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I think our B is sick

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • good ideas for next time although the cost issue here is due to the allery test. They took blood test to see exactly what he's allergic to. Going to definetly look into ins. plans.

  • Well the results are in and our B is allergic to almost everything under the sun. To make a quick list of my major concerns which deal with food:Barley, poultry mix, carrots, green peas, corn, kelp, soybean…what now? any suggestions on food Of course the vet suggested some rabbit thing that we can only purchase from them so wanted to check with any of you to see if you might have some words of advise.

  • There are a number of foods available that are straight meat…. Is Potato on the list? Try www.wysong.net and see what they have to offer… also there are rabbit and sweet potato or Venison and potato....

  • great. I guess I'm being too dramatic it's due to the fact that I have 2 bags of dry food and about 5 cans of wet food all with the listed no no foods. Well at least we can live with his allergies, not really a big deal. I also think now that we switch his food his coat might get that nice brown/reddish shine it used to have and maybe the shedding will cease a bit. I'll tell you though this B is a whole lot of work, in every way manageable. The little brat is lucky he's so darn cute and we love him so much.

  • My youngest, now 12 has a terrible allergy to corn… she would rip the pads on her paws, dig like crazy on the rug (in order to scratch the pads) rub her ears, twitch them all the time... especially directly after eating... she was a mess until we figured out it was corn... once we stopped that she was fine.. however, she does have allergies to other things, just nothing like the corn... most grains she does have problems with.... she is fine with all meat and rice also... That is how I started with California Natural food and at that time I used Chicken and Rice... that was the only grain type product. Over the years she is not as bad, except for the corn....

  • Another food to look at is EVO, it has no grains at all….

    http://www.evopet.com/

  • IVD food is available from the vet. I use it. There's rabbit, duck and potato, venison,,,etc. The ingredients have no extra stuff that can irritate allergies…

  • Basenjihunt that is the food my vet suggested. Good maybe we will go that route since it's just down the block. If you don't mind, how much do you pay?

  • I went to the pet store yesturday hoping to find some food that doesn 't contain the allergens but everything contains carrots and peas. Wanted to get some snacks and sure enough they all contain soy which our little one is also allergic too. Wanted to get some doggie bones, pig ears..didn't have the ingredients listed so didn't want to take a chance. I will be ordering the IVD food from the vet but now what about the treats. I'll start giving him some turkey hot dogs for snacks, cheese, but what about store bout treat, any suggestions?

  • Depends on how much work you want to do, but I take some cheap supermarket chicken breasts, put them on a sheet pan with a little garlic powder sprinkled over them. Slow cook them at about 200-250 degrees, cut them up into chunks, freeze them, or just refrigerate. They'll go nuts over them!!!:)

  • You may want to look into the Wellness Pure Rewards Treats, these are grain free treats, http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/wellness/dog_wellness_treats_pure_rewards.html

    Also their Whitefish and Sweet Potato Well Bars, these do have some grains,
    http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/wellness/dog_wellness_treats_wellbars.html

  • he's allergic to corn, peas, chicken, soy, the list continues so it's hard.

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    Unfortunately for us Maia has never done well with chicken, she loves it and eats it but it gives her diarrhea and seems to mess up her over all health. We did blood work again and her liver enzymes decreased by 30% which is great! Her actual health though is not so good so that is bad. We can get her to eat which is good, but the food control is not great salmon, ham(boiled a few times to remove the salt), breaded cauliflower, Mac and cheese. Whatever we can get her to eat. It’s crazy! We have her booked with a chiropractor to check her nerve function and we are ready to get prednisone going if it is ibd. We are working closely with our vet daily, she currently is on metronidazole and amoxicillin and gabapentin. Thursday I thought we were going to lose her and she has rallied. I hate optimism as I don’t do well with a broken heart but I am hoping for the best right now. She is on 2 billion probiotic per day as well. Every bite of food I can get into her I think, ok 1 more day at least. If I have to spend all day hand feeding her, I will. She is finally sleeping and twitching a little less! She is going up and down stairs ok, not great but ok and she is no longer falling over. We are far from out of the woods but I have seen some small improvements. Thank you all for your words, encouragement, advice and stories of what you have gone through. It is tremendous to me how kind you are. Thank you for taking some time out of your day and trying to help! We so appreciate it. Mai Mai means the entire world to us and every word, suggestion, or story we take into account and thank you so much for being such a loving wonderful community. With lock down and a sick pup we feel quite overwhelmed, so thank you!
  • Sick Basenji :(

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    I too am sorry for not seeing this thread sooner and hopefully the poster will return. My Basenji had some teeth removed and the vet prescribed Carprofen as the follow up antibiotic. My Basenji turned out to be allergic to Carprofen which caused her liver to fail. I went through the same scenario you are describing. She gradually quit eating over the course of several days and then her water consumption started to go down. The eating had me worried since she had an excellent appetite upon return from the vet and the final purging of the anesthesia from her system. Nevertheless, her condition started to degrade. I followed her outside and watched her urinate. Her urine was a very bright yellow. I suspected then a liver issue. Once back inside she was shivering - off to the vet we went. LIver panel blood work up showed very high on specific indicators for failing liver. Vet prescribed Denamarin (containing SAM-e and silybin). SAM-e helps protect liver cells from cell death and aids in cell repair and regeneration. The Vet also started fluid injections. Fluid injections were everyday for two weeks. My Basenji showed a remarkable response to the fluid injections becoming much more her normal self even after the first day. She hated the injections and I could hear her cry when receiving them at the vet (believe me that will tear you up). But she was doing better and she (me) were going to have to tuff this out. Also a different antibiotic was prescribed to prevent liver infection during recovery. The Denamarin comes in dosages based on weight (medium for us). It is the size of a large human like solid oblong vitamin pill. Instructions want you to give it on an empty stomach and preferably not to cut it or place in something similar to a pill pocket however you can if necessary. My Basenji would not take that size (can't blame her). Cutting and disguising it did not work either. I was frantic and got the SAM-e in powder form. I couldn't slip her that either. All though some folks had success with peanut butter and liverwurst. I finally after three days had to have the vet pill her along with her fluid treatments. A week later another blood sample and her liver panel indicators were coming down. The pilling would last for a month and it took two people to get the pill down her. The important part is - she fully recovered from the liver failure. She is 13 1/2 yrs old. My experience after having 5 Basenjis is that the breed is sensitive to medications (anesthesia also). Many of the medications work just fine in most other breeds and mixes. The vet, if not that experienced with the Basenji, must be cautioned. Mine was not. Before accepting any medication have the vet go over any contraindications with you and to double check their resources for potential side effects when dealing with Basenjis. They may switch to something else if a medication has a bad track history with Basenjis. Know what to watch for should your Basenji start to react in a non-positive manner. The poster did not indicate if there were medications in play when the dog started showing degenerating conditions. I sincerely hopes this helps in some way and helps other Basenji owners
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    I know some breeds have raised water/food bowls so the dogs are "level" when they eat. Don't know if this will help here, but its worth a try.
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    Yay, there doesn't seem to be a need for the vet. Today was good and tomorrow will be better. Medjai started the day with a tiny bit of brown rice and the turkey bits picked out of the rice. Then he had some just plain beef also cooked plain and then later yet ate some of his kibble. He also had a only really soft poop. I never thought it would be so good to see him poop. He should be just fine, although I still have no idea what was wrong.
  • B Vet Knoxville area

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    J
    Hey Terry! I'm excited to know Jojo is coming home on Sunday!! Can't wait to meet her. I take Hollie to Callahan Drive Animal Hospital off I-75 North in Knoxville. I have seen two vets there. Dr. James Hilla, DVM is the head vet/owner and Dr Alisha Harbin. They were both thorough with the exam(s) and clearly communicated things to me. They treated me and Hollie exactly like I wanted us to be treated. I too, had been searching for the right vet(s). I think I have found them!!! They also seem to have basenji expereince. They commented on how calm Hollie was to be a basenji mix. Check out their website, here's the link, http://www.callahandriveanimalhospital.com/default.php Good luck and let me know when Jojo is ready for visitors!!