Skip to content
Basenji Forums
  1. Home
  2. Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  3. Issues with legs

Issues with legs

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • B

    Last year we adopted Booda (a basenji/chihuahua mix) from the local Humane Society and were overjoyed with how loving and active she is. Towards the end of June this year she suddenly developed issues with her back legs. She was slightly dragging her paws so her nails scratched the ground when she walks, tripping over her back legs, not being able to balance when going to the bathroom, slipping on linoleum, when she barked her whole body would cringe like she was in pain. When we took her for walks, she would walk normal with no issues of falling over, except the nails scratching on the gruond when she walked because she dragged her paws. She did not cry or bark when we would poke her pads or put her legs in a position that would elicit pain from her.

    We took her to the vet because she started to trip over her front legs and was starting to drag her front paws. Based upon his tests (still not eliciting pain from her back legs being put in positions that should have made her cry and being poked in her paws), the vet felt that what she had was neurological problems or possibly spinal menigitis. The vet gave Booda a prescription of a steriod and antibiotic. She started to show signs of vitality again after a few days, but began urinating without knowing it, we got doggie diapers problem solved. We believed the steriod had this effect as Booda was drinking more water than usual. A few days after her last steriod pill, it was almost like we had our old Booda back and no more unscheduled urinating. She wanted to play, walking up and down the stairs, running, barking.

    Now almost a month after the first signs appeared she is experiencing the same issues (no longer on medication). But now eliciting pain when her back is touched. She is having problems even lifting herself up from a lying position, to the point that is is using her front legs to drag herself across the floor rather than walking, but once again when she is actually up and walking she is fine except for the occasional tripping.

    We have a second vet appointment tomorrow and are completely loss at what the problem could be. We love her dearly and don't want to see her suffer.

    I was just seeing if anyone else had experienced the same problems with their basenji and what steps they took. :(

    0
  • tanzaT

    Not a usual problem with Basenjis. Have you tried a specialist? You might want to ask your Vet for a referral to a neurologist.

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

    0
  • D

    How old is your dog? I would take her to a specialty clinic or university clinic that would have both a neurologist and an orthopedist. My 1 year old deaf rescue girl who is a herding/spitz mix has shuffling feet, tremors, and other problems. She was seen first by the neurologist and they suggested x-rays and more testing. My regular vet did take x-rays of the neck, back and hips. I took her to an orthopedist to review the x-rays. Since she was a stray they do not know what caused the problem but it was suggested distemper or perhaps another infectious disease. I just took her to an opthalmologist and her eyes are good but she does have sensitivity to light. Distemper almost always causes eye problems. The specialists are suggesting an MRI of the back, neck and a spinal tap for her.

    If your dog was adopted as a puppy or an older pup, I would check with the Humane Society to see if she may have had distemper or some other disease.

    Did she have an accident where she might have injured her back or neck?

    You might want to look into getting a doggy wheelchair since she has good movement in her front legs.

    I am sorry for the problems your girl is having and I hope you find out what is causing it.

    Jennifer

    0

Suggested Topics

  • S

    Age issues or behavioral issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    agilebasenjiA
    @Patty: Personally I would take her to the vet to get her checked out for bowel or urinary infections. If she is losing sight and hearing she may be frightened. It sounds as though you need to step back a pace to calm your reactions. I can appreciate that you are getting fed up with all the work but she is an old dog. My present oldie (15) has taken to peeing (and pooing) indoors at times but I know I need to put her outside more often as she doesn't have the control she once had. She has also become blind and is certainly more aggressive with the others because of that. Any way first things first and do take her to the vet, please. Let us know how you get on. I have to agree with everything Patty wrote. Changing behavior ALWAYS needs a vet check. Increase aggresssion can be due to thyroid issues, pain, tick-born diseases, constant hunger (due to other things), etc. You didn't say in your post if you'd recently seen a vet and discussed her new issues. My oldest (16 in December) has failing kidneys (nonFanconi) and does need to pee more often. So, I put pee pads down in the house in his favorite pee spots. He's usually pretty good about that, but he does still pee in other spots if I'm not watching him carefully or if he gets a bit aggitated about the sitting arrangements. Would your pup stay in an exercise pen? That would give her a little more room than a crate.
  • Chealsie508C

    Eye issue

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    71
    0 Votes
    71 Posts
    29k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    Pat, yeah, it was many but the specialist from GA (who does CERF btw, or did, could be retired at this point) said all were iris to iris and none should cause her issues. But you can still see them. I am comforted to know that a lot of strands don't pass as I honestly don't remember seeing that limitation, only on placement. Been a long time since I looked at CERF. But the issue was and then, the person LIED. She sent me a puppy for my child, who already had more on her than any child should with my health issues, that she obviously had no clue about– a puppy she had no clue about it's eye health. And then wanted her back if I wasn't going to breed her as she would. Yeah, over my dead body.
  • Anne-MarieA

    Liver issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    2k Views
    nobarkusN
    @tanza: These kinds of problems are not uncommon when your Basenjis start to reach their "golden" years. You might want to try him on Dr. Dodd's liver cleansing diet. http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/Liver%20cleansing%20diet.htm Many have used it and had great results regardless of what you find out the issue might be. Good Suggestion Pat as I had an older B with liver issues in 2008 and that diet brought it down into normal range.
  • barklessk9B

    Kidney Issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    4k Views
    tanzaT
    You know, at his age (and in my opinion) any elder dog, the goal is to get them to eat and keep them eating… so I don't stress out about kcal's too much particularly since I use Vit Supplements.
  • ramseycleaR

    Incontinence Issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    3k Views
    tanzaT
    @ramseyclea: I didn't know incontinence was one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. So, I'm kind of glad to hear that. I know the weight gain and low energy level are definitely symptoms (I suffer from hypothyroidism myself). I will tell the vet to do the ful panel. Thanks for all the advice! This is such a great resource! There are many things that can be a result of low thyroid…. maybe not directly connected, but a off shoot of the condition. My OJ was loaded with hives... and regardless of what we gave him they would come back over and over... finally tested his thyroid and it was very, very low... put him on Soloxine and never another hive.... so while hives is not generally a symtom of low thyroid, the fact that it lowered immunities in other respects, hives popped up.... Not saying this is the cause... but again her age is pretty young for this problem, IMO. So best to rule out other things before moving on to hormones... and again I would still not rule out a UTI
  • jmnycJ

    Dental issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    21
    0 Votes
    21 Posts
    8k Views
    nodakerdebN
    Periodontal disease is a tough one to get on top of once it takes hold (in both humans and dogs) because the bacteria gets down in the pockets and it is very difficult to keep clean. People have better luck because they have the ability to floss daily, but that is very difficult with a dog – and believe me, I've tried. :D Periodontal disease is not the same as an auto-immune disease that dogs can get (lest I be accused of getting them confused). I believe the reason our furry companions, and especially the dry-mouth (non-slobbering types) often get it is because of a couple things in addition to not being able to floss. 1. They don't slobber so their mouths really don't get a good natural rinse, and 2. they are fed an unnatural diet. In the wild they would be crunching up bones which acts like a natural toothbrush/floss, and they wouldn't be eating cereal grains which are carbs on steroids turning to sugar once it hits the saliva. There are kibbles out there that do not contain grains which may help by keeping the sugars at bay in the mouth. Evo is one, Instinct is another. Feeding raw is a great alternative. I am also a big fan of the PetzLife product and think it works wonders to keep plaque at bay on the teeth, but not sure how well it works with the plague and bacteria already under the gumline. My rat terrier does not have periodontal disease. I feed him Evo and brush his teeth daily (with a three-sided toothbrush) with Petzlife and he has the teeth of a two year old which isn't bad considering he's almost 11. If his gut could handle it I'd feed him raw, but that has not bode well with him unfortunately. FWIW, in a past life I worked as a chairside assistant for a dentist so I do know a bit about teeth and periodontal disease. I came away from that experience realizing that if I were on a deserted island I'd rather have an endless supply of dental floss vs. a toothbrush. I would be more likely to keep my teeth with the first rather that the latter. Now if we could just figure out how to floss a dog's teeth. :)