Average life span for a basset is 12-15 years.
Please know that you could be getting a dog that will have problems for a lifetime.
If the eyes are gunky (green/yellow) the dog needs antibiotics.
The most common cause of these crazy skin problems is allergies. These allergies could be from grass, contact with a cleaner or chemical or could even be food related. The allergy part is sometimes tough to treat but there are some simple things that you can do.
- Talk with your vet about a low allergy diet. Rabbit and potato is my favorite and my dogs do well on it.
- Get the dog started on frontline to eliminate the chance that this is a flea allergy. If he's already on it, keep in mind that it only takes ONE flea to get the cycle started if the dog is allergic to fleas.
- Use a prescribed dose of benadryl when this gets bad. My vet recommends 1 mg per lb of dog given every 8-12 hours as needed when the itching starts
When the dog abrades the skin by chewing and scratching, this opens up the body to infection. Many dogs need antibiotics because of this.
Allergies can be very very difficult but you can usually get some relief from the diet change and allergy testing if you can afford it.
Just be aware that this is not going to be a cheap dog to house and care for. Medication, special food and lifetime allergy problems can get expensive.
I hope this helps!
Let me know if you still have questions.
