Thank you for taking the time to ask questions and become better informed. It is really important for the long term good of the breed that the people that share their lives with basenjis take an interest in what is going on with the breed.
Thank you for taking the time to ask questions and become better informed. It is really important for the long term good of the breed that the people that share their lives with basenjis take an interest in what is going on with the breed.
Well said Lisa! And that people pass that information to others….
How old is your basenji?
I have found varying ages for the average life expectancy of Basenjis - anywhere from 8 to 16 years. While it's not the happiest topic, what experience have you forum readers had?
(Please forgive me if this has been covered somewhere else in the forums. I did a search, but couldn't find anything related.)
Thanks
My last pair of B's–-my female lived to be 15, and my male live to be 17. Both died from old age. If the two I have now live that long, they will probably outlive me.
This thread was started in 2007, I'm curious to see if people still agree with the life expectancy of our breed, or if in the last few years people's opinions have lengthened on expectancy??
I think the average is still 14 to 16 years, give or take
I think it'll be intersting to see if members of the forum will agree, especially since the inception of the direct fanconi test since this thread originated…I'm hoping for 14 years minimum...16 would be great, time flies (I can't believe I've already celebrated two birthdays will my first basenji boy...it goes too quick!!)
My very first Basenji passed away 5 weeks before her 18th birthday, so hopefully that bodes well for your first!
-Joanne
Fourteen to sixteen matches well with my experience, but it is always too soon. OTOH, I have a 36 year old horse that is seemingly going to go on forever! I love him, but am beginning to think he will outlive me. 
i have a 15 and a 16 year old basenji, so i've bumped up my expectation to, oh, i don't know, 18?
Joanne- I hope so!!! I feel so lucky to be in the early years with Oakley but the thoughts creep in from time to time when I realize time is flying by…I love him to pieces
36 years old is impressive for a horse eeefarm...wow.
Even at 14-16 years, that would only give me 12-14 more years...if I'm lucky and you're right- it's too short!!
Glad that advances in our breeds health are taking place and I hope we can secure older age for our beloveds
I am hoping that with fanconi testing and following protocol on those already effected, things will improve. But I think the 14 to 16 is for those without serious health issues. If it included Fanconi and other such issues, rather skews it. When I look at life expectancy, I generally think of how long you can expect a HEALTHY dog to live.
For example, 13 to 15 not unheard of with rotties. Sadly, their very high cancer (particularly bone cancer) at a younger rate results in most dead before even 11. There is a pretty neat researcher going around the country interviewing owners and getting data on Rotties over 12. But most of us who have had many have gotten some that age.. my last 2 made it to 13 even though both had had cancer a couple of years before.. but not bone cancer. But the rest of mine died by age 10… cancer and one with bloat.
I look at Arwen with her autoimmune issues, on steroids.. albeit low dose.. for almost 5 yrs now. Will I be happily surprised if she makes it to 14? Very. Cara is a fanconi carrier only, healthy so far... I'd think she can make the higher numbers.
i have a 15 and a 16 year old basenji, so i've bumped up my expectation to, oh, i don't know, 18?
Haha…I hope so too!!!
I felt fortunate to have my sweet Spencer for almost 15 years– 9 of those with Fanconi. Ava is as sturdy as an ox, has the constitution of a goat and is Fanconi-free, so I expect the little Energizer Bunny to go on... and on... and on...
My first basenji died one month shy of 10 from osteosarcoma. 
My first b was PTS just shy of 11 years- she was dx with tonsilar squamous cell carcinoma a year prior. Her dam passed around 15 and her sire I am not sure. But as far as I am aware, all but 2 or 3 of my 1 1/2 yr olds great grand parents are still alive, and a couple of great-great-grand parents are alive too so I hope that points to a long life for him.
I have a Basenji that I adopted at 2 years of age. She was diagnosed with Fanconi at age 9, both through a Venus Blood Gas Test and a DNA test. She will be 13 years old in a few days and has been in very good health. She does follow a protocol prescribed by Dr. Gonto.
Recently however she will not eat in the morning and rejects foods she would normally eat. She appears to be slowing down and spends a lot of time sleeping.
I am not sure if this is related to old age or Fanconi is beginning to take a toll on her. Hope to keep her around for another year or two.
We have had 9 Basenji's Of our first two, one died from Falconi's at age 4. Her sister is at my feet, 20 yrs old. Cataracts, deaf and dementia, but still alive. Three of the others died of pancreatic cancer.(Euthanized) Three died unknown. One had cararacts and got out of the yard. Never found him. Hope he found a good home!
I just noticed this is a very old thread... but hopefully someone may benefit from the bump.
@RockysWoman said in Life Expectancy??:
Okay, so lets expand this conversation. What about dogs who have Fanconi? Once the disease is diagnosed, what is the average life expectancy beyond that?
My B is 8 (will be 9 in November) and was just diagnozed with Fanconi. We believe he's in the early stages of the disease. I'm hoping to hit 10 or 12 with him. Can't imagine life without this crazy dog. But then again, I have a hard time remembering what life was like before him. He made us childproof our home before we even started to think about having kids!
I am begging you to contact Pam at Camp Basenji. Her fanconi protocol has taken dogs who were dying on the standard Gonto one and brought them back. Her dogs with fanconi are doing fantastic. The Wimauma rescued pack, sadly, have a high rate of Fanconi, so she has a lot of experience.
http://www.campbasenji.org/contact-us/
On basenjis... sadly my first 2 were double aunt/niece, both suffered from severe auto-immune problems.
Sayblee was Dx with lymphoma in April before her 7th birthday. Every research, all the vets, said her chances of a few years to even more were excellent. So we went all out to the recommended chemo vet. She crashed with every protocol, just could not handle it. We lost her that Sept. She was not quite 7.
Her niece was dx with CUPS (auto immune that expressed predominantly in the gums with reaction to plaque causing abscesses and tooth loss. She had already lost 4 teeth before the dx. We put her on steroids, cleaning every 4 to 6 mos until she died at 12 1/2 with kidney failure (mild in Feb to severe with vet saying put down in May). I felt we were lucky she made it healthy that long. Our last one is one of the Wimauma dogs. She is a fanconi carrier only. She just turned 7.
@WeLuvBasenjis My 1st. B lived almost 13 yrs. & might have lived longer if she hadn't come down with cancer. I just found out that her Father lived to just a little over 17 yrs. My 2nd B lived to 16 & a half. Healthy as could be, even that morning but after she had her daily nap, when she went to get up ~ everything had changed.
We have had 5 Basenjis who have passed away. The first passed away 5 weeks before her 18th birthday; the second lived to 16; their son lived to be only 8 years old, but he was born with a health issue that was only definitively diagnosed upon necropsy, a good portion of his pancreas was missing; the 4th, a rescue, lived to be 15.5, and the 5th, a rescue, died suddenly of a splenic tumour at 9 years.
-Joanne
