Basenji Health Issues & Questions

@GriffinsMom, my girl Lady had a suspected brain tumour when she had a seizure at 13 years of age. My vet put her on Prednisone, and things improved. She was on and off the drug for the next few years until she really started to get worse at just short of 16 years old. My vet said that for some, Prednisone seems to shrink the tumour. Of course, it would depend on size and location. I don't want to give false hope, but you might inquire about it.

@lawrence-chow But surely the breeder paid for the vet to make sure he/she was selling a healthy puppy ? Good news and a completely new one on me, that just one puppy in a litter should be so affected.

Typically sunburn is a problem on a face with lots of white, because of underlying pink skin. Haven't had an issue with any of my dogs, but my half Arabian pinto mare would sunburn. OTOH, my grey Arabian gelding who had turned white with age had no issues, dark skin underneath the white.

@tanza ok, thank you... I thought snow nose and winter nose were interchangeable in meaning.

@donc The results were rather interesting...

I am so sorry your girl is not herself. I experienced this with my little chihuahua. Her little bed was right next to ours, and she would get up and walk in tight circles many times at night. I would hold her, calm her, and get her back to bed. She still ate well, she never gave up on that. She often got lost in our house. I think the crowning blow was when her favorite friend, one of my dear friends, came over as she often did, and Stella refused to have anything to do with her. Before, she would sit on her lap for hours. I knew it was time; I tearfully told my veterinarian, a close friend who tells it like it is, that Stella still knew me. Her response? "She is used to you." Hard to let tiny Stella go. She was seven when I got her, and hadn't had much of a life until she came to us. I feel so sad that her good life had to come to an end. She was an uninspired little agility dog, but she LOVED it. She was also the softest little cuddle. My Tess Basenji is sixteen. She is okay, but having lived through Stella, I know that she is slipping. I want to say goodby to her while she still knows me and wants my company. I will put you and your pup in my prayers.

@aalas89 Sending you a PM as I have a couple options for you in greater L. A. area. And yes.... pictures please when you have'm! :hugging_face:

With this thread in mind, I just did Kito's nails. Paul picked them up, Mku first, and I applied the guillotine Rescos. No problems. As Kito is still quite small, he was more difficult, and I am still using a plethora of reading glasses for different tasks I sat down, tucked him under my arm so he couldn't wriggle, and guillotined away. Not a squeak out of him, but he watched the proceedings with great interest. Both doggies then had a 'special biscuit' -

Main thing is, however fast they grow, keep 'em short with regular trimming 😂

Try switching to chicken or turkey based foods. Here's a link to an excellent evaluation of kibble brands: www.whole-dog-journal.com/food/whole-dog-journals-approved-dry-dog-food-list/ I would also be careful what you put on your hands before cuddling with your dog; lotions, essential oils, etc. can cause allergies in dogs

@alibobo Echoing what Sally (and Liz McCargo) has suggested re: not spaying/neutering, at least at this young age. There's a very insightful and thoroughly informative booklet by the "Puppy Culture" founder on the subject. It is chockful of the latest scientific/medical/genetic research and also takes into consideration the social "pressure" of neutering/spaying one's pet. (BF should read a few pages if he prefers facts to oft repeated false tales) https://my.puppyculture.co.uk/resources/flipbook/spay-neuter-booklet/ Whether to neuter/spay is an important decision and so is its timing should you decide to have the operation.

Unfortunately for us Maia has never done well with chicken, she loves it and eats it but it gives her diarrhea and seems to mess up her over all health. We did blood work again and her liver enzymes decreased by 30% which is great! Her actual health though is not so good so that is bad. We can get her to eat which is good, but the food control is not great salmon, ham(boiled a few times to remove the salt), breaded cauliflower, Mac and cheese. Whatever we can get her to eat. It’s crazy! We have her booked with a chiropractor to check her nerve function and we are ready to get prednisone going if it is ibd. We are working closely with our vet daily, she currently is on metronidazole and amoxicillin and gabapentin. Thursday I thought we were going to lose her and she has rallied. I hate optimism as I don’t do well with a broken heart but I am hoping for the best right now. She is on 2 billion probiotic per day as well. Every bite of food I can get into her I think, ok 1 more day at least. If I have to spend all day hand feeding her, I will. She is finally sleeping and twitching a little less! She is going up and down stairs ok, not great but ok and she is no longer falling over. We are far from out of the woods but I have seen some small improvements. Thank you all for your words, encouragement, advice and stories of what you have gone through. It is tremendous to me how kind you are. Thank you for taking some time out of your day and trying to help! We so appreciate it. Mai Mai means the entire world to us and every word, suggestion, or story we take into account and thank you so much for being such a loving wonderful community. With lock down and a sick pup we feel quite overwhelmed, so thank you!

@JENGOSMonkey, @elbrant, @tanza, @Kembe, @eeeefarm, @helle-devi Thank you all for the kind words, it has not been easy but this does help. We actually got his ashes back today and the place did a fantastic job, came back with ceramic paw print and all. It will last bring final closure, he is home. @helle-devi results confirmed what was suspected, IBD, for which we had already started his medications. I think it was just his time.

@tanza said in What are Blood Titers?: Benefits are that we are not over vaccinating our dogs. Do try to find a copy of 'Who Killed The Darling Buds of May' on Amazon or wherever ! By Catherine O'Driscoll, subtitled along the spine with 'What Vets don't tell you about Vaccines.' And on the back 'Read this book before you vaccinate your dog or cat.' ISBN 0 9523048 1 3 Very illuminating ! My first copy (this is another book I have lent out and had to buy again and which is now chained to the bookshelf) was sent to me by a very responsible and well-known breeder in USA.

There are different types of rabies vaccine. The ones most likely to cause a reaction have thimerosal in them. A friend's dog (not a Basenji) had an anaphylactic reaction to a rabies shot, and she would have lost him had the vet not still been present and able to counter it with epinephrine. In the future they made sure the shots he got did not have thimerosal. Usually reactions aren't quite so dramatic, but something to keep in mind. I also used blood titers to avoid unnecessary vaccinations with my dogs. More expensive, but worth it!

I am SO sorry for what you and your sweet boy went through. My heart broke just reading it. I know he could feel your love and knew you were doing everything to take good care of him. God bless you and your Cassius.

Fast and Sneaky great names for a pair‼️ Happy to read that all is well.

I used an animal version from a highly recommended source on Hoover. She had it daily to try to build up a pain barrier. Just 3 drops. My vet figured out the dosage and she had it with his blessing

Yes, my Naomi had Cushing’s. You will need to work with your veterinarian for the best treatment. Lysodren was the first drug we tried. Trilostane was the drug that really worked for her. She regained her muscle tone and she strength and brightened back up. She did very well. She had her ACTH tested regularly, sitting quietly and patiently in the waiting room with me as she never liked the kennels at the veterinarian’s and threw unending basenji fits. I do remember the first signs of Cushing’s. Naomi’s tail developed a strange kink. None of the veterinarians in the practice could find anything wrong with her tail. She was otherwise healthy and bright. Next, she dropped a bar in agility. She never touched a jump before that, and could of course, jump much higher than her designated jump height. It did take a while for her to get to the point where she could be diagnosed. Naomi fought inflammatory bowel syndrome for a good part of her life. She often had bad tummy days. We did the best we could to keep her comfortable and happy. In the end, a tumor was detected in her bowel, and we made the difficult decision to euthanize. I don’t know how long she would have lived on the Trilostane protocol. She was a darling, beautiful little dog, and I miss her greatly. I do wish you the greatest of luck with your baby, and pray that your sweet pup and you have many, happy, healthy years ahead of you.

i'D CONSIDER CHANGING MY VET. yOUR bASENJIS ARE WORRIED IF EVEN TEMPORARILY SO THE VET SHOULD BE TOO.