Age issues or behavioral issues

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
Log in to reply
  • S

    Ok I am going to be totally honest on here. Please do not attack me for what I say it has been a very hard road and I need helpful advice, answers, and ideas.

    We have a Basenji (Sousa) that is 14 turning 15 at Christmas. We have had her since she was 3. She has been a handful as a pet for years but we managed. However in the last few years it has gotten way worse. She is getting very aggressive, food stealing wise. To the point we have to put her in a crate when we eat or she will get at the food off our plates.

    She is loosing her sight and hearing as well as control over her bladder and bowel. I am cleaning up accidents 2-4 times a day. My house is being trashed. We put her in a crate in the garage during the day cause we can't leave her in the house alone for any length of time or she messes on the floor (sometimes right in front of us, literally in front of us). We can't block her in one part of the house (cage or door closed) cause she is very destructive. She shreds anything we put in her crate with her, beds, blanket, towel, etc. she will turn it to dust. She hates the crate but I don't have a choice, my home is getting wrecked.

    She is developing lumps on her body (vet says they are fluid filled and not cancer), she had cancer on her eye twice and we had it removed.

    She is also gagging all the time (kind of like a cat when coughing up a hair ball) but not always produces something. she has puked on our bed, on the floor, and also in our bed (not a pleasant find with feet in the night).

    Again I am looking for information concerning other Basenjis that have gone through this, or suggestions to get through this. I am getting angry now, it is so hard to deal with all the messes with kids, job, and the dog. I am getting very tired of it…....being completely honest I am thinking we should have her put down, as she isn't' having much of a quality of life in the crate during the day or with me being angry at her.

    Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated!!

    0
  • P

    Personally I would take her to the vet to get her checked out for bowel or urinary infections. If she is losing sight and hearing she may be frightened. It sounds as though you need to step back a pace to calm your reactions. I can appreciate that you are getting fed up with all the work but she is an old dog.

    My present oldie (15) has taken to peeing (and pooing) indoors at times but I know I need to put her outside more often as she doesn't have the control she once had. She has also become blind and is certainly more aggressive with the others because of that.

    Any way first things first and do take her to the vet, please. Let us know how you get on.

    0
  • tanzaT

    I would agree… when they reach elder age... many things can contribute to behaviors... have you had her Thyroid "full" panel checked?

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

    0
  • agilebasenjiA

    @Patty:

    Personally I would take her to the vet to get her checked out for bowel or urinary infections. If she is losing sight and hearing she may be frightened. It sounds as though you need to step back a pace to calm your reactions. I can appreciate that you are getting fed up with all the work but she is an old dog.

    My present oldie (15) has taken to peeing (and pooing) indoors at times but I know I need to put her outside more often as she doesn't have the control she once had. She has also become blind and is certainly more aggressive with the others because of that.

    Any way first things first and do take her to the vet, please. Let us know how you get on.

    I have to agree with everything Patty wrote. Changing behavior ALWAYS needs a vet check. Increase aggresssion can be due to thyroid issues, pain, tick-born diseases, constant hunger (due to other things), etc. You didn't say in your post if you'd recently seen a vet and discussed her new issues.

    My oldest (16 in December) has failing kidneys (nonFanconi) and does need to pee more often. So, I put pee pads down in the house in his favorite pee spots. He's usually pretty good about that, but he does still pee in other spots if I'm not watching him carefully or if he gets a bit aggitated about the sitting arrangements. Would your pup stay in an exercise pen? That would give her a little more room than a crate.

    0

Suggested Topics

  • R

    Weight issue

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    518 Views
    tanzaT
    @Rebel - Full blood workup including full Thyroid panel (full panel no just what the normal vet workup that is not a full thyroid panel)... as they say make sure that he is in good health. Also what are you feeding him? How much total are you feeding a day? Also with reducing food, add veggies to his food to fill his belly... green beans are good to use... I use Cauliflower and Broccoli... Note also that low normal is typically too low for Basenjis.
  • A

    Age of your basenji?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    42
    2 Votes
    42 Posts
    10k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    Yeah you told me about that before and I'm clueless, but I'll try it if I need to, lol. could be the noise of occasional thump, could be they can hear it even tho we can't. My chow would be drooling buckets before we got a mile away. I just had to keep towels down and take off and bag along the trip. But I took her for a 7 hr trip to atlanta and she threw up and threw up, then stopped. Never threw up again. :( on your back. I had been getting radiofrequency ablations in the US, and they really helped. But doctors here will only do them once or twice. I have had at least 6 on one side, 3 on the other. :( But it's miraculous pain relief when it is done right. Maybe your dog acupuncturists knows of a human one they'd recommend?
  • DebraDownSouthD

    Aging

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    3k Views
    KipawaK
    Hugs to you Debra… It is so hard when we get a thought in our mind about someone/something dear to us that could pass. As dogs do, live 'in the now' and marvel at every minute you have with your dogs, your family, your friends.
  • Anne-MarieA

    Liver issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    2k Views
    nobarkusN
    @tanza: These kinds of problems are not uncommon when your Basenjis start to reach their "golden" years. You might want to try him on Dr. Dodd's liver cleansing diet. http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/Liver%20cleansing%20diet.htm Many have used it and had great results regardless of what you find out the issue might be. Good Suggestion Pat as I had an older B with liver issues in 2008 and that diet brought it down into normal range.
  • ramseycleaR

    Incontinence Issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    3k Views
    tanzaT
    @ramseyclea: I didn't know incontinence was one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. So, I'm kind of glad to hear that. I know the weight gain and low energy level are definitely symptoms (I suffer from hypothyroidism myself). I will tell the vet to do the ful panel. Thanks for all the advice! This is such a great resource! There are many things that can be a result of low thyroid…. maybe not directly connected, but a off shoot of the condition. My OJ was loaded with hives... and regardless of what we gave him they would come back over and over... finally tested his thyroid and it was very, very low... put him on Soloxine and never another hive.... so while hives is not generally a symtom of low thyroid, the fact that it lowered immunities in other respects, hives popped up.... Not saying this is the cause... but again her age is pretty young for this problem, IMO. So best to rule out other things before moving on to hormones... and again I would still not rule out a UTI
  • jmnycJ

    Dental issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    21
    0 Votes
    21 Posts
    7k Views
    nodakerdebN
    Periodontal disease is a tough one to get on top of once it takes hold (in both humans and dogs) because the bacteria gets down in the pockets and it is very difficult to keep clean. People have better luck because they have the ability to floss daily, but that is very difficult with a dog – and believe me, I've tried. :D Periodontal disease is not the same as an auto-immune disease that dogs can get (lest I be accused of getting them confused). I believe the reason our furry companions, and especially the dry-mouth (non-slobbering types) often get it is because of a couple things in addition to not being able to floss. 1. They don't slobber so their mouths really don't get a good natural rinse, and 2. they are fed an unnatural diet. In the wild they would be crunching up bones which acts like a natural toothbrush/floss, and they wouldn't be eating cereal grains which are carbs on steroids turning to sugar once it hits the saliva. There are kibbles out there that do not contain grains which may help by keeping the sugars at bay in the mouth. Evo is one, Instinct is another. Feeding raw is a great alternative. I am also a big fan of the PetzLife product and think it works wonders to keep plaque at bay on the teeth, but not sure how well it works with the plague and bacteria already under the gumline. My rat terrier does not have periodontal disease. I feed him Evo and brush his teeth daily (with a three-sided toothbrush) with Petzlife and he has the teeth of a two year old which isn't bad considering he's almost 11. If his gut could handle it I'd feed him raw, but that has not bode well with him unfortunately. FWIW, in a past life I worked as a chairside assistant for a dentist so I do know a bit about teeth and periodontal disease. I came away from that experience realizing that if I were on a deserted island I'd rather have an endless supply of dental floss vs. a toothbrush. I would be more likely to keep my teeth with the first rather that the latter. Now if we could just figure out how to floss a dog's teeth. :)