Sheds like crazy
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Bad skin, poor coat and either too much or too little weight can all be signs of hypothyroidism.
I called my vet and I have a standing apt to bring him in when I have 20 min for them to run a T4.
I will keep you updated.
His urine tests fine.
I would just love for him to not show his hip bones. He loves to go to the dog park, I just hate the looks I get when I take him and he calms down enough for someone to see him (he is normally running laps around the place):)
He acts just fine…Full of energy and outlasts my moms 1yo basenji. -
An in house T4 test is not enough though it is all most vets recommend. I would highly recommend having a full thyroid panel run. Here is a link to a website with an article and one lab you can send the sample to. Another lab that runs full thyroid panels is the University of Michigan. It is really important that you run more than just an in house T4 test.
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An in house T4 test is not enough though it is all most vets recommend. I would highly recommend having a full thyroid panel run. Here is a link to a website with an article and one lab you can send the sample to. Another lab that runs full thyroid panels is the University of Michigan. It is really important that you run more than just an in house T4 test.
Actually, it is Michigan State University ;) Sensitive subject in my part of the world ;)
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Hip bones are not always a bad thing, most dogs are overweight! My Shadow is pudgy, but Sugar is high energy and always running. I don't like the skinny - you're starving your dog-look either, but that's the way she is. She weighs 18 lbs, but she eats more than my 60 lb Boxer and 50 lb heeler!!
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You might want to try some Flaxseed oil. You take one capsule and poke a few holes with a pin and squeeze it on to the food and then put the empty capsule in as well. It helps with the "blow out". When I adopted my Jojo from BRAT it was a stress and the BRAT coordinator suggested this and I have been doing it once a day everyday for about 3 weeks and her coat is better.
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The T4 is 1.5.
And reccomends soloxine.
I will check into doing th full pannel. Here I think they send it off to Purdue University (I think).
But I will check into it. Thanks for the information. -
Hi, I'm new and came across this forum while searching for reasons my basenji is shedding like crazy. She's always shed a bit and as she's gotten older (she's 13 now) it seems to get worse and worse. This year it seems exceptionally bad though perhaps it just seems so because I have a new, dark brown chenille couch. :p
I'm glad to read the constructive suggestions in this thread. A few years back on a different forum I had asked the same question and had been told my basenji could not possibly be purebred if she was shedding so much. She may be a pet but I have extensive paperwork proving her lineage and her parents and siblings have been excellent show dogs I was, understandably, rather taken aback with those accusations.
My vet has been concerned with thyroid levels in Tano (my dog) due to discoloration on her tummy. Tests show she's normal though. Since the discoloration tends to show up in the summer and fade in the winter I suspect it may have more to do with her sunbathing.
Another suggestion made to me is that it has something to do with the protein levels in her food. Over the years we've tried different foods and that doesn't seem to make a great deal of difference (she's on Nutro Senior now which I hope is good food since she loves it and processes it well enough).
Anyway, thank you again for posting up good suggestions! :)
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Merriwyth,
Who is Tano's breeder?
And, I would make sure the vet did a full thyroid panel…amazingly, not all do. Her symptoms, the hair loss, and the small seizures are definitely in line with a low thyroid.
And shame on those other folks for implying a shedding basenji isn't purebred!!! That is silly. They definitely shed, just not as much as "normal" dog ;) and seasonally, the can shed A LOT!
Welcome to the forum...I grew up in Seattle..and two of our basenjis are from a breeder there :)
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Hi Quercus!
Tano's breeder was Maripat Webber of Etukon. I believe both her siblings went on to be show dogs. Tano took after her mom as far as coloring…being the only red and white of the litter. ^_^
I'll push up Tano's appointment for her physical and request the full thyroid thing. If this is all related to thyroid I definitely want to get it looked into asap! Thank you for pointing out that it could all be related!
She really develops a thick woolly undercoat in the fall/winter. You'd think the house wasn't near 70 degrees all winter! If her hair was a little longer I could possibly clean it up and felt with it--she sheds that much! :D
