What Causes Bleeding in the Basset Hound?

If your Basset Hound is bleeding for no apparent reason, you are no doubt scared and want answers to your questions right away. Unexplained bleeding can be caused by one of two genetic diseases, vonWillebrand’s Disease (vWD) and Canine Thrombopathia, found in the Basset Hound. While careful and selective bleeding can reduce the instances of these diseases, there are still some Basset Hounds that develop these life threatening and debilitating disorders. And there are cases of bleeding where these diseases have been acquired.

The first thing that you may ask is what type of bleeding is associated with these bleeding diseases. The truth is that Basset Hound bleeding disorders can take almost any form. Your dog may be bleeding from his nose, mouth and gums or he may bleed excessively when injured. In addition to those already listed, here are some of the types of bleeding that you will see with Basset bleeding disorders and diseases:

Long heat cycles accompanied by more bleeding than you would normally see
Lameness
Hematomas
Blood in the urine or stool
Excessive and prolonged bleeding after cutting nails, losing teeth, cutting umbilical cord, dew claw removal or whelping.
Red spots or subcutaneous hemorrhages on the stomach
Severe bleeding during surgery
Stillbirths or pups that die quickly after birth due to blood loss

vWD can be either hereditary or acquired, and it is identified by a protein found in the plasma or liquid portion of the blood. This protein can also be found on the surface of blood platelets. This causes the blood platelets to be unable to stick to the vessel walls to stop bleeding.

As in vWD, Canine Thrombopathia is also due to the inability of the blood components to stop bleeding. In this condition it is the platelets that do not function normally. They fail to clump together to form clots which stop bleeding. When acting normally, the blood platelets would clump together and “plug” the bleed.

There are also other causes of Basset Hound bleeding. Your Basset may be bleeding because of a medication that he is taking. For instance: Too much aspirin can thin the blood and provoke bleeding. Your dog may also be bleeding due to a lack of platelets. Again, it is the platelets that clot and stop bleeding.

In all cases of canine bleeding, you should contact your veterinarian immediately. Even a slow blood loss could result in death if it is prolonged. In some cases of canine bleeding, blood loss is swift and requires immediate medical attention if the life of the dog is to be saved.

Once you have your Basset Hound seen by a veterinarian, he or she will be able to perform tests to see what is causing your dog’s bleeding. After a cause has been confirmed, your vet will take the necessary measures to save your pets life. Some causes of bleeding may need to be treated throughout your pet’s life.