Hi all - we've scheduled an appointment with a board-certified ophthalmologist on July 8 (Eye Care for Animals - Chicago), so I'll circle back after with an update. Thank you all very much for your responses! What a wonderful community.

Hi all - we've scheduled an appointment with a board-certified ophthalmologist on July 8 (Eye Care for Animals - Chicago), so I'll circle back after with an update. Thank you all very much for your responses! What a wonderful community.

@tanza Yup, we reached out to the breeder a few weeks ago and she mentioned that it could be allergies from food or the environment, but otherwise she didn't indicate that he had any prior issue with his eyes.

The tearing seems most prevalent (i) when he is running around at the park and (ii) when we leave him alone in his crate (which we haven't done very often, given the quarantine restrictions the past few months). That makes me wonder if it's linked to periods of heightened activity/stress, but maybe I'm grasping at straws.

@eeeefarm I thought that could be the case, but we spent about 10 days in Michigan at my family's house (different laundry, odor eliminators, general environment), and didn't notice any difference.

Looks like we are going to set up an appointment at Eye Care for Animals in Chicago, so hopefully they can pinpoint the problem.

Hi Elbrant,

This has been going on since we brought him home in March. No material changes, except that we moved him off Royal Canin kibble and onto Honest Kitchen a few weeks ago without any difference in tear production. We live in Chicago, so it has been pollen season the past couple of months, but he still had watery eyes in early March prior to pollen season here.

Two vets have taken a look; one suggested Angel Eyes, and the other said that this was just a common issue with basenjis. I've searched through this forum, and persistent tears in both eyes don't seem to be a common, lifelong issue with any basenjis, though it looks like some Bs have had problems with conjunctivitis and allergies.

If this is just an issue that Bs have to deal with, please let me know! If it's a fixable thing and I can do something to improve his day-to-day comfort, I'd just want to fix it.

The vet suggested "Angel Eyes," but that didn't seem to help. We also tried children's Claritin for a few days and didn't notice any difference in tear discharge.

He doesn't appear uncomfortable, and he isn't pawing at his face. Not sure if this is a common physical ailment due to teething/allergies/etc. He has pretty bad separation anxiety when we aren't in the same room as him (the Covid-19 situation has us together a lot more than would have been typical), so I'm wondering if he is just a really anxious puppy. Let me know if you have any tips or experience! I just want him to be healthy and comfortable, so I want to do all I can to help.

Here's a pic that shows his typical teary-eyed (but cute!) face.