Basenjis are popular..

[Janneke]

..At the University..

Today we talked about baldness and I was actually planning on bringing some pics of a basenji ear, because some of them have bald ear rims as well.
Turns out.. it wasn't necessary.. I was sitting there and all of a sudden their was a pair of B-ears on the screen! :eek: How weird is that?!

Does anybody recognise them?

A bit more serious question: Are there any B's on the forum who have this? Tillo has it a little bit.

[Tayda_Lenny]

my Tayda gets it a little on the back of her ears…. is it seasonal?

[Benkura]

I was wondering whether it might be seasonal. Nakura's ears seem to shed quite heavily in tufts and she goes bald round the edges for a while. Chance's has very thin hair on his ears. Benji's breeders had dogs with completely bald ears. The skin had gone quite hard and black.

[Janneke]

@Tayda_Lenny:

my Tayda gets it a little on the back of her ears…. is it seasonal?

It's called 'Pattern baldness'. Here some info right of the internet:

_What is pattern baldness?

With this condition there is gradual, symmetric thinning and loss of hair (alopecia) that usually begins by 6 to 9 months of age and progresses slowly until the affected areas are completely bald. Areas of hair loss are not itchy but may become darkened and scaly over time.

There are 3 different patterns of baldness that occur. In the most common syndrome, dachshunds and other breeds (mostly female animals) experience hair loss around the temples, underneath the neck, and on the chest, abdomen and back of the thighs. In dachshunds with pinnal alopecia (mostly male), the hair is gradually lost from both ears. Saddle alopecia occurs in American water spaniels and Portuguese water dogs, with hair loss underneath the neck, on the back of the thighs, and on the tail.

How is pattern baldness inherited?

unknown

What breeds are affected by pattern baldness?

Dachshunds are most commonly affected, and the condition is also seen in Boston terriers, Chihuahuas, greyhounds, Italian greyhounds, Manchester terriers, and whippets. Saddle alopecia occurs in American water spaniels and Portuguese water dogs

For many breeds and many disorders, the studies to determine the mode of inheritance or the frequency in the breed have not been carried out, or are inconclusive. We have listed breeds for which there is a consensus among those investigating in this field and among veterinary practitioners, that the condition is significant in this breed.

What does pattern baldness mean to your dog & you?

Aside from the areas of hair loss, your dog's coat will be normal. There is usually no discomfort associated with this condition.

How is pattern baldness diagnosed?

The condition is diagnosed through clinical examination and ruling out other causes of hair loss.

How is pattern baldness treated?

There is no treatment to reverse the hair loss.

Breeding advice

It is preferable not to breed affected dogs. Recognition of this problem by breed clubs of American water spaniels and Portuguese water dogs has already reduced the frequency of saddle alopecia.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS DISORDER, PLEASE SEE YOUR VETERINARIAN.

Resources

Scott, D.W., Miller, W.H., Griffin, C.E. 1995. Muller and Kirk's Small Animal Dermatology. p. 777 W.B. Saunders Co., Toronto.

Copyright 1998 Canine Inherited Disorders Database. All rights reserved.
Revised: October 30, 2001.

This database is funded jointly by the Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre at the Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association._

It's not really seasonal, more something that's 'always there', but shows up under certain conditions. I asked the proff. and he said that 'they' don't really know what those conditions are but it could be (lack of) light, temperature or the dry heat from heat sources in the winter etc.

[renaultf1]

This is really interesting…and interesting article...
None of my 3 seem to have this, nor have I ever seen it on mine or any basenjis - except those that are crated a ton...and well, we KNOW that isn't the case with Tillo :D:D:D.

I wonder if it has to do with coat type...some coats being thicker than others...although that said, I'd guess Brando would be a prime candidate since he has a razor short coat but he's never had it. My 2 girls have really thick coats. In fact, my pup Aaliyah has quite a bit of hair on the inside edges of her ears...kind of funny.

[Buana]

So what our B's have, is not similair to the thing on the internet!
Or what they say at the university.

Our B's get it every year in spring when they loose their hair, the ears are always less hairy and whitin a month, they get all new hair over their ears!

At the story you searched on the internet and what the prof says, says it will keep bald, that's not true with most of the B's..
Most of the B's get that hair back when their fur is changed into summer coat.

[Janneke]

@Buana:

So what our B's have, is not similair to the thing on the internet!
Or what they say at the university.

Our B's get it every year in spring when they loose their hair, the ears are always less hairy and whitin a month, they get all new hair over their ears!

At the story you searched on the internet and what the prof says, says it will keep bald, that's not true with most of the B's..
Most of the B's get that hair back when their fur is changed into summer coat.

The prof. didn't say they stay bald.. And of course it isn't the same for all dogs.. that would make it 'easy' for the vets.. And it's never easy

[Janneke]

@renaultf1:

This is really interesting…and interesting article...
None of my 3 seem to have this, nor have I ever seen it on mine or any basenjis - except those that are crated a ton...and well, we KNOW that isn't the case with Tillo :D:D:D.

I wonder if it has to do with coat type...some coats being thicker than others...although that said, I'd guess Brando would be a prime candidate since he has a razor short coat but he's never had it. My 2 girls have really thick coats. In fact, my pup Aaliyah has quite a bit of hair on the inside edges of her ears...kind of funny.

No.. Tillo and being crated is a 'no no'
The ears on the pics aren't Tillo's, I'm glad it isn't that bad! You can see them here (this was in August I think): http://mirtillo.weebly.com./uploads/2/2/1/0/2210777/1493158_orig.jpg They looked like this when he was a pup: http://mirtillo.weebly.com./uploads/2/2/1/0/2210777/7613517_orig.jpg The back of his ears are fully haired.

And yes, I do find it very interesting!

[Nemo]

I've seen that on two of Nemo's relatives but not nearly to that extreme. It seems to come back though. Nemo will loose some hair along the rim of his ears on occasion but I can't really find a pattern to why. It doesn't appear seasonal and it grows back.

[tanza]

Sometimes it is just something as easy as "fly strikes"…. doesn't take much for flies to "strick" on ear tips...

[MacPack]

When we got Nicky her earl were bald and leather-like. I think she had been an "outdoor dog" and it was probably flies. Good nutrition and being indoors allowed her fur to grow back and she has had "velvet ears" since then.

[ibi_n_sane]

some basenjis have it because of thyroid problems. And some basenjis have it because of shedding. It is normal for a dog to have shorter and less close and less thick fur in summer, when basenjis are kept outside a lot when it is cold it seems to appear too, in this case the fur doesnt come back. It is also seen more in red/white basenjis then in the other colours, and when you take a close look at all basenjis you can see that some have thicker fur on their ears ( and body ) then others anyway.
In a lot of shorthaired breeds, especially the ones with a single coat like basenjis, you see a lot of specimins that have very thin fur on the back of their ears, legs, chest and in their armpits, nothing to worry about just the way it is, and the ears of the basenji of the pictures you show look like their is really something wrong, but it is not right to think that a basenji with a bit thin fur on his ears also has a condition/ disease that causes this.

[Janneke]

@tanza:

Sometimes it is just something as easy as "fly strikes"…. doesn't take much for flies to "strick" on ear tips...

I was wondering, wouldn't be very itchy if it is caused by flies?

[Janneke]

@ibi_n_sane:

the ears of the basenji of the pictures you show look like their is really something wrong, but it is not right to think that a basenji with a bit thin fur on his ears also has a condition/ disease that causes this.

Of course, this dog is diagnosed with pattern baldness. And no, you can't say that every basenji/dog with less fur on the ears has this condition. Like Tanza said: it could be flies, or maybe cold, malnutrition..

I do think that Tillo's bald blackish ear rims are more than just 'loosing hair because it's winter/spring/summer..' And I would love to know what's causing it. That's why I wanted to ask it at the University and that's why I was suprised to see the B-ears on the screen and to hear about this 'pattern baldness'