My Teddy had/has what I would call a rash as well. My vet said it is an allergy (he does occasionally lick his paws also) - at first he thought it was a food allergy but it would go away when the spring rains came. It appears to be related to molds and dust mites instead. I give him salmon oil (not the pills but the real oil), freeze his kibble, regularly clean his blankets etc., and give him oatmeal shampoo baths when it really acts up. I also use dermacton cream if his skin gets too dry. We seem to have it under control.
Two heats in a year
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Hi there!
My Basenji Nzinga had heat in april and again now, in november. She is almost 4 years old and it is the first time she has two heat cycles in a year. What do you advise me? She is not castrated and not mated and I don't intendent to. Thank you and greetings from Brazil. Andrea Menezes
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We had our 2 sisters castrated, Lela after her first heat and Binti after her second (she came to us when she was 1,5).
Castrating greatly reduces the risks to various kinds of cancer.
And during their period of heat, they were both reserved, a bit sullen, not playful or fun at all - it lasted several months. -
There is no reason to leave her in-tact…. not only to you risk cancer, but also bitches can develop Pyometra, especially if they start to have odd seasons
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My first Basenji had 2 heats a year, and then she'd always have a false pregnancy after each heat. And she was bitchy for the month she was in heat… and bitchy for the 2 months she was "pregnant". So that meant, with 2 heats a year, she was bitchy for 6 months out of the year. Talk about a good reason to spay a dog!
And Pat is right, there is no good reason to keep a bitch whole if she doesn't need to be. Never mind just the convenience of it,,,,, Pyometra IS a threat. I had 2 bitches get Pyometra. I lost one, the other was saved with an emergency spay.
-Joanne
