Sick Basenji :(

[rfield92]

My Basenji, Frida will be 11 next month. Crazy to how fast time flies!

About a month ago, I started noticing some weight loss in her.

I decided to take her to the vet, and her blood tests showed that she was having some liver problems but they werent 100% sure to what caused it.

They had me put her on Dr. Dodd's all white fish diet for a couple weeks till Frida decided she didn't want to eat it anymore. Oh and a pill called marin that she also refuses to take, unless I have to force to eat it which I absolutely hate doing.

So she wasn't eating at all so I called the vet and they told me to add some chicken with the white fish diet.

She ate most of it that night and decided she was over it the next day.

Came home from work that day and noticed she barely ate any of her food that I put out for her in the morning.

I decided to take her out for a walk till she ran to the back yard to throw up, which concerned me because she didn't eat all day. I noticed some more throw up that she threw up earlier in the day too.

So I called the vet and they told me to bring her in that night where they gave her 2 more different types of medication and injected some fluids in her.

Now, I am just left with the fish/chicken/veggie meal and 3 different types of medication, praying she will eat and gain back some weight.

At this point, I am stressed and so lost on what to do.

It breaks my heart seeing her so weak, sleeping all the time, not eating, how thin she is, and her tail not even curled anymore

If anyone has any suggestions on what to do or if you've been in my shoes, please help!!

[eeeefarm]

I don't know how I missed this post. Sorry nobody has responded to you. It is very distressing to have a sick pet. If your vet can't pinpoint the cause, it might be good to seek another opinion. Dietary changes may be helpful, but not if she won't eat. I have dealt with an aging dog that didn't want to eat, and I ended up feeding her whatever she would agree to consume. Dietary foods from the vet were not tolerated. I hope things have improved since you posted.

[tanza]

Have they done blood work up again? That will be telling on what is going on and if the liver is getting worse… along with an ultrasound of her liver/kidneys.... and if you have to force the pills, you need to do that.... Sorry that I missed this post also... Did they say she was dehydrated? If so fluids are need and you can do SubQ at home... takes a little practice, but it is not that difficult to do.... Oh and have they ruled out a blockage? Again for me, an ultrasound is in order

[Knipper]

How's her poop? My old dog, Blaze, had similar symptoms but he also had the runniest, and slightly, yellow poop. We did blood work with nothing showing. We did an x-ray and found he had no visible liver. (possibly due to no fat as he was about 10 lbs at this time). My vet decided to put him on a powder that is used for humans with cystic fibrosis. I had to mix it with some wet food and his regular dry (he was on lamb). And this worked. He lived on that diet for almost six years. He passed two months shy of his 17th.
I can not remember or find what the powder was, but I remember is was a cream colour, and the tub was white with a green label. I'll keep looking.

[kjdonkers]

So sorry to hear about this.

A second opinion seems a good thing by now. Do you have a holistic vet nearby? They have different concepts, diagnostics and therapies.

Also, you could support her with essential oils, many info on the web, e.g. http://www.wyldersholisticpetcenter.com/essential-oils-for-dogs/
Helichryse is mentioned for liver issues. If you buy a good one, it is safe to use, see here http://www.experience-essential-oils.com/home-remedies-for-dogs.html

All the best.

[DebraDownSouth]

Like all of you, I didn't see this post and the person hasn't been on since the day after.

[TwinDogsDifferentMothers]

Honestly there has just has not been enough imformation provided to make beneficial suggestions. If this poster still happens to be reading this thread, although not logged in, we would suggest they might take their pet in for additional testing, and possible observation by a veterinarian.

[Pepper]

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