American Foxhound – Dog Breed Information Of The Hunting Companion

American Foxhound Appearance

It has pretty large front legs and basically appears very straightened. Also, the American Foxhound features a large skull. The ear appears pendant and droopy and eyes are hazel or brown in color, houndlike –soft looking.

The muzzle looks square and fair cut in shape.

American Foxhound Coat and Colour

This breed consists of a hard and close coat. A soft and short thin coat is often considered a defect. The American foxhound appears white, black, tan or black, white, and tan.

This dog’s coat lies completely wrapped around the body and appears short. The undercoat invariably safeguards it from all the thick, hard surfaces it ventures into.

A gentle, weekly once grooming session with the brush or a hound glove is all you need to keep this dog in prime shape. The Foxhound does not require a daily bath unless he has got into some mess. However, regular trimming of nails is advised.

American Foxhounds are very gentle, loving, and affectionate at home. These dog breeds gel well with children and also with other pets like cats.

Remember, foxhounds are known to chase scents. These dogs, especially, have a melodious tone and in fact, they have been featured in movies too (The Other, The Education of Little Tree, Tombstone).

Amazingly, these foxhounds have incredible stamina and can run for miles together. But, it’s advisable that you always keep him on a leash.

They are incredible learners and some even breeders start training when they are not even eight weeks old. Foxhounds grasp the nuances of training with positive affirmation and easy training.

One of the healthiest dog breed in town, American Foxhounds are normally not affected by any major genetic disorders. The health problems that affect the American foxhounds are discussed here.  They must be vaccinated against all the harmful diseases.

Thrombocytopathy 

This condition results in excessive or abnormal bleeding due to improper function of platelets. The treatment varies depending on the severity and main cause of the condition.

Causes

There are two types of Thrombocytopathies. One is acquired Thrombocytopathy and the other is generic thrombocytopathy. In general, the platelets play an important role in the sealing process.

However, in dogs suffering from thrombocytopathies, the platelets do not close naturally.

In acquired thrombocytopathy, drugs can also cause or alleviate this condition.

• Pancreatic inflammation
• Kidney or liver disorders
• Anaesthetics
• Aspirin can also aggravate thrombocytopathy
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• General antibiotics

Symptoms

One of the most important or main symptoms of Thrombopathia is bleeding. Some of the symptoms of thrombocytopathy

• Excessive bleeding due to teeth problems
• Mucosal areas are also prone to anus, mouth, nose, and gums
• Continuous bleeding without any visible major injuries
• Non-stop bleeding while undergoing surgery

Treatment

When you consult a vet, the vet will inquire about the full medical history and then decide upon the best course of treatment.

Some of the sample tests are urinalysis, biochemical profile, and a full blood count test.

As a matter of fact, even anemia could set in these cases. Other tests can include

• Coagulation test
• Activated thromboplastin time
• Coagulation test – PT

Also, mucosal bleeding is normally measured by making a small cut.

Hip dysplasia

One of the common skeletal conditions, canine hip dysplasia mainly happens in smalle dog breeds. In dogs, the hip joint works like a socket and ball. Moreover, in dogs, having this problem, the hip joint moves awkwardly.

But, with time, this joint deteriorates over time.

Causes

Genetics play a major role in this condition. In general, this condition is hereditary. Additionally, environmental factors such as the dog’s nutrition, weight, exercise, and growth contribute to this condition.

However, hip dysplasia is not only associated with big sized dogs.

Inadequate nutrition can also increase the risk of hip dysplasia. Also, obesity increases the pressure on the joints.

Contact your vet to decide upon the right kind of exercise and diet.

Symptoms

Some of the signs witnessed in dogs with hip dysplasia:

• Severe pain
• Stiffness in the joints
• Total loss of muscle mass
• Joint grating problem
• Bunny hopping or swaying
• Very narrow posture or awkward stance
• Joint looseness
• Total lameness in the back legs
• The problem with climbing stairs, running or jumping
• Very less mobility of movement
• Decreased activity

Treatment

There are quite a few options for hip dysplasia in dogs. After checking your dog, your vet may decide on the best form of treatment

• Using the latest treatment like joint fluids
• Prescribing drugs like corticosteroids
• Therapy
• Recommending exercises on soft or good surfaces for your job
• Reduce weight

Some of the common surgical strategies

In this procedure, the vet fixes a new joint made of plastic implants and metal, thereby reducing the pain associated with this disorder.

How to prevent hip dysplasia?

Feeding your dog with the right diet containing the right nutrients will give your dog a chance to prevent this disorder.

Next, overweight can also increase the chances of elbow dysplasia or diabetes. Therefore, learn to avoid fatty food items and table scraps.

Glucosamine drug reduces the risk of hip dysplasia and arthritis in the long run. So, ask your vet about this drug and its use.

Ear Infections

Hair overgrowth, swimming, or allergies can also cause ear pain or ear infections. It’s important to discover this problem early else your dog might suffer in pain.

Other signs of ear infections are shaking or scratching the head quite often, or displaying pain while touching the ear.

Overall, treating ear infections as early as possible can reduce the chances of eardrum damage.

Causes

Most of the ear infections are due to ear mites, yeast, or bacteria. In other cases, the ear canal turns wet due to swimming, grooming, or bathing.

Not to mention, this wetness multiplies the growth of bacteria.

Dogs suffer from all types of ear infections if they are bothered by allergies –

• Environmental allergies like weeds, trees, molds
• Food allergies like soy, fish, chicken or beef

Other signs

• Encephalitis or if the dog is suffering from meningitis
• Endocrine problems
• Pemphigus or autoimmune problems
• Thyroid disorders
• Dogs having food allergies are more likely to develop ear infections
• Presence of viruses, aspergillosis, or bacteria

Symptoms

Some of the well-recognized symptoms of ear infections like cauliflower ears.

In case, if you notice any of these signs, you better call your vet without any more time

• The drastic hearing loss in dogs
• Dogs are found to wander in circles
• Abnormal eye actions
• Losing balance
• Tilting the head sidewards
• Loss of hair around the ear
• Swelling, redness, or bad odor

Treatment

Before actually starting the treatment, your vet will collect details such as

• Previous history of eye infections if any
• When did you last clean its ears?
• Are you giving the dog any medication?
• Complete diet chart of your dog
• Have you noticed any signs such as odor, blood discharge, or swelling?

After a thorough examination, the vet might prescribe steroids or Tramadol to reduce pain and inflammation. Depending on the case, some may take a fortnight but chronic cases will take not less than six months.

In conclusion, do not skip the treatment even if the ears start to look healthy.

Steps to control ear infections

Simple but effective steps to reduce or control ear infections

• Use cotton balls to clean your dog’s ear
• In other words, first, clean the ear canal. Also, never use cotton balls, paper towels, or anything else that may leave deposits while cleaning.
• Cotton-tipped buds can be used to clean the fold

Tick Bites

Your dog will mostly show no signs and ticks are normally very small in size. The main symptoms might appear after a week of tick invasion. In general, ticks are commonly found in health, grassland, and woodland areas. If you notice ticks on the body, consult your vet immediately and follow the advice to kill the ticks.

These dogs move very amiably and are very easy going as such. They are quite adamant by nature. In all cases, obedience training is strictly recommended because American foxhounds are known to get into trouble with their nose.

However, dogs bred at home are ideally easygoing, devoted, and mild-mannered.

To tell the truth, owners will require tons and tons of patience when training them because scenthounds like these can display unwanted behavior if not given proper exercise.

Exercise

This dog breed generally spends hours together chasing its prey. Moreover, foxhounds require not less than a couple of hours daily for exercise.

Are you aware that foxhounds are fond of long hikes and walks? Actually, they should never be allowed to walk or run around in areas filled with heavy traffic.

Finally, this breed also needs exercises to train their body and mind. They are good at activities such as coursing ability tests, rally, and tracking.

The American Foxhounds normally consumes around 2 or 3 bowls of supreme quality dog food daily. In addition, these breeds should manage well on both home prepared or market made food items.

Important things to keep in mind

• Any diet you prepare must be relevant to the dog’s structure, age, and other lifestyle factors.
• Foxhounds are likely to turn obese, so supervise them while they eat.
• Positive training and treats play an important role in the wellness of the dog.
• If you are unsure, always consult your vet. Not to mention, clean fresh drinking water should be provided at all times.

You should never feed your dog with salty food items, milk(in certain cases), avocado, alcohol, mouldy foods, Bread dough, Scallions, Macadamia nuts, Garlic etc.

Some of their favorites are lamb, fish, beef, and whole chicken or any meat proteins.

In fact, American Foxhounds are quite musical by nature. Having bell-tone voices, their baying can travel for miles. Not a homely type, they will roam care freely if left unnoticed.

Bear in mind, American foxhounds were generally bred to hunt but not to take down its prey. They are susceptible to easy distraction, particularly scents. Also, independent and adamant by nature, obedience training will be quite tiresome with these American Foxhounds.

In fact, according to some reports, they were America’s first home bred dog breed. Interestingly, George Washington bred not less than 36 Foxhounds. They were named Drunkard, Searcher, Chloe, Tipler, Tipsy, and Sweet Lips.

In 2013, in America’s Philadelphia, 3 years old, Jewel, an American foxhound bagged the “Best in Show” award conducted by Purina.

While choosing a name for your American foxhound, why not check out these names

The average price of an American foxhound is somewhere between USD $ 400 to USD $ 600. If you decide to buy one, kindly buy them only from recognized and reputed breeders with papers and all vaccination details.

Overall, do not buy American foxhound puppies from breeders who offer them at throwaway prices.

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