American Foxhound nutrition for working and house hounds

How much an American Foxhound should eat depends more on how much it runs than on anything else. The American Kennel Club says the breed needs at least a solid hour or two of exercise every day, and lists adult weights of 65 to 70 pounds (about 29 to 32 kg) for males and 60 to 65 pounds (27 to 29.5 kg) for females. A hound that gets that exercise can eat a lot. The same hound living as a house dog with short walks gains weight fast on the same bowl.

Calories for a running hound and a house hound

The Merck Veterinary Manual gives the usual starting formula. Resting energy requirement (RER), in kcal per day, is 70 multiplied by body weight in kilograms raised to the power 0.75. Adult dogs at maintenance are then fed a multiple of that: 1.6 times RER for a neutered adult, 1.8 times for an intact adult and 1.4 times for a dog prone to obesity. Rounded to the nearest 10 kcal:

These figures describe a pet with ordinary activity. Merck gives no single multiplier for work, and a Foxhound hunting with a pack or running for hours can need well above the intact column. Raise food in steps of about 10% and hold each step for two to three weeks while watching body condition. Puppies are fed differently again: Merck uses 3 times RER under 4 months of age and 2 times RER after that. Work it out on the pup's current weight and recalculate as it grows.

Two practical points for active hounds. Fat carries more than twice the calories of protein or carbohydrate per gram, so a performance or sport food lets a hard-working dog meet its needs without a huge volume of food. And on rest days or in the off-season, the ration should come back down.

Keeping a Foxhound lean

Weight gain in this breed is mostly a mismatch between food and exercise. A hound bred to run, with a strong interest in food, will eat what is offered whether or not it spent the day on the move. Exercise matters for more than weight: the breed profile warns that an under-exercised Foxhound may become bored and destructive.

The best evidence for staying lean comes from a lifetime study in another breed. In 48 Labrador Retrievers followed from puppyhood, dogs fed 25% less than their paired littermates lived 1.8 years longer at the median, and late-life diseases, osteoarthritis in particular, began later. The restricted dogs were not starved; they were simply kept lean.

Body condition is checked by hand. The ribs should be easy to feel under a thin layer of fat without pressing, the waist should be visible from above, and the belly should tuck up behind the ribs when seen from the side. A short-coated, lean hound makes this easy, and a monthly check catches gain before it becomes a problem.

• Weigh food on a kitchen scale rather than using a scoop.
• Count treats and chews as part of the day's calories, keeping them to about 10%.
• Cut food when exercise stops, for example after an injury, in bad weather or when the dog is recovering from surgery.
• Secure the kitchen and bins. Scent hounds find food.

Hips and joints

Some American Foxhounds have had hip dysplasia, according to the AKC, though not often enough to call it a chronic problem in the breed. Hip dysplasia is still worth planning around in any dog of this size, and the steps are the same as for joint health generally.

• Grow puppies slowly. Feed a food labeled complete and balanced for growth, preferably one that includes large-size dogs, and keep the puppy lean rather than round. Do not add calcium supplements to a complete puppy food.
• Keep adults lean, as above. Less weight means less load on every joint.
• Choose supplements on evidence. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis of foods and supplements for osteoarthritis in dogs and cats found clear pain-relief effects for omega-3 enriched diets and omega-3 supplements. The same review found a marked lack of effect for glucosamine and chondroitin products and recommended that they no longer be used for osteoarthritis pain.

Stiffness after rest, a shortened stride, reluctance to jump into the car or a change in how the dog sits all deserve a vet examination. Effective pain relief exists, and a supplement should not replace it.

Ears

Long, hanging ears can trap warmth and moisture in the ear canal. In UK primary-care records of more than 22,000 dogs, breeds with pendulous ears had 1.76 times the odds of otitis externa compared with breeds with erect ears. Ear infections are among the few health problems the AKC mentions for the breed.

Check the ears weekly and after swimming or wet runs. Redness, a yeasty smell, dark discharge, head shaking or scratching need a vet visit rather than home cleaning, because the right treatment depends on what is growing in the ear. Ear infections that keep coming back often have an underlying cause, and allergy, including food allergy, is a common one. A vet may suggest an elimination diet trial with a hydrolyzed or novel-protein food. Changing foods at random does not answer the question.

Thrombocytopathy

A small number of American Foxhounds have suffered from thrombocytopathy, a disorder in which platelets do not work properly and minor scrapes can bleed abnormally or for too long. It is uncommon, and the AKC says responsible breeders test breeding stock for it. Diet cannot correct it. What matters is knowing about it before bleeding happens:

• Tell the vet if a Foxhound has ever bled more than expected from a nail trim, a small cut or a tooth coming out. Platelet function can be tested before surgery.
• Do not give aspirin or any pain medication without veterinary advice. Aspirin in particular impairs platelet function.
• For a dog diagnosed with a bleeding disorder, check with the vet before adding high-dose fish oil, which can also affect platelet function.

Bleeding gums, blood in urine or stool, many small red spots on the skin or gums, or a nosebleed are reasons to see a vet promptly.

Meals and bloat

Foxhounds are deep-chested dogs, and the Merck Veterinary Manual's chapter on gastric dilation and volvulus lists a deep, narrow chest among the risk factors for this emergency, along with older age, a relative that has had it, once-daily feeding, eating quickly and stress. We found no figures for how often the American Foxhound is affected. Merck's prevention advice fits the breed well:

• Feed two or more smaller meals instead of one large meal.
• Restrict hard exercise before and after meals.
• Keep mealtimes calm. In a multi-dog home, feeding hounds apart stops a pack-raised dog from bolting its food.
• Avoid raised feed bowls.

Merck also lists eating quickly among the risk factors. A slow-feeder bowl on the floor is one practical way to slow a fast eater.

Unproductive retching, drooling, restlessness and a swelling belly are signs of bloat and need an emergency vet at once. For a dog at high risk, ask the vet about a preventive gastropexy, which Merck notes should prevent the life-threatening twist.

Sources

1. American Foxhound dog breed information. American Kennel Club.
2. Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.
3. Diet restriction and ageing in the dog: major observations over two decades. British Journal of Nutrition, 2008.
4. A 2022 Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Enriched Therapeutic Diets and Nutraceuticals in Canine and Feline Osteoarthritis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022.
5. Frequency and predisposing factors for canine otitis externa in the UK: a primary veterinary care epidemiological view. Canine Medicine and Genetics, 2021.
6. Gastric Dilation and Volvulus in Small Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.