Basenji without spunk - very sick, pls read


  • I picked Beta up this eve and she is still swollen. All four feet are pink. They did bloodwork for the second time and it came back normal. They did a chest xray and she has an inflamed area in her chest but the lungs look okay. So they have two sets of bloodwork and a recent urinalysis and xrays to compare to the xrays from september. we thought the swelling that i was seeing this morning was from the iv antibiotics. so today they changed the antibiotics and she still appears to be swollen on her jowels and feet. Her eyes are kinda swollen closed or she is having a hard time keeping them open. They gave her pain meds and a nausea shot before i picked her up so she would sleep the whole night. They took out the catheter so the swelling of that foot (worst) would go down and she could sleep without the e collar. she is zonked out beside me right now. she devoured her food like she did yesterday and thank god for that. she is still peeing and pooping and eating upon request. she was mobile and reacted to the nurses better today, but still doesnt want to walk around. she is still shaking, coughing, and has the severe gas….

    Please keep the feedback coming! I appreciate all of the advice.

    Beta will be at work with me tomorrow. We will see how she does in the morning when the meds wear off. If she continues to show the same symptoms tomorrow without improvement we will have a internalist come in and do an ultrasound. all of the xrays were free of spots or cysts and only showed areas that appeared to be irritated or lacked definition.

    Thanks Again, Betsey


  • So sorry to hear your baby is so sick, I would be on top of it just like you seem to be. I will pray for you and her, please keep us posted. Ceasar is just the sweetest thing to be loving on Beta, I am sure he can sence that something is wrong.


  • Awww (((((hugs))))) that is just the best pic…..


  • I'm sending healthy vibes your way, Beta. The picture is just so sweet. I have a tear just seeing it! Please keep us posted on how all is going.
    Lots of (((healing hugs))) coming your way too.


  • well, Beta has been with me at work all morning. It seems that the pain med that should have lasted 12 hrs seems to have lingered in her system this morning. she isnt displaying the shakes or the gassy sounds like before.

    she has aquired two ulcer spots on her gums about her canine teeth.

    she is walking around a bit and has slept most of the day. i am still giving her the antibiotics.

    she still is a no personality basenji except for the doe eyes. she is having trouble keeping her eyes open and appears to be calmer. here is a picture of her 3 days ago, and today at my desk. you can see the strange change in her face. last night it was swollen a bit.

    all she is doing is sleeping. she did have the coughing this morning that i havent heard all day.

    the doctor suggests we do the ultrasound (which i am all about ) since beta is still not perky. we want to avoid another episode of this that could be worse next time.

    i wonder what it is?

    betsey

    attachment_p_4447_0_att00091.jpg
    attachment_p_4447_1_att00155.jpg


  • Oh my gosh Betsey I'm in tears over your sick Beta…lots & lots of hugs & prayers for you both. This must be so incredibly difficult & frustrating to NOT Know what the heck it is!

    Please hang in there & know that we're all pulling for you both.


  • Ugh, that is so sad. On top of the fact that it's hard to see your babies sick it's even worse when you don't know what's wrong and how to fix it. I hope all is well for you both.


  • Weird is right. She is better now that she is off of the IV fluids and antibiotics. She is moving about freely at the house now and she even ran a few times with Caesar in the yard. She had just eaten and received her antibiotic. After running she sat down next to me as if in pain. All of her white areas were bright pink.

    I am wondering if the antibiotic that i have been giver her twice a day is causing the reaction…i will watch her tomorrow when she gets her next dose to see if that is what is causing the redness....it's gone now and she seems okay......


  • Day 8, Friday morning. Beta woke this morning by coughing pretty hard. Whatever is in there now sounds thicker. She is trying to cough it out. Her xray 2 days ago showed nothing in her lungs. I will have them check again today.

    this morning is the best time to check her because she has the least amount of meds in her system. she is shaking again and the gassy sounds are back.she is bright pink also, so i am ruling out the atibiotic that she gets twice a day. the second antibiotic she gets once a day didnt appear to make her pink either. it could just be her running a bit in the yard.

    her eyes seem a bit swollen again.

    the plan is to take her to an internist on tues for an ultrasound. since the vet is closed on sun and half day on sat, i am taking her back for observation today.

    lets hope she does okay over the weekend. this is so frustrating. hopefully all of this text will help someone else out down the road.


  • bad news. Beta was wheezing the whole ride to the vet. When we got to the vet she couldnt sit down and was hover sitting. She was shaking and her stomach was lurching. The vet found that she was tender around her neck and shoulder area. She said that Beta's intestines were moving so much it felt similar to dogs with puppies. Then, Beta started crying…..oh, there is nothing compared to a basenji crying....a sitting position seems to be the only way she can get comfortable...

    the shaking, gassy sounds, stomach lurching episode didnt seem to stop this morning. before it was about 10-15 minutes and happeded maybe 3-4 x in a day. now it is about 4x while i was with her in the vet room with her. She is at the vet and that is the best I can do.

    here is a pic of beta this morning before the attack or episode started, so cute

    attachment_p_4476_0_att00010.jpg


  • OMG! I feel so bad - please keep us posted on her…she is so adorable. I will keep as many positive, healthy vibes, prayers and thoughts for her as possible.


  • I am SO sorry to hear about your sick Basenji. It's hard to read all the posts for the tears in my eyes. How frightening it must be for both of you. Please keep us posted. I will pray for your basenji that they will find the source of her discomfort and fix things. God Bless you and your B.


  • Any chance she is allergic to the antibiotic? At least some of her symptoms sound like an allergic reaction to me, because it's an ongoing thing while she's still on the antibiotic: the puffy eyes, pinkness, fluid in the lungs, wheezing. Just a thought, as I'm a people nurse and not a dog nurse. Lenora


  • Big hugs to your "pack" - I really wish I had some advice, but sadly I don't have any. You'll all be in my "pack's" thoughts and prayers.


  • I'm just sick about Beta! Our prayers are with you all! Thank you so very much for sharing your hardship! As you mentioned, it may help one of us down the road! You are very brave and Beta has the best in you!


  • I was too upset yesterday to post this. She has been at the vet specialist since Friday. She had surgery Sat morning for the diagnosis that her intestine had folded in on itself. Well, when the doctor got in there, the intestine was fine. He said the stomach appeared red and the lymph nodes were enlarged. He said the liver, pancreas, intestines, and gall bladder looked fine. He took biopsies of the intestine in 3 places, and biopsys of the stomach and lymph nodes. I will find out the results on Wed.

    This is extremely frustrating because I still get to pay the price of the surgery without any resolve and now have a basenji that barely can walk. I have been visiting her and she was so doped up yesterday she barely recognized me.

    The nurse said she recovered from the surgery well and isnt on pain meds right now?! Dogs are amazing animals and heal fast, but I am worried about her comfort level.

    I just want my Beta back and I cant take care of her. She is having too much pain for me to fix it. I am so frustrated.


  • Checking in on Beta and you….I am sorry that you are going through this! When they can't tell you what's wrong (both doc and dog), it is excrutiatingly (sp?) painful! You are doing all you can to help Beta! Don't forget to take care of yourself too. Our prayers continue for both of you. Stay positive! That will help you both!


  • From where did they got the idea the intestine folded in on itself?
    I hope for her and you they'll find what's wrong with her from the biopsy.
    Keep us posted!


  • If it had been intussusception the surgery could have corrected it. Now you still don't know what's wrong with your baby. I will keep you and Beta in my prayers for a full recovery. Lenora


  • Healing vibes for your sweet Beta and vibes of strength for you. It is so stressful when our babies are sick. Wishing Beta and yourself well.

Suggested Topics

  • Sick puppy

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    2
    0 Votes
    2 Posts
    3k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    If you don't trust the vets you are seeing, please get her to a university vet for a second opinion. Have you talked to any of the other owners of the litter, or is she a rescue? When kennel cough is really bad, it can take months to clear up and the cough go away. She could also have allergies affecting her at night.. where does she sleep? Can you change where she sleeps to see if it's better?
  • 0 Votes
    14 Posts
    8k Views
    K
    Hi, Lots of good advice here already. For the time being: I found in the Animal Desk Reference Manual (Essential Oils for Animals) by Melissa Shelton under Giardia on page 417 a list of possible remedies. One that you may have access to is Clove oil - you can put a drop or two in her water daily or in her food. Essential oils are very effective against parasites.
  • Is this a Basenji?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    26
    0 Votes
    26 Posts
    19k Views
    ShannaniganS
    So many of those poses and positions are the same things I see Paco do. I'm also no expert, and Paco's my first dog that's mine-all-mine for me to watch all the time, but I feel like Tag's face is very Basenji-like…and if he yodels as well... if he doesn't have Basenji in him, I'd at least say you could describe him to others as a Basenji-like dog.
  • Is it a Basenji???

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    13
    0 Votes
    13 Posts
    7k Views
    MandyM
    I have gotten the comment of min doberman. lol…. could have been her spiked Harley collar.
  • My Basenji, Polly,

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    19
    0 Votes
    19 Posts
    6k Views
    B
    Polly is 9 this Christmas. Dec 14th to be exact!
  • Caesar is sick!

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    2k Views
    MantisM
    his personality seems to be perking up now that he has been on the batril for a week. thanks for all the info guys!!