• He have 3 year old Basenji mix. She has had her Rabies, Bordatella, Leptosporsis, Distemper Vaccinations and has had Fleas and Tick treatment from the brand Revolution in her first year. The second year she had booster shots for all vaccinations and had her first adult size dose of Revolution, then she got one of the rare and severe side of effects of vaccinations and flea tick vacccinations, Immune-Medicated Poly-Arthritis, because of this awful side effect the vet has suggested that she not do any vaccinations this Year. Just wondering if this is common in basenji? Is there a certain flea and tick brand that is safe for basenjis?


  • I do not know whether this reaction is common with basenjis, but most companies who produce vaccins guarantee protection for up to three years, so no need to repeat all vaccins every year. For us, only Weil's disease needs to be done every year. After 3 years you can check by having titers done to see if the level of anti-bodies is still sufficient. We only use chemical pharmaceuticals like Advantix when we travel to sandfly areas (for us that is southern Europe). For ticks and the like we add a mix of essential oils (strong fragrances like tea tree, eucalyptus, oregano) to a vegetable oil and rub that in the fur when we go out. That works fine.


  • Vaccinations do NOT need to be given every year, at the most every three years... IMO, Bordatella is useless as there are 100+ strains. I also never give Leptosporsis. And I do titers, do not just give vaccinations with the exception of rabies that is required by law. I use Frontline plus only maybe a couple of times a year. I would never us revolution as I have heard way to many horror stories about this product. For Heartworm I use Nu-Heart, which is for only Heartworm.


  • I agree with KD completely on every 3 yrs, or titers. Depending on your state, you may be required to do yearly rabies or every 3 yrs.

    I really don't know how common reactions are, but you might ask the Basenji Health committee if they would put out a survey. I have heard of different breeds with issues with Revolution. (Edit: Note, Revolution has certainly had proof of it being the issue, just not trifexis so far.)
    Now we have an unfounded round (again) of how trifexis killed my dog stories. Not one single one has been proven to be related, but it's still going around.

    Tick and flea borne diseases are serious stuff. Because actual research with double blinds have proven over and over that the essential oils really do not help much, and some are toxic, I choose to use frontline SPRAY (did have one dog have an issue with the top spot, contact dermatitis... not life threatening but it was nasty. Never had issue with spray). I treat house, yard and dog. Really in the last 10 yrs, I have only had to treat my dogs maybe 4 times because we simply never get fleas or ticks here unless a new group of stray cats come in or they do major clearing for houses down the road. So I flea comb regularly and do no treatment unless I see a tick or flea. I know many who use oral flea/tick meds without problems. But as long as I can do topical, that's what I'll do.
    Good luck with your basenji.


  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23528036 Essential oils do work. And everything is toxic when used in the wrong way.


  • I can't use Advantix or others because they burn the fur off on my beasties. I use a natural spray called "Doc Akerman" which contains citronella (for the mosquitos). It definitely works to kill fleas because I've seen the fleas die and fall off. And they rarely get ticks even though I know there are ticks in certain parts of my yard.


  • @kjdonkers said in To Vaccinate or Not???:

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23528036 Essential oils do work. And everything is toxic when used in the wrong way.

    Sadly, articles like that cause huge increase in people trying it. The actual test

    The biological tests were carried out using a vertical filter paper bioassay, where ticks must cross an area of the paper treated with repellent to approach host stimuli. One of the essential oil samples that repelled >90% of the ticks at 0.103 mg/cm2 was selected for further fractionation studies.<<

    It is one test. They don't even mention toxicity, but rather it was effective and worth further studies. But it wasn't the geranium OIL but one single part of it. Instead, you have people now touting geranium oil. And that can be toxic.

    Two substances in geraniums -- geraniol and linalool -- are toxic to dogs, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Geraniol and linalool give fragrance to botanical oils, and cause skin irritation and skin allergies in susceptible people. These substances are also used as insect repellents.<<

    Most people don't do the research, but I'll recant. Essential oils can help repel ticks and fleas, but they can also kill your dog or cat if you aren't very careful.

    The mighty dollar is everything. Nearly 20 yrs ago the Laboratory ... I forget, some big national society for research animal management... put out a warning to never use any shavings from oil producing trees for their small animals as they were toxic. Yet you can walk into most stores that sell pet stuff and buy them by the huge bags, no warning labels that it can kill your guinea pig, rabbit, rat, whatever.

    It is like the be-all, cure-all tea tree oil. Toxic. It can be used at incredibly dilute levels, but people buy it pure, put on their pets and then don't understand how they can buy it without ample warnings.

    From http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/tea-tree-oil/578

    How safe is tea tree oil?
    Like other essential oils, tea tree oil can be toxic if ingested. Since the maximum safe dosage has not been determined, most doctors recommend using it topically, and then only in dilute form. Tea tree oil is so potent in its antimicrobial effects that even a 1:250 dilution appears to be effective and yet quite safe for use as an ear wash. Tea tree concentrations in anti-fungal shampoos for dogs and cats are often even lower. Never apply tea tree oil directly to the skin without diluting it. NEVER APPLY IT to areas that the animal can lick. Safety in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or those with severe liver or kidney disease has not been established. Use with caution in similar situations in pets.

    "Tea tree oil can result in a fatal toxicity in cats when ingested."
    Tea tree oil can result in a fatal toxicity in cats when ingested. Some holistic veterinarians prefer not to use tea tree oil in small dogs and cats to guard against any potential toxicity<<

    I am all for natural when you can... I love diatomaceous earth, nematodes for pest control, etc.

    Citronella can be effective, and it isn't toxic generally:
    Citronella – Citronella oil is an extract of several plants in the genus Citronella, recognized to have insect-repellent properties. In fact, it has been registered by the EPA for this purpose. According to the EPA, “Oil of citronella is a biochemical pesticide which has a non-toxic mode of action. It is registered as an insect repellent (feeding inhibitor).” It has the potential to be a skin and eye irritant, and may be mildly toxic if ingested or inhaled, but only at very high concentrations far beyond normal usage. In order to be maximally effective, it would need to be applied on a daily basis.<<

    I just personally have had no luck with it helping with anything... not fleas, not mosquitoes. I envy those that it works for. GA has some rascally creatures.

    http://faculty.ucr.edu/~john/12 Forum-Trumble.pdf

    For example, a natural repellant
    such as oil of eucalyptus advertised for
    use against one insect (e.g., mosquitos, MosiGuard
    Natural, http://www.masta.org/products/repellents/index.html)
    can serve as an
    attractant for another blood-feeding pest
    (e.g., certain biting midges, Braverman et al.
    1999). However, more serious problems include
    recommendations likely to lead to contact
    dermatitis, exposure to carcinogens,
    mutagens, neurotoxins, use of materials
    known to cause organ failure<<

    ditto from ASPCA: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/eucalyptus

    Oregano Essential Oils:

    There are some natural vets who believe that using Oregano Essential Oil topically on an infected skin lesion could be helpful. However, what they have found is that this oil really stings when used on cat or dog skin. Also, if it is placed on the skin of an animal they are likely to lick it and end up with burns on their tongue or mouth.
    I found one report of a cat who had severe burns on his scrotum because of contact with OEO.
    If OEO is given orally (by mouth) to cats and dogs it can cause burns inside the mouth and serious digestive problems.
    There have been several reports of cats who refused to eat for several days after being given OEO by mouth.
    What this information tells me is that it likely isn’t safe to treat animals with OEO.<<
    http://www.askavetquestion.com/news/2012/oregano-instead-of-antibiotics/

    Okay so the bottom line for me is that as much as I like doing searches, most people don't bother. If you want to use natural, please, search for research and veterinary sites, not some holistic or pet lover run site that doesn't do their homework.


  • For those who are interested in the medicinal power of essential oils and their application, I recommend Melissa Shelton at http://oilyvet.com/ You can tap into her experience through her Desk Reference http://oilyvet.com/ADR_BOOK.html - I have one, very useful. See also her book at https://www.createspace.com/3601762
    She uses Young Living oils (high quality) and has created her own blends - see http://www.animaleo.info/


  • Melissa Shelton is a has a pyramid sales for the oils and states on her own website that >>"refuse to work with anybody who won't use YLEO" ... which is financially her baby. By all means do research, but look for people who are not doing their own quasi research with no peer reviews or adequate oversite, with a goal to sell their product.

    As for Young Living Oils... wow: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140713001220-36302273-the-truth-about-gary-young-young-living-essential-oils

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Gary_Young

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