Best Dog Food for Basset Hounds — Nutrition That Matches the Breed
Basset Hounds are long-bodied scent hounds prone to weight gain (a spinal and joint risk), ear infections, and a hearty appetite. Lean, satisfying, clean freeze-dried raw protects their frame and ears.
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Answer a few questions about your dog and get a personalized formula recommendation — built around their breed, age, and needs.
What Basset Hounds need most from their food
The Basset Hound’s long body, heavy appetite, and long ears shape their needs:
Weight & Spine/Joint Health
Bassets gain weight easily, straining their long back and heavy-boned joints; lean weight is protective.
Ear Health
Long, low ears are prone to trouble, and food sensitivities can play a part; a single-protein diet makes a known trigger easier to avoid.
Food Motivation
Bassets are food-driven; protein-rich, satisfying food supports portion control.
Digestive Health
Highly digestible, single-protein whole-food nutrition reduces digestive burden.
Why freeze-dried raw is right for Basset HoundsBasset Hounds
Basset Hounds have a long, heavy-boned body on short legs, and a notoriously hearty appetite — a combination that makes weight management critical. Excess weight strains their long back and heavy joints, so keeping a Basset lean is genuinely protective. The breed’s long, low-hanging ears are also infection-prone (diet can contribute).
Loyal Saints supports Bassets with lean, nutrient-dense, protein-rich food that satisfies (helping curb the breed’s appetite), single-protein recipes with no wheat, corn or soy, and omega-3s for joints and skin. Portion control with nutrient-dense food is key.
Formula recommendation for Basset Hounds
Chicken Formula
Our gentlest, leanest formula — protein-rich and satisfying for portion-controlled weight management, with no wheat, corn or soy.
Shop Chicken Formula →Turkey + Salmon Formula
For joint, skin, and ear support — omega-3s support the joints and skin barrier of a heavy-boned breed.
Shop Turkey + Salmon Formula →Make it work for your budget
What a day costs for a 52 lb Basset Hound
with Halo Club (14½ tbsp)
with Halo Club (3⅝ cups)
as a complete meal
- Start as a topper. Swap a quarter of the bowl for Loyal Saints and keep the rest the same — real freeze-dried raw in every meal for a quarter of the cost. One 14 oz bag then lasts about 9 days.
- Join the Halo Club. 20% off every order and free shipping on every member order.
- Buy the 14 oz bag. Same food as the 5 oz, and it costs less per day ($20.75 vs $32.08 for a complete meal).
- First order: enter code KING40 at checkout for 40% off (first orders only).
Beef or Turkey + Salmon, at the live 14 oz price. Amounts follow the bag’s feeding guide and our feeding calculator; adjust for activity and body condition. See every weight and formula →
The standard is King.
Loyal Saints was built because of one dog. King’s digestive sensitivities pushed Kristina Voltin to question the ingredients, processing and nutrition behind every bowl. She formulated a whole-food, freeze-dried raw diet from human-grade quality ingredients — food she felt confident feeding King every day. Every formula is held to that standard: would I feed this to King?
For Basset Hounds owners navigating the same questions Kristina faced — about ingredients, about what’s really in the bag, about whether the food is actually good — Loyal Saints is the answer she built for them.
Read King’s story →What’s not in it — matters for Basset Hounds.
For a weight-prone, long-bodied breed, lean weight protects the spine and joints; protein-rich food curbs the Basset’s appetite, and a simple, single-protein diet makes a known trigger easier to avoid.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best dog food for a Basset Hound?
A lean, protein-rich, satisfying diet that helps with weight control, plus a clean profile with no wheat, corn or soy for the ears. Loyal Saints Chicken is lean and satisfying; Turkey + Salmon supports joints and skin. Measured portions are key, as Bassets gain weight easily.
How do I keep my Basset Hound from getting overweight?
Feed nutrient-dense, protein-rich food in measured portions, limit treats, and ensure exercise. Protein satisfies better than filler, helping curb the breed’s hearty appetite. Keeping a Basset lean protects their long back and heavy joints.
How much should I feed my Basset Hounds?
Basset Hounds typically weigh 40–65 lbs, needing about 3–4¼ cups of freeze-dried raw a day as a complete meal (Beef or Turkey + Salmon; 3⅓–4¾ cups of Chicken), split into two meals. Adjust to body condition and activity; large breeds benefit from measured meals to reduce bloat risk.
Is freeze-dried raw good for a Basset Hound?
Yes. Start with single-protein Chicken (gentlest, most digestible) using a 7–10 day transition, or Beef for more protein density. All formulas are complete and balanced, made with human-grade quality ingredients, and free of fillers and synthetic vitamin premixes.
Protect the frame, satisfy the appetite.Basset Hounds
Lean, protein-rich, clean. Built for the Basset Hound. Halo Club members save 20% with free shipping on every order (contiguous U.S.).
Real dogs. Real bowls.
Her Favorite Part of the Day Isn’t the Walk: Frenchie
Meat and organs first, freeze-dried raw and ready the second you open the bag. Start as a topper on your dog’s current food for about $1.74 a day with a 14 oz bag. New here? Take 40% off your first order with code KING40.
Quick answers
What is Loyal Saints dog food?
Loyal Saints is a woman-owned premium freeze-dried raw dog food: vet-formulated, meat and organs first, AAFCO complete and balanced, made with human-grade quality ingredients in an FDA-registered facility in the Midwest.
Where can I buy Loyal Saints?
At loyalsaintspets.com (Halo Club: 20% off and free shipping on every order (contiguous U.S.); KING40 takes 40% off a first order when typed at checkout), and on Amazon, Chewy and Target.
How much Loyal Saints should I feed?
Follow the amounts printed on the bag: for Beef or Turkey + Salmon, about ¾ cup a day for a 6 lb dog, 1¼ cups for 12 lb and 2 cups for 25 lb. Use about 25% of that as a topper. Ease in over 7 to 10 days.
