customers Like:
Perfect for pets with sensitive stomachs
Minimally processed ingredients
Includes valuable antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals
Made with 20+ superfood ingredients, fresh deboned meats and fish meals, this is not your ordinary puppy kibble. The ingredients are only cooked once on low fire to keep its flavor and nutrients.
Basset Hound puppies need all the protein and nutrients they can get to develop into strong, intelligent Basset Hound adults. Now Fresh Small Breed Puppy Recipe has everything a growing puppy needs to mature physically and cognitively.
This recipe provides your Basset Hound pup with 100% fresh turkey, salmon, and duck, as well as omega 3 & 6 oils.
The recipe also features wholesome fruits and vegetables like peas, spinach, cranberries, pumpkin, blackberries, alfalfa sprouts, kelp, lentils, and carrots.
The best part is that it contains zero grains, gluten, wheat, beef, corn, soy, rendered meats, by-products or artificial preservatives.
This grain-free recipe features real animal proteins like duck and turkey, as well as a litany of healthy, all natural ingredients like sweet potatoes, chickpeas and lentils.
By feeding your Basset Hound puppy this recipe, you ensure they receive the nutrition they need to fuel healthy development.
Nulo’s grain-free recipe features real animal proteins like duck and turkey, as well as a litany of healthy, all natural ingredients like sweet potatoes, chickpeas and lentils.
The recipe also features zero corn, wheat or soy which makes it a great choice for Basset Hound puppies with sensitive stomachs.
What Customers Like:
Grain-free formula
Supports a healthy digestive system
Made without grains, corn, wheat or soy
Common Complaints:
No prebiotics or probiotics
Easy to overeat
10. Nutro Ultra Trio Protein Chicken, Lamb & Whitefish Pate
If your senior companion is now a fussy eater, you may want to offer him this delicious wet food. Made from highly palatable protein sources, this yummy meal can be given alone or as a topper.
This is a premium senior formula designed to encourage picky seniors to eat. It features dense nutrition with real chicken, lamb, and whitefish for a variety of animal-based protein sources.
Plenty of vitamins and antioxidants support the coat and skin. It also promotes joint and bone health.
It doesn’t use any cheap fillers such as corn or soy and has no artificial flavors or colors. It forgoes all common food allergens and should be easy for your senior dog to digest without much issue.
Plus, it should encourage even the pickiest senior dog to eat despite the condition of the mouth and teeth.
What Customers Like:
Contains no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
Supports joint health
Supports digestive health
Designed for picky eaters
Easy to digest
Easy to chew
No fillers
Common Complaints:
Has a strong smell
Can be expensive
Quality Dog Food Matters
There is a prevalence amongst name-brand dog food companies to include harmful artificial ingredients in their product.
Quality dog foods do not include artificial ingredients nor do they contain grains, wheat, corn, and gluten.
Therefore, it is essential for Basset Hound owners to ensure their hound is fed a diet loaded with protein, nutrients, fats, and minerals that support overall health, and healthy growth and cognitive development.
Common Health Issues
Basset Hounds live an average lifespan of 8 to 12 years, but Like all purebred dogs, are susceptible to a number of genetic health issues resulting from years of irresponsible breeding practices.
Basset Hounds are also considered low-energy dogs; therefore they are also susceptible and prone to obesity.
The best way to ensure your Basset Hound does not develop any of these debilitating issues is by feeding them a healthy diet, and ensuring regular trips to your veterinarian.
Obesity – Obesity in Basset Hounds is characterized by excessive body weight, typically as a result of overfeeding, improper nutrition and lack of exercise.
Hypothyroidism – Hypothyroidism is common in canines, and the Basset Hound is no exception. Hypothyroidism is characterized by impaired production of thyroid hormones resulting in a decreased metabolic rate.
Symptoms of Hypothyroidism include lethargy, decreased cognitive ability, weight gain, obesity, increased shedding, thickening of the skin and intolerance to cold.
Elbow Dysplasia – Elbow Dysplasia is characterized by growth disturbances in the elbow joint, which may result in chronic pain from arthritis, lameness, and even partial paralysis.
Glaucoma – Basset Hounds are genetically predisposed to Glaucoma; characterized by fluid buildup in the eye as a result of increased pressure placed on the eyeball. Glaucoma almost always results in total blindness. In general, both eyes are affected.
However, in cases where only one eye is affected your vet will take steps to protect the unaffected eye from developing a diseased condition.
Cataracts – Opacities within the lens of the eye that can affect vision and lead to total blindness. Cataracts must be treated by a veterinarian from a young age so their eyesight can be adjusted.
Patellar Luxation – Patellar Luxation is typically characterized by the dislocation of the knee cap as a result of trauma and/or a genetic malformation.
Thrombopathia – Thrombopathia is a genetic bleeding disorder affecting Basset Hounds; characterized by abnormal platelet function. Platelets are the blood cells responsible for blood clotting.
Basset Hounds affected by thrombopathia are at risk of excessive bleeding. This condition should be taken seriously by owners as it can be life-threatening if left ignored or untreated.
Von Willebrand's Disease – A canine bleeding disorder characterized by a defective or missing Von Willebrand factor, a protein that enables blood to clot. While some of the medical conditions that can affect a Basset Hounds are treatable, others are far more debilitating, while others are fatal.
The best way to ensure that your Basset Hounds lives the happiest, healthiest life it can it is essential that it be provided with sufficient activity, and a diet that consists of the best dog food.
What to Look for in a Quality Dog Food
Quality dog foods for Basset Hounds are made with quality, natural ingredients rich in healthy sugars like fresh fruits and veggies and quality animal proteins.
It is not uncommon for name brand dog foods to include ingredients like brewers rice, and animal meal byproducts. These ingredients act as filler and do not support a healthy canine diet.
The best dog food brands contain high levels of animal fats and proteins and do not include artificial ingredients grains, processed flour, dyes or preservatives are a far better alternative.
High-quality animal proteins like fish chicken, beef, and lamb should be listed as the first ingredients.
Ingredients to Avoid
Dog owners are advised to avoid dog foods containing ingredients derived from gluten, and artificial ingredients like:
Nitrites or Nitrates (Sodium Nitrite)
Brewers Rice
BHA/BHT
Propylene Glycol
Sodium Hexametaphosphate
Xylitol and Other Sugar Alcohols
Sodium Tripolyphosphate (STPP)
Obesity is prevalent in the Basset Hound breed; thus, owners should avoid feeding their Basset Hound human foods such as:
Grapes
Diary
Chocolate or Candy
Onions and Garlic
Nuts
Yeast
Bad Dog Food Brands
Many name brands provide little if any nutritional value. When shopping for dog food avoid the following brands that include filler, additives, and other less-than-savory ingredients:
Kal Kan
Caesars
Ol’ Roy by Walmart
Pedigree
Iams
Feeding Chart
Feeding your Basset Hound high-quality dog food is essential. High-quality dog foods are made from beef, chicken or venison and are free of grains, potatoes, and wheat.
Feeding your Basset Hound dog foods free of artificial ingredients and rich, healthy proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins produce a more luxurious coat, healthier skin and greater quality of life.
The nutrition your Basset Hound needs changes throughout the various stages of its life. Check below to see what ingredients your Basset Hound needs throughout its three main life phases.
Puppies – Basset Hound puppies require extra-protein to develop into a healthy adult. Puppy formula and dog foods designed for growing puppies are the best choices in your puppies the first year. Puppies should be fed twice a day, at regular intervals, the more active your puppy, the more food they require.
Adolescent – Basset Hound older than 6 months need less food than younger puppies. Basset Hound that has reached 75% of their full size need no more than three meals per day.
Adult & Senior – Basset Hound over 7 years of age, are considered senior. Senior dogs benefit from a well-formulated consisting of lower calories, sodium and carbohydrates and rich in high-quality protein.
Senior Basset Hound also benefit from dog foods containing prebiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, and glucosamine to promote healthy bodily function and a longer life expectancy.
In a nutshell
When selecting the best dog food for a Basset Hound, it's crucial to focus on balanced nutrition that supports their unique physical characteristics.
Due to their tendency to gain weight, choose a food that is lower in calories but still rich in high-quality proteins and healthy fats to maintain lean muscle mass and energy.
Ensure the food includes ingredients that promote joint health and digestive well-being, as Basset Hounds can be prone to issues in these areas.
Opt for options that meet AAFCO standards and consult your veterinarian to tailor the diet to your dog's specific needs and health conditions.
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An individual with a profound affection for animals, who was brought up in an environment surrounded by dogs, cats, and chickens. A self-taught enthusiast in the realm of pet care. At present, the proud caretaker of two rescued felines and two lovely mixed-breed canines.
