If she is a purebred, really poorly bred
Urgent situation in Iowa
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I just got another p-mail from my Dogster pal. Thought I'd give you an update of what she wrote. Copied with her permission…
Hi!
I wanted to let you know that my husband went up to the lady's house with the intention of picking up the two Basenji's that were left, but one of them was totally and utterly scared of everyone (including the owners?) and wouldn't come out from where it was hiding. My husband said that they had tried to get her out before he got there and that she had bitten someone. So he sadly left with only one dog, Harley, a female who is 5 years old. He asked for vet records and was basically informed that she had none. He said the conditions were pretty disgusting, feces and etc. everywhere. He also said that it appeared to be a breeding operation, and that the woman sounded like she was getting into breeding MinPin's (she had three of them, that he saw at least).
Also of note is that he said Harley's teats were enlarged, and when he asked the lady if she had just had a litter he was informed that she had not had a litter for 2 years. We are taking her to the vet tomorrow to be fully vetted/heartworm tested, etc. and hopefully they will be able to determine if she is pregnant or not, and if not then we will schedule her for a spay too. If so, then we got more than we bargained for but at least the puppies will be well-cared for and not used for making money! He said Harley has a great temperament and just acted as though she were exhausted. She has slept most of the way home. They haven't arrived home yet but I expect them within the next few hours.
I'll keep you updated!
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She also said that once the dust settles, she'll probably set up a dogster page for her too.
Thanks for the update. It sounds like such a sad situation. It is good to know that your friend was able to help at least one of the dogs.
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Another Update from Harley's new Mom:
Here is an update on Harley!The vet visit went surprisingly well. They said Harley looks really good, considering where she came from. They said she has an umbilical hernia and should never have been bred (big surprise!) and that when she is spayed they can take care of that. The doc felt for pups and didn't feel any, and said that an ultrasound isn't reliable until the puppies are 30 days old. So I guess we will wait a little bit longer since we have no idea. She said that they could go ahead and do a spay and just, uh, remove any puppies along with everything else, but I am not sure how I feel about that.
They gave Harley a distemper shot and want to space out her other shots so that she will hopefully not have any reactions, took blood for a heart worm test, and said that Harley could stand to lose a few pounds. They also suggested that we give her another bath.
As a side note, she has doggie dandruff! It's really bad and looks kinda gross, but she doesn't scratch herself anything. I don't know if a poor diet could be causing it or maybe her skin was irritated from having who knows what on it for so long. So we will probably do one more bath here in the next week and maybe start her on some fish oil to see if that helps at all.
She is still just hanging out in her crate most of the time. She has started to stretch out rather than just lay curled up in a tiny ball, so I think she is feeling more comfortable. Her crate is in the living room and we have been allowing her to stay in there, hoping that she will become more comfortable and maybe start to come out on her own. Also she woke us up at 4 a.m. last night to go outside (she makes such funny noises!), so that is really excellent. I was afraid potty training might be really hard. She has had one accident in the house but that's really to be expected.
So I guess that's all for now! Here are two pics:
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She is so lucky to have found you.
Do keep us updated. -
Though I agree Harley should not have been bred, an umbilical hernia is not reason not to breed. Many basenjis have umbilical hernias, as long as they are closed and just trapped fat, there is no problem with them.
When was Harley in season? Many shelters do spays on girls that are early in a suspected pregnancy to prevent more puppies from being born. It is a tough decision but make sure that the new owner also considers that you don't have any health testing results like Fanconi test results and could produce puppies that will have the disease. Also pregnancy will put a lot of stress on her body so if she is not in good condition then the pregnancy will exacerbate some conditions.
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Yes, Please advise your friend that Umbilical hernia's in our breed are very, very common and very rarely cause a problem. What is a problem for us are Vets that remark exactly how this Vet remarked. We tell people they are not a problem and that if they want, they can be fixed when spayed/neutered, but some of these Vets then "scare" the crap out of people by saying that it was/is a major defect and the dog will die if not fixed immediately.
That said, Harley should not be bred based on her lack of papers and that she has not been health tested, obviously.
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I fostered one of the Kansas City rescue basenjis and she was actually surprisingly easy to house break. She also had a crappy coat, but after some TLC and good food, she had an amazing mink-like coat. So, I be Harley looks very different in a few months. Hopefully Harley's new humans will join us here.
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I will invite her and encourage her to join and share her experience with us. Otherwise, I'll do my best to send you updates as I get them.
I also passed along the umbilical hernia bit.
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It would be great to follow her progress….
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I agree that getting her fixed now is the way to go.
Please, think about doing this… -
Hello all,
I am the girl fostering Harley. Thanks for the information about the hernia - the vet didn't make it sound serious, they just said she shouldn't have been bred and that they can take care of the hernia during the spay.
Harley is just getting so much better every day. She is still pretty shy, but right now she is laying on our couch taking a nap (first time she has slept anywhere besides her crate!). She has a knack for finding the coziest places in the house. This morning she tried out our dog Shiba's crate and bed and decided she liked it better than her own, so we put a different bed in her crate and hopefully she likes that.
She walks pretty well on a leash and she loves treats! Shiba has tried very hard to get Harley to play but so far she hasn't felt like it. She just seems so tired. She is sort of curious about our cats but so far they haven't even been worth getting up for - she just keeps an eye on them when they walk by her.
One of my friends, Melissa, came over to visit Harley tonight. Since we met her and her husband several months ago they had said that they wanted a Basenji, so they might be interested in adopting Harley when the time comes, which would be great. Melissa also just signed up to be a volunteer at the humane society in town which is cool too.
Anyway thanks for all of the information, and I will keep you updated on Harley's progress!
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Well this morning Harley stole a bag of treats off of the coffee table and took them into her crate, where she opened the bag and ate them!! The first of many capers to come I'm sure. Luckily there weren't many treats left in the bag and it doesn't like she actually ate any of the bag. I hope she doesn't get an upset tummy!
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Well this morning Harley stole a bag of treats off of the coffee table and took them into her crate, where she opened the bag and ate them!! The first of many capers to come I'm sure. Luckily there weren't many treats left in the bag and it doesn't like she actually ate any of the bag. I hope she doesn't get an upset tummy!
Sounds like she is getting more comfortable!
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Sounds like she'll develop into a typcial basenji (taking over the couch; stealing treats). Just keep the TP, kleenix, paper towels, and ear swabs hidden or way out of reach!
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If you give me your friends e-mail, I will sent them how to bond with a new basenji.
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I've been in this lady's situation. The law threatening to take your dogs, because of some new dog ordinance.
I can foster all the B's; evaluate them and report which ones can/could be adopted etc… however, I would need help w/getting the dogs spayed, neutered. I'm on a very limited income.
So I'm willing to Foster these Basenjis, provided they get a ride and vaccinated prior to coming to KY. I need to keep my own dogs safe first, as they are my number one concern. I have kennels that they can be in, and I have the time to work w/them to see if any of them are adoptable or not.
Just keep me posted….
Cathy
Thank God, Dad is in Heaven and can't come and visit and count the number of doggies.
In Loving Memory
Charles A. Combs
Jan. 6, 1929 - July 13, 2008 -
Though I agree Harley should not have been bred, an umbilical hernia is not reason not to breed. Many basenjis have umbilical hernias, as long as they are closed and just trapped fat, there is no problem with them.
When was Harley in season? Many shelters do spays on girls that are early in a suspected pregnancy to prevent more puppies from being born. It is a tough decision but make sure that the new owner also considers that you don't have any health testing results like Fanconi test results and could produce puppies that will have the disease. Also pregnancy will put a lot of stress on her body so if she is not in good condition then the pregnancy will exacerbate some conditions.
I am with Ivoss on this one. The possibly of passing on health issues in new puppies is not really fair to the puppies or any potential pet owners(thank you Tanza for helping me see the light).
Although its not for me to decide, given the current facts presented, my personal feelings are that Harley has probably been though enough.
Jason
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Well put Jason!…. I am sure that she has... and sounds like she has found a temp home and is doing really well!!!
