Article linking contaminated Smokehouse dog treats to Fanconi Syndrome
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Excerpt from article:
…."Dr. Brian Roberts, with Veterinary Specialists of South Florida, said he became convinced something new was wrong with pet food when he recently diagnosed four dogs in six weeks with Fanconi Syndrome, a rare disease which damages the kidney tubule. The disease is so uncommon that some vets never have a case, Roberts said.
Fanconi's usually is genetic and seen in the Basenji breed. But none of Roberts' patients were Basenjis, and all were young, small dogs. In talking to the owners, he realized all the animals had been fed jerky treats manufactured in China, all of them chicken flavored. Veterinarians participating in online chats started reporting similar Fanconi cases possibly associated with the treats, Roberts said.
He called the FDA to report his concerns.
"The disease is so rare, it's very suspicious," he said."......
The full article can be found here: http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070915/NEWS01/709150338/1002/NEWS01
I have seen this also… and while it might be for other breeds, certainly I don't think that Basenjis that might or have started to show Fanconi problems is due to this... Also remember that there are so many Vets that have not a clue about Fanconi... in fact, case in point is my Kristii that had a tooth extraction... she had a reaction to the Anesthesia and her kidneys started to shut down.. my Vet at the time (I do not go there any more) tried to tell me that she developed Fanconi or had it before the surgery... funny... I strip regular... no sugar being spilled... it was totaly due to a reaction to the Anesthesia... and while might be rare to other breeds, certainly not to ours.
As I understand the problem with the stuff coming from China, is that it cause renal failure... doubt that it is the same as Fanconi... but we have seen over the years that sometimes Fanconi is not just genetic... but that doesn't IMO hold true for our breed. And now with the DNA test it can be proven... -
Pat,
I had Stormie in for blood work on Wed. afternoon. I talked to my vet (and printed out this article and several others I found - 1 from the AVMA website) and he assured me that in Storm's case, his Fanconi is almost certainly genetic. I panicked when I first read the articles knowing I'd fed those treats to my dogs - "Mommy Guilt" is a horrible thing! :)My first vet (who I'd been going to for years and years - I even worked there as an assistant for a time) hadn't ever heard of Fanconi either. When Storm stripped spilling sugar, I found a new, more basenji familiar, vet in a hurry. It was one of the best things I've done! I love my new vet!
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I had Seren Jane tested for Fanconi (very expensive) a couple of years ago because she was exibiting some symptoms, no appetite, constant thirst (no sugar spilling) I was concerned. She tested negative, it was believed that they were symptoms related to a steroid we had used for ear problems. No history of Fanconi from the breeder.
Should anyone know of a vet in Jacksonville,Fl. who is truly familar with b's I would appreciate his/her name. -
I had Seren Jane tested for Fanconi (very expensive) a couple of years ago because she was exibiting some symptoms, no appetite, constant thirst (no sugar spilling) I was concerned. She tested negative, it was believed that they were symptoms related to a steroid we had used for ear problems. No history of Fanconi from the breeder.
Should anyone know of a vet in Jacksonville,Fl. who is truly familar with b's I would appreciate his/her name.What kind of test did you have done? Up to last year there was only strip testing available for Fanconi that and blood gases will show if they have Fanconi but Blood gases are not that expensive. (We now have a DNA link test)
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What kind of test did you have done? Up to last year there was only strip testing available for Fanconi that and blood gases will show if they have Fanconi but Blood gases are not that expensive. (We now have a DNA link test)
Apparently the cost really depends on who you go to.
Dr. Gonto said he's seen the price vary from $23.00 to as high as $400!!!
He recommends shopping around for the best price, as the test/test equipment is the same regardless of where you go. -
We were referrred by her vet to a specialist vet clinic, the only one in town or so we were told. Just for the specilist to see her was $150, plus $400 for blood testing. I could not say no, you underestand, my baby. At that time I knew very little about Fanconi or testing. Her breeder assured me there was no link in her bloodline, but I was still concerned.
I cannot believe the price of testing varies so much. Thanks Tanza for your information. Finding the Basenji Community is so helpful.
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We were referrred by her vet to a specialist vet clinic, the only one in town or so we were told. Just for the specilist to see her was $150, plus $400 for blood testing. I could not say no, you underestand, my baby. At that time I knew very little about Fanconi or testing. Her breeder assured me there was no link in her bloodline, but I was still concerned.
I cannot believe the price of testing varies so much. Thanks Tanza for your information. Finding the Basenji Community is so helpful.
Just FYI, some regular ol' vets have the necessary equipment in their offices, so next time call around. It'd be cheaper even to drive 100 miles for the test than to pay that kind of money.
You were paying for the term "specialist", to be sure. -
There are some vets who send out for specialty tests to PA, including special urine tests to see what is exactly spilling in the urine and in what concentrations. If your vet does not have a Blood Gas Machine, you should be able to get a referral to an emergency vet clinic. They would have the machine but it might be expensive. When I lived in Houston, my vet did not have the machine but I did not want my dog to get blood drawn twice in one day so I took her to the specialist, an Internist. If I remember correctly, as long as I had the referral to the ER clinic, I was not only charged for the test not the office visit. I did have to call ahead of time to make sure the clinic was not busy.
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We were referrred by her vet to a specialist vet clinic, the only one in town or so we were told. Just for the specilist to see her was $150, plus $400 for blood testing. I could not say no, you underestand, my baby. At that time I knew very little about Fanconi or testing. Her breeder assured me there was no link in her bloodline, but I was still concerned.
I cannot believe the price of testing varies so much. Thanks Tanza for your information. Finding the Basenji Community is so helpful.
Unless your breeder has DNA tested is it a false statement to say there is no link in the pedigree. There are many, many breeders that thought the same thing until they did the DNA test… Please go to www.basenjihealth.org and read about the linkage test. To easy your mind, I would have the test done…
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Unless your breeder has DNA tested is it a false statement to say there is no link in the pedigree. There are many, many breeders that thought the same thing until they did the DNA test… Please go to www.basenjihealth.org and read about the linkage test. To easy your mind, I would have the test done…
True, true.
There had been no Fanconi in Jazzy's pedigree either…... but with no testing available, how could we have known that there WAS indeed Fanconi in the pedigree -- and her mother diagnosed shortly after the birth of the litter!
Jazzy is probably affected and Keoki is a carrier {they share part of the pedigree}An unpleasant surprise, to be sure, for everyone involved.
So yes, please do have testing done!
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Exactly right JazzysMom… I had the same thing happen with I bred Maggii in 1993... and we did know there was at least one grandparent that had Fanconi.. that was all we knew... 2 days before Maggii whelped her litter, her Dam started to spill sugar.... Maggii lived to 16yrs, 9 months... and never spilled sugar and none of the litter has either... but unless you DNA test now that we have the test, you will never really know... You can't get by with just saying "Not in my line".... that doesn't work any longer....
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to serenjane, We live north of Jax in Yulee and use the nasau veterniary hospital . We see Dr Kim Carter. She has been great in our basenji's care
She took care of our old basenji until he passed and she has had our new babies since they were a pup. I don't know if she is the best basenji vet in our area but she had certainly been great for our kids. Ours are not the first ones she has had. We always see her because her partner is not as versed in basenji's as kim is. Good luck on your hunt for a vet. I am sure there are vets in jax with lots of basenji experience. if you ask around you'll find the right one for you. Word of mouth helps alot.
