I'm not sure if your dog is young or a puppy but it sounds like it. Puppies are especially prone to skeletal issues such as strains or breaks because their bones are still soft and growing. Same with the muscles, they are constantly growing and susceptible to injury. Just because she has moments of play that doesn't mean she's ok- dogs have an uncanny ability to override pain signals when something else is on their minds. Others have suggested patella issues, and while I can't speak to that I know Tanza is a breeder and knows well the issues that can affect our breed, let alone knowing about identifying issues. Good that you have an Appointment, in the meantime- continue to limit jumping and running so nothing furthers the problem. Is she has lax (loose) ligaments this can cause popping and will be a lifetime concern for injury if not carefully supervised. If it were me, I would want to contact an orthopedic, so if your vet doesn't have a definite cause that is a good route to go. Might be an initial cost but in the long run save you a lot
Poor Baby..
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Two of my basenjis steadily eat their way through every bit of bedding I give them (in fact I always say that they keep my bedding supplier in business!).
I have never had a blockage like this in a basenji I've owned or fostered over more years that I care to remember! I have always taken it for granted that anything ingested will pass through eventually and am always quite blase about it! I have seen one or two posts on the forum about blockages and wonder what the difference in mine is.
I should add that my bitches' eliminations are always very interesting and also pretty colours!!!!!!
I can't think that I've just been lucky and had always assumed that it was because they are a natural dog and so have the internals to cope with these 'problems'. I am totally dismayed and feel so badly for you guys and especially at the moment for Kairoe.
I do hope none of the dreadful things that Ivoss and Tanza speak about such as damage to the intestines doesn't happen to him. I pray not and will have that on my mind now for him. I hope you continue to keep us posted and I'm relieved that he now seems so much better. -
We apologize for not staying on with the updates on the forum, but Emm and I were both tired last night and busy with work today. So here's the scoop..
He did eat some boiled chicken and rice last night, however threw it all up a couple of hours later.
He wouldn't take treats and just laid on his bed, but was still responsive. He again had diarrhea today. We got a call from the vet regarding the results of the bloodwork. He doesn't think that there's an obstruction (at least for now), as he said he would've been in pain which he isn't, however we were told that his hemoglobin levels were at 118, which apparently is low for his age. We honestly have no clue what the average levels should be! Anyhow, Kairoe was prescribed iron supplements and sulcrate. We'll try the supplements and wait to see if his stool will improve and he won't throw up anymore.. because I'm still worried (until his stool is normal) that he has an obstruction. And as much as I want to just get it done to stop the worrying.. I think I'll look for another place, that place was charging $460 for an xray! Which brings me to another point, I have no clue how much xrays cost!Anyway, it would be almost 24 hours since he last threw up and he ate chicken and some treats today. He was playing with his toy, even did 2 runs (yup, he gave me the why-don't-you-get-it-look after) of fetch and a round of b-500.
I'm really hoping this will pass and whatever it may be in his system that's confusing everybody else but him!
Here are photos of him while I'm typing this post..
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Ahh, he has the best spot in the house..
I hope he is getting better, hopefully he will start eating more..they have to eat solids to produce solids, kind of like humans..sometimes it can take a day or two before he has enough in his system (that is if he is eating somewhat good) before he can produce a good solid BM. At least this is what I have noticed with Otis..he struggled with bouts of diarrhea a few months ago, and we(myself and my hubby, vet never thought there was one) thought he had a obstruction but it ended up being a bacterial infection in his intestines, from eating not so good things like bathroom trash..either way, Otis finally came around and ate normally for two days before we saw good BM..
Keep us posted.. -
Please take the time to read this thread, http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?t=6600
This dog was not painful either, but was still obstructed. With the continued upset, I think an ultrasound or x-ray would be a good course of action to see what is going on. Even if it is gastroenteritis that should show on the ultrasound.
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Ahh, he has the best spot in the house..
I hope he is getting better, hopefully he will start eating more..they have to eat solids to produce solids, kind of like humans..sometimes it can take a day or two before he has enough in his system (that is if he is eating somewhat good) before he can produce a good solid BM. At least this is what I have noticed with Otis..he struggled with bouts of diarrhea a few months ago, and we(myself and my hubby, vet never thought there was one) thought he had a obstruction but it ended up being a bacterial infection in his intestines, from eating not so good things like bathroom trash..either way, Otis finally came around and ate normally for two days before we saw good BM..
Keep us posted..He does seem like he's almost back to normal. With more food intake, he'll get to being able to produce better stool. So we'll wait until then. It's just too bad that his bloodwork wasn't better, but at least we know it's being dealt with.
And yes, he does love that spot especially during the day. When he goes to the living room and the curtains are not open.. he stands there like it's open and then does the turn-around-look-at-my-butt pose and pretty much saying "I wanna look outside!" And he can stay there ALL day dog/people/squirrel/cat/bus/train watching.
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Please take the time to read this thread, http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?t=6600
This dog was not painful either, but was still obstructed. With the continued upset, I think an ultrasound or x-ray would be a good course of action to see what is going on. Even if it is gastroenteritis that should show on the ultrasound.
I agree with lvoss, I think you are taking a really, really big chance with wait and see… and while I am certainly no Vet, but I totally disagree that he would have to be in pain if there was an obstruction. I also think that he needs to be seen for an xray or ultrasound (and I would opt for the ultrasound given a choice)
Again, not to scare you, but a very close friend of mine, her bitch was acting a bit off for a day or two... throwing up now and again... some diarrhea, so off to the vet, the ultrasound showed a blockage.. and this bitch that was healthly the week before died on the table
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Hi Folks,
Been awhile since I've been on any lists due to those technical difficulty things. Now as I'm slowly getting back on lists, I see this thread on Kairoe and do feel the need to respond. As most of you folks will know, Kairoe's folks are new to basenjis but are not iwthout a local support system. I spoke with his Mom on saturday, so did his breeder. I know that all the ground that was covered by you folks was covered by us as well. At that time, they didn't think he had a fever, he was alert but lethargic. Had done some vomiting. We heard nothing further [we are easily reachable]. I know Kairoe has had Parvo vaccine as a puppy, he had had his 2nd puppy shot when they got him. Vaccine protocol was explained and I'm pretty sure it was followed through on,as memory serves.
I questioned the possibility of Kairoe having ingested something that could cause a blockage quite clearly as we all know what the little monkeys can do. On the sunday, there were a bunch of us Basenji slaves at the puppy party and they did have contact info for there as well. I'm happy this has resolved with the passing of the blanket bits. The joys pf owning a Basenji and being new can sure be nerve wracking.Sue & the crew
You're right Sue! I checked Kairoe's vaccination records and double-checked with Arlene.. he did get his Parvo shots! Now that's one less thing to be worried about!
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@AJs:
LOL!
As for ClarEmmKai:
WHEW!!! Disaster averted! Now you can get that Parvo shot unless the vet already gave it to him today.
I checked his vaccination records and checked in with the breeder and he DID get his Parvo shots! Yay!
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Please take the time to read this thread, http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?t=6600
This dog was not painful either, but was still obstructed. With the continued upset, I think an ultrasound or x-ray would be a good course of action to see what is going on. Even if it is gastroenteritis that should show on the ultrasound.
The last time he threw up bile was Saturday morning. His puke last night was the chicken and the rice I had given him 2 hours before, which I think is because I fed him too much.
I'm not discounting getting the ultrasound or xray YET, however at this point.. it doesn't seem necessary. At least that's what we've come to decide on.
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Just realize that they longer you wait with a possible intestinal blockage the greater the chance that large segments of the intestine could die and even if the blockage is later discovered and removed the intestinal damage may be unrecoverable.
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Just curious.. what were his Liver and Kidney values? from the blood work?
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I agree with lvoss, I think you are taking a really, really big chance with wait and see… and while I am certainly no Vet, but I totally disagree that he would have to be in pain if there was an obstruction. I also think that he needs to be seen for an xray or ultrasound (and I would opt for the ultrasound given a choice)
Again, not to scare you, but a very close friend of mine, her bitch was acting a bit off for a day or two... throwing up now and again... some diarrhea, so off to the vet, the ultrasound showed a blockage.. and this bitch that was healthly the week before died on the table
It IS scary.. when you'll mention a dog dies on the table a week after they're perfectly fine.
The way we see it.. he's ok. IF anything goes wrong in the next few hours or next couple of days then of course a new course of action would be in place.
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Just realize that they longer you wait with a possible intestinal blockage the greater the chance that large segments of the intestine could die and even if the blockage is later discovered and removed the intestinal damage may be unrecoverable.
Very true… they can only remove so much of the intestines with success...
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@-Clar|Emm|Kai-:
It IS scary.. when you'll mention a dog dies on the table a week after they're perfectly fine.
Yes, intestinal blockages are scary. Really scary, because often the symptoms are intermittent and/or subtle so it is easy to say, "I'll just wait and see," meanwhile the internal damage being done can be extensive. Intestinal blockages are probably the second most common cause of accidental death in basenjis following cars.
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@-Clar|Emm|Kai-:
It IS scary.. when you'll mention a dog dies on the table a week after they're perfectly fine.
The way we see it.. he's ok. IF anything goes wrong in the next few hours or next couple of days then of course a new course of action would be in place.
Of course his is your dog… but I have to say, if my dog.. I would be at the Vets office without fail... as they say, better to be safe then sorry.... and if he has a low blood count, he could already have a perforation and that is causing the anemia. And on top of that, it is a strain to the other organs, Liver/Kidneys that can cause damage..that might not be reversable.
For sure you already know that he ate something he should not have... we have all been there, done that... but I am not sure I would just leave it to "time" to see if it gets better. But that is me....
Been there, done that with my Kristii ... and she would have been over the Rainbow Bridge had we not done the ultrasound... she was 10 at the time... and who would have thought that at that age she would have gotten into something she sound not have... we never did figure out what it was... and I have to say, that set back my credit card balance quite a bit!!!
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@-Clar|Emm|Kai-:
You're right Sue! I checked Kairoe's vaccination records and double-checked with Arlene.. he did get his Parvo shots! Now that's one less thing to be worried about!
Great! Yes, one less thing to worry about. I hope he feels better soon…they can be such a worry.
Ms. Patty: AJ doesn't have the opportunity to get into very much and doesn't eat his bedding, so I don't get the joy of technicolor poo and the guessing game...What Was It This Time?
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My Lenny had an intestinal obstruction a while back. Quite a scary experience. After a two days of not eating/drinking/throwing up/lethargic-ness I took him to the vet and had him put on IV fluids and gave him a barium swallow followed by x-rays every 3 hours. $1700 later he passed a piece of rubber on his own. He immediately perked up and I thought we were in the clear. The vet expressed the same concern to me that there could be still something in there but I decided to wait and see.
3 MONTHS later he started the same routine - not eating/drinking/throwing up and i waited 3 days to see if he'd pass it on his own. When he didn't, I just took him to the vet and they did surgery $1300. I almost wish I had the surgery done the first time - would have been less than half the cost.
X-rays didn't show anything definitive since rubber is not opaque to xrays… but it was there...
Good luck - I know how worrisome it is....
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Kairoe seems to be on the mend today, well pretty much since last night. He's eating and drinking and not throwing up and no diarrhea (stool is soft with some form to it). We're still with the frequent smaller meals to avoid shocking his stomach with too much food.. and so far so good.
We've considered possible causes (which is many and alarming) of his iron deficiency and will be doing more research about it. The vet has also been good in calling us to check how he's doing.. and I assured him that we'd be there right away as soon as we notice anything wrong.
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Thanks everyone for the support and advise. This may or may not be over yet (but we sure hope it is!).. just want to stress out that all your help has been deeply appreciated!
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Glad to hear Kairoe seems to be on the mend
