Are you worried about how much food you should provide your basset hound in order to keep them in the right shape?
This article will walk you through the details for maintaining an ideal food habit for your basset hound. Read ahead to learn more about it.
How much should a Basset Hound eat?
When you are feeding your Basset hound, you should be careful about the quantity because it is very easy to overfeed or underfeed them. You should serve frequent meals, albeit in smaller portions when they are young. An adults basset hound should eat 2 cups of food, divided into two meals a day.
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Basset hounds are famously pretty short dogs, who are mostly known for their ability to track smell. These little dogs are very charming and active. So you definitely want to make sure that they are enjoying the right amount of meal.
In order to allow your basset hound the right portion of meal, you should first take into consideration their age, gender, height, weight, and level of physical activities.
An adult male will need more food than an adult female. So you should ensure that they are being served accordingly.
Let’s take a look at the recommended amount that you should feed your basset hound according to their age in order to keep them well-nourished throughout the day.
2 to 3 week old Basset Hound:
You should feed about a quarter to half a cup of food to your basset hound puppy who is two to three weeks old. Make sure to divide this food into a few small portions, ideally into five to six meals a day. This will keep them content and satisfied throughout the day.
Note that your puppy is really small at this age and cannot digest more than a small portion. So you should not provide them with a large portion. Instead, opt for small portions and feed them quite a few times in order to nourish them well.
4 to 5 week old Basset Hound:
A Basset hound of 5 to 6 weeks will need to eat between a quarter of a cup to half a cup in order to remain well fed. Make sure to divide this into a few small portions. Otherwise the puppy will not be able to process the large portion of food, and may end up showing signs of diarrhea.
6 to 7 week old Basset Hound:
A puppy who is only six to seven weeks old is rather young and will not be able to eat food in larger portions. So during this age, it is ideal to offer them about five meals a day.
The total amount of food that the puppies at this age need is a quarter to three quarters of a cup. This will keep them satisfied and well-nourished. Otherwise, your puppy will have a hard time staying healthy and active throughout the day.
8 to 9 week old Basset Hound:
A basset hound gets pretty big during this time and you can reduce their meal numbers by a little at this age. You can start to provide them with four meals from this age.
But make sure to increase the portion of meal that they are receiving as the puppies are still growing and need to remain well-nourished in order to sustain their everyday physical activities.
You should provide them between half a cup to one cup of food during this age. Make sure that the food is rich in vitamins and minerals.
10 to 11 week old Basset Hound:
When a puppy is 10 to 11 weeks old, you should be careful the number of meals that you provide. It may look like they have grown pretty large but they will still need to eat food in smaller portions. Make sure to provide them about 4 meals a day.
The ideal quantity of food for them would be half a cup to one cup a day. This will keep them active and jolly throughout the day.
3 month old Basset Hound:
Your puppy will have grown pretty big by this age. You can provide them one and a quarter to one and a half cup meal in a day in order to keep them nourished. However, make sure to divide this food into three to four smaller portions.
4 month old Basset Hound:
Your four-month old puppy will need to stay well-fed throughout the day in order to remain physically active. Note that a four month old basset hound is typically quite active and likes to run around and play pretty often.
So you should feed them accordingly in order to keep their energy level high. Otherwise, your puppy will show signs of weakness and become lazy.
A four month old basset hound gets pretty big in size as well. They will weigh between 20 and 30 pounds. So you should feed them handsomely.
5 month old Basset Hound: A five month old basset hound is a pretty large dog. And they are, by birth, quite active in nature. So you should feed them accordingly. Otherwise, your dog will end up becoming lazy.
You should provide them between one and a half cup and one and three-quarters of a cup, divided into three to four meals. This should keep them well-fed and active all day long.
6 month old Basset Hound:
A 6 month old basset hound will need a about 550 calories a day. To keep them well-fed, make sure that you are feeding them at least one and three-quarters of a cup everyday. Divide this into three meals a day and your dog will be good to go.
7 month old Basset Hound:
A 7 month old basset hound should be allowed a little more food as their physical activities also increase at this age. Make sure to provide them between one and a half cup to two cups of meal a day. Plan at least two meals for them everyday in order to nurture them well.
8 month old Basset Hound:
8 month old puppy should eat between 1 ¾ cups to 2 cups a day, divided into 2 two meals a day. They can eat large portions of meal.
9 month old Basset Hound:
9 month old basset hounds will need two cups of meal, divided into two meals a day. When you are making a meal plan for your dog, make sure to factor in their physical activities.
10 month old Basset Hound:
A 10 month old basset hound should eat two cups of meals a day. But make sure to divide this into two meals in order to keep them energetic throughout the day.
Basset Hound feeding chart:
| Age | Expected dog Weight (pounds) | Recommended amount of food per day (cups) | Daily calorie intake | Feeding frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 week | 2-3 | ¼ to ½ cup | 91 | 5-6 |
| 3 week | 2-3 | ¼ to ½ cup | 91 | 5-6 |
| 4 week | 3-5 | ¼ to ½ cup | 130 | 5 |
| 5 week | 4-6 | ¼ to ¾ cup | 130 | 5 |
| 6 week | 4-8 | ½ to ¾ cups | 160 | 5 |
| 7 week | 5-10 | ½ to ¾ cups | 170 | 5 |
| 8 week or 2 month | 10-15 | ½ to 1 cup | 180 | 4-5 |
| 9 week | 12-15 | ½ to 1 cup | 185 | 4-5 |
| 10 week | 13-16 | ½ to 1 cup | 225 | 4 |
| 11 week | 13-16 | 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups | 225 | 4 |
| 12 week or 3 month | 15-25 | 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups | 230 | 4 |
| 4 month | 20-30 | 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups | 450 | 3-4 |
| 5 month | 25-35 | 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups | 500 | 3-4 |
| 6 month | 30-40 | 1 ¾ cups | 550 | 3 |
| 7 month | 30-45 | 1 ¾ to 2 cups | 600 | 3 |
| 8 month | 35-45 | 1 ¾ to 2 cups | 650 | 2 |
| 9 month | 35-50 | 2 cups | 700 | 2 |
| 10 month | 40-55 | 2 cups | 750 | 2 |
Are you overfeeding your Basset Hound or not feeding enough?
If you are worried about whether you are overfeeding or underfeeding your dog, don’t worry you are not alone. This is a very valid concern and a lot of dog guardians sweat over it as it is rather easy to overfeed or underfeed your dog.
If you are taking care of a dog, firstly take their age into consideration. This is one of the key factors that will help you identify how much food you should provide them. In addition, make sure to take their height and weight into factor.
A young puppy will not be able to eat large portions of meal at one go. Instead, it would be ideal to offer them multiple meals in small portions in order to nourish them well.
If you notice that your dog is showing signs of diarrhea or loose motion during the night, then it is a clear indication that you are overfeeding them.
On the other hand, puppies who are not getting enough food will show signs of weakness. You may notice lesser physical activities when your puppy is not being fed enough.
How frequently to feed your Basset Hound?
The frequency at which you should feed your basset hound mainly depends on the number of meals you are planning to offer them.
This again depends on the age of the basset hound. So if you are taking care of a young puppy who needs to be fed frequently, make sure to offer them food after every two to three hours.
On the other hand, if you are taking care of an older basset hound, who requires two to three meals a day, then you can align their meal time with yours.
In case of older dogs, you can provide them only two to three meals, in a much larger portion than when they were younger.
Recommended feeding time:
Feeding time would depend on the age of the puppy that you are taking care of. If you are feeding a younger puppy, then they would need food much more often than an older one. In that case, make sure to offer them food after every two hours.
However, if you are feeding an older puppy, then they will be able to eat food in much larger portions. In that case, you should offer them food only twice or thrice a day.
You can align the time with your meal time for more convenience. The recommended feeding time for older dogs is at breakfast, lunch and dinner time.
Final thoughts
Basset hound puppies should be fed four to five times a day. Such a frequency is important for the puppies who are at their growing age. In order to develop in a healthy manner, you should offer them food frequently. Adult Basset hounds should eat two cups of food everyday, divided into two meals.