Potential Adoption

[eeeefarm]

Thoughts....you are between a rock and a hard place, and I feel for you. It sounds like he is uncomfortable and confused. The aggression may stem from that or he may be having cognitive issues. What do you know about his "neurological disorder" and how was it diagnosed? I have known a few dogs (not Basenjis) that had back end issues as they aged. One was helped by wearing boots, which you have tried. Another lost most back end function, had to be taken out and supported by a towel under his middle so he could do his business, and adapted to a wheeled cart to support his back end for walks. He continued to enjoy life, including swimming, so there wasn't the difficulty that you are facing.

Have you sought an opinion from another vet? Sometimes a different person with different experience might be able to suggest an alternative treatment or spot something the first has missed.

The bottom line, if you are unable to resolve things, is the question of quality of life. A dog that spends all its time being anxious and upset is not enjoying the experience. That is a question only you can answer.

[tanza]

@eeeefarm - I agree with eeeefarm... you need to look at his quality of life... especially that his is now showing aggressive behavior mean to me that there is more going on... have you tried a holistic Vet? Just asking, but as eeeefarm has indicated you need to look at his quality of life at this point in time... and look at the very, very hard decision to let him pass over the rainbow bridge... we want them to live forever and making that decision is not an easy one... been there, had to do that...

[Henderson1005]

He had an MRI, which was how we arrived at the diagnosis. I believe the medical term is Hip Myoplasia (sp?). Our vet, while not holistic exclusively, was who recommended the CBD route and has even suggested we try acupuncture if it wouldn’t cause Blaze to be anxious, which we know will be the case. My husband and I have discussed the quality of life piece also. Thank you again to everyone!

[eeeefarm]

@henderson1005 said in Potential Adoption:

suggested we try acupuncture if it wouldn’t cause Blaze to be anxious, which we know will be the case.

You could be wrong. I had a Basenji that we tried acupuncture with for a different condition, and while it didn't solve our problem I was pleasantly surprised at how she handled the treatment. I expected her to be anxious and difficult, but very quickly into the procedure she relaxed totally and started drifting off to sleep! Might be worth a shot because you never know....

[Henderson1005]

You are absolutely right! I’m probably the anxious one. It’s worth a shot

[elbrant]

@henderson1005 said in Potential Adoption:

We can’t take him on walks anymore, because he walks on the tops of his back paws....

This is called "knuckling" and is a symptom of his neurological issue. Please take your dog to a different Vet for an analysis. There are ways to treat this. Imagine. How you would feel if you were walking on the tops of your feet? If you are putting your dog down and the dog's hind legs/paws are not positioned the way they should be, he's going to be in pain. Treat the knuckling and the neurological condition that is causing it. Get proper treatment for that and your dog stands a good chance of living without pain.

[Kembe]

@henderson1005
Oh my - I sympathize with you. This is so heartbreaking. Please try the acupuncture- my basenji had a few treatments when she was diagnosed last year with vestibular dog syndrome. The acupuncture really did work - I was surprised - I immediately noticed a significant improvement - it enabled her to relax.
My thoughts are with you!️

[Zande]

I swear by acupuncture and have been using it on m old folks for years. They have, without exception, benefited.

Even during lockdown, when you drive to the vet's carpark, phone to say you have arrived, he comes out and takes the dog from the car into the surgery and treats it before bringing it back to you, Hoover showed no anxiety and always relaxed when Ian came to get her.

At first I hated not being with her but she was perfectly OK and each treatment saw an improvement.

I would go for acupuncture but have it at the back of your mind too - am I keeping him going for ME or for HIM ? Because if his quality of life is deteriorating you owe it to this wonderful little man not to let him suffer in any way at all. Saying goodbye will be a last chance to show him how much you love him.

[JENGOSMonkey]

@henderson1005 You have so much going on. Snaps me back to Jengo. There's no easy or right or wrong answers. Just keep trying till you run out of chances.

When Jengo first came home he couldn't walk, so we were given a RuffWear dog harness with a handle that I could use to hold him up as we started the rehab. I wrapped a leash around the handle so I didn't have to be bent over as I walked him. He too had the knuckle under issue. Maybe not as bad as your guys does. Still, I'd consider a harness with a short short lead lashed to the handle.

I couldn't let him anywhere near stairs, so I gated them off completely. I'd carry him up and down. But, once it became clear that he needed to urinate much more frequently, he and I moved to the down stairs bedroom. He needed to go about every two hours. After weeks of this I was pretty sleep deprived and didn't trust myself on the stairs at 2 and 4am. Moving us downstairs helped a lot.

A few months after he'd been home his anxiety began to peak. I think it had much to do with switching from Phenobarbital to Potassium Bromide (KBr). Gabapentin and CBD helped, but was seemed to help more was getting on the floor with him and talking to him. Try putting him into his dog bed, lay him down, lay next to him and talk. I might hand feed him some snacks, but mostly... just talk. That seemed to calm Jengo more than anything else as I recall. I remember just laying there with him nose tip to nose tip looking into his eye and talking.

Much of the lower floor is all tile, so I bought dog play pens to keep him contained mostly to the carpeted areas. I didn't like seeing him slide out and smack his jaw on the tile. We also moved carpet runners to parts of the tile that he needed access to. For instance, from the family room to the back door. He also began to get tangled up in end tables and chairs, so those were stored elsewhere.

To me, it was like bringing a toddler into the house. I did everything to make it safe, but he was great at showing me all the things I'd missed. I just had to keep watching him.

As far as the aggression towards your 5yo. This one is frustrating. I will say that your little one watching you care for and modify your life to care for you dog will prove to be a life long lesson of love and compassion. I hope other members might chime in on this part. I don't know how to correct this, and I'd be asking for help too.

Having been through something similar... no judgement here... regardless your choice. Take care.

[RugosaB]

Reading this, I learned more about his 'condition.' He cannot be rehomed without him being completely devastated.
You will know when it is time to let him go. Don't be afraid of making that decision, in the end, it's the best gift you can give.

[flbasenji]

How long have you been in this house? Have you tried setting up a place to sleep and hang out downstairs to see if he eventually becomes growly even on the first floor? All electrolytes, including IONIZED CALCIUM are within normal range?