Considering A Bloodhound, What You Should Know
When you are considering the bloodhound breed as a future member of your family, you will understandably want to know what health issues the breed can experience.
Like all larger breeds, torsion and cancer tend to be the big issues and although not a result of a single genetic issue, its not recommended to breed from hounds that have suffered either, and there may be a familial link so that’s something to talk to your potential breeder about.
People often ask if the breed has ear problems. That can be very much down to the line and the individual, but as with most breeds that have long heavy ears, it can mean that there is a warm damp environment inside that encourages bacterial growth so ear inspection and/or cleaning is an important part of the daily care.
The Kennel Club has recently recommended that Bloodhounds are screened under the KC/BVA Hip and Elbow scheme before breeding from them so you should ask the Breeder for the test results of both parents for the following recommended screening processes.
Click the following links to open the KC information pages on the relevant tests:
Other tests that responsible breeders like to undertake include
Heart testing and DM testing (Degenerative myelopathy):
You can look up the health tests for any KC registered Bloodhound here:
Another thing to consider is the amount of potential “Inbreeding"
We are fortunate that the KC have a marvellous tool online where you can check the COI (Coefficient of Inbreeding).
This tool calculates the probability that two copies of a gene variant have been inherited from an ancestor common to both the mother and the father. The lower the degree of inbreeding, the lower the inbreeding coefficient. Here you can not only check the COI of individual dogs but also hypothetically the COI of a potential mating, and all breeders should be using this tool. It also allows potential puppy buyers to check out the COI of puppies online by inputting the parents names.
Responsible breeders should be pleased to help you with this.
The current COI (Coefficient of Inbreeding) in bloodhounds, according to the Kennel Club data is 10.00%. and they recommend that any mating produces litters with a COI that is at or LOWER than the breed average. You can find out more here:
Understanding "Inbreeding"
Bloodhound Health is our priority
For full information on bloodhound health please visit the Joint health Scheme websitehttps://www.bloodhoundhealth.com/
