Posts made by krissteyn

congrats to mommy and guardians,,, may your house be blessed with puppyness !

kris (also proud)

Day 3 :<)

All is well ! Mommy has adopted a "normal" mothering aspect and last night was left alone with her brood.

I wiped the pups bums yesterday morning and cleaned them up a bit , and she dried them off (standard basenji licking up water) and that seems to have turned it around , once she started licking .
I was expecting her to eat the poop , and she didnt , so it got a little messy. But now I cant see any poop so I presume she has dealt with it.
She is reluctant to leave the pups now and only seems to leave to poop (at a previously proclaimed private carpet ? - never mind) , so all is peacefull.
My home made whelping box with a built in warmer is working well.
Weight increase of the pups is approx 15% , will keep monitoring as I am concerned she hasn't enuff milk. Her appetite seems OK.

@ Saba , I think that 24/7 supervision for the 1st 36 hours is mandatory if you are concerned. Your B's personality is a mirror of mine, but as you see , in my case its working. Mine's initial roughness and subsequent death of the pup was probably due to her pain and disorientation from the op and anesthetic. If I had read the above before the event I would have been more vigilant , so I suppose I am to blame , but in retrospect , I dont believe she has enuff operational teats - so the fight for available food would have meant a weaker litter - so I am OK with the outcome (altho a little sad).

Kris & Zinze and 4 bundles of joy

Thanks Pat & Ivoss you give me hope kris

UPDATE

Mommy's attitude has been corrected , i suspect by a few stern rebukes from me , and mostly by nature. She is calmer and more tolerant now , but I still dont trust her. The pain meds are still being administered (runs out tomorrow ) and she is moving normally considering the large cut.
What she is not doing is cleaning up after the pups , I expected her to lick up the poop , but she is ignoring it. She prefers the chewing on the umbilical cord bits - which I have admonished her about. weight gain is between 17g & 31g in the first 24hrs , but we are looking after the littlist and ensuring its get first pick so that gap might narrow. weights are currently between 276g & 239g.

Its a process….

Hi all , not sure if I already introduced ourselves , so
Owner Kris Steyn Cape Town S.Africa Reason for living = Zinze (sometimes Zinzi) now 4 years old - first litter.

I have finally managed to get everything done (all the tests etc.) and her water broke at 9pm, Things were a little slow , so we ended up at the vet 11pm and eventually had a Ceasar. , collected her 3am and came home. This has been a mission , but one I was prepared for.

She came out of anesthetic just before we collected her and first time she saw her pups was in the car - they were in a box. As soon as we got home (she was still a bit woozy) , we put her in the whelping box with her mewling pups and let them suckle. She was obviously confused. Zinze has never been very pro puppy , and altho quite sociable , normally shows any puppy very quickly with a snarl that she is not a toy. But I never expected her not to have maternal instincts with her own. 1 day later and she is "tolerating" the pups and we have a 24/7 watch on her.
She was very rough with them at first and one died , despite me rushing back to the vet with it. So I am concerned that an irritated , post op , sore titty caused by puppy problem might cause her to snap at another pup and do another injury. Her teats appear to only have 5 working out of 9 and of those only 3 working well. Pups have all gained weight in the last 6 hours , between 4 and 10 grams , so am not too worried about the milk but got (hills) supplement on standby for when the demands exceed supply. Pups appear to have all been very healthy with no problems.

Questions …

The "not natural birth / aggression" towards the pups ; is this normal , and what else do you think I might try ?

what is the normal weight gain for young pups ?

apart form feeding her puppy food , is there anything else that may stimulate her milk production ? I have been rubbing her teats and "stimulating" them regularly for the last month to attempt an early readiness , but they seem under-developed.

When I allow her a rest in-between the constant suckling , to go away from the pups (for a pee/poo , or just a change of scenery) , assuming the pups were sleeping , what is a reasonable length of time to be away ?

Thanks in advance for all input , Kris Steyn

Than you all for your input - took Zinze in the canoe today and she jumped out to investigate the ducks She is showing no discomfort at present.

I looked at the photos from her pedigree forebears and 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations appear to have similar front feet. I will monitor it carefully and assume my lack of knowledge is most of the problem - will be seeing the breeder within the next couple of weeks for an update.

On a happier note - Gosh but she has an international pedigree - from all over…
She has lotsa B sparkle and chased an English Mastiff down the beach recently - takes no prisoners

glad I found this site

Kris

This is the first time I have had only 1 dog - not my choice but thats how it is. Always seen the other dogs "check" to make sure the portions and quality were "fair" and any crumbs hoovered up. any dog that wanders away from its food is obviously finished and doesnt need any more - and his is always tastier than mine anyway…
1 pair always ate half (as quick as possible) and then swapped bowls - other one said "dont even think about it".

But now with just the one - seems she has all day and doesnt mind - I havnt really worried about it - she is a little princess and has rights you know !

Hi - just wondered if any other B's were so messy when eating - My B is the worst messy eater I have ever seen - only got her at 5 months - so not sure what started this - but she will take a full mouthfull of food and then walk over to the cleanest part of anywhere she fancies and chew/gulp/dribble food - just like a baby… She then ignores the crumbs and repeats the process. I have tried various things , like feeding smaller qty's - but nothing has improved her "manners". Currently only have 1 dog - so perhaps some competition would improve it - but dont want to do that now.
She is also very picky about "treats" being offered by hand - sniffs it first , nudges it , then licks it - whilst I am standing waiting and then curls up her lip and tries to nibble it....
So I just drop it and let her get on with it....

Anybody else have a messy food eater ?

kris

My previous posy got lost
She seems to have no pain - only slight discomfort - I can tell by the duration of the "dancing" - but unless you compare what she was like before - you would never tell.

pain appears to be relative - she shows no sign. But I do try to minimise stress to the fore-paws/legs - always pick her out the car and put her down , always place her gently on the ground after cuddles.

My previous pedigree hound involvement was with Irish Wolfhounds - so am well aware of joint problems…

Am kinda busy at present and Zinze is currently in a good space with no hassles - so will leave her for now. Really wanted to get a feel for what you guys had to say and then factor in all that when I approach the breeder.

all contributions greatfully received

kris

Pain - this animal has a pain thresh-hold way above normal !

only 3 times I have heard her cry was when the indenti-pet was done, the biopsy on her foot , and when she applied brakes too late chasing a big bird off the deck and landed 12 foot down (just bounced) in the garden - altho the last was more fright than pain. Her paws seem to have no nerves and altho she isnt as active as I would expect , given a squirrel or neighbours cat to chase - she tries to break the sound barrier…

She has a delicate tail that doesnt like being bent "the wrong way" , but when I play with it, she lets me bend it anyway I please ??? go figure...

kris

thanx for the tip on the treatment - will enquire...

By the way , the vet did a skin biopsy - sent it away for results - nothing conclusive at that stage…

Lets see : driven down from the owner overnight : 20 hour journey aged 5 months - took 2 days to settle down and be vaguely house trained - it appears her previous owner trained her to do it on only cement/concrete floors and not "in the bushes". Didnt notice the feet at first but within a week we had foot-licking,

Got her settled - stayed with her 24/7 for 2 weeks , which meant I was at a building site where renovations were happening for 2 weeks (only).
Assumed she had a "splinter" and so did the vet, We waited 10 days and more erruptions occurred. vet couldnt work it out - tried creams and stuff - all still lying there and it didnt really improve.
Came and went at will.
She of course was now "domesticated / willfull / "almost impossible" and very active ! Our spring flowers were out and the scratching was mainly around the head area - ear mites checked for 3 times - nothing ! now have her on a special oil additive with her "special" diet and that seems to have minimised the problem , altho she still gets the scratches - we do have poison ivy in the garden ??? and she like to bury her bones (celphones/keys/cameras) down in that area…
Popped into the vet (we go fishing sometimes) and he showed me pictures from one of his big books of her condition - matched exactly - altho I am no expert. Its possible that isnt the problem - but it seems to fit.
The feet collapsed over a 3 week period about 7 months ago and the vet looked at it all , scratched his head and said , short of major re-constructive surgery by a specialist, he couldnt see any quick answer.
3 times I have tried keeping her quiet for 10 days in a closed area with minimal movement - but that didnt help - just drove us nuts !

Our spring time is round the corner and we will be monitoring her closely to check on allergy scratching and foot erruptions.
She has no fleas - I keep checking and she gets advantage regularly.

She has a kennel which , altho out on the porch , has a heating system for winter and she stays toastie-warm in there and appears happy enuff.

need any more info ?

kris

wow - that was fast . . .
Zinze has a pedigree longer than both my arms with no fanconi or anything else… altho I didnt know that when we got her. The local breeder assured me that she was perfect to breed with and at age 1 year was ectstatic about her condition and show-ability. That was a time when she was fairly free of the bleeding cysts and she was just so happy to play with the 7 other B's , she ignored any discomfort.

Anyway - our local breeder has the final say as to who the sire will be and we are a while away from that decision...

kris

Great pictures - my B sits between my legs on the paddleski and kinda balances OK - will leap off and swim to shore if a suitable playmate arrives. Dived off the canoe into the water to chase a duck.

She walks casually into the sea and doesnt mind getting her feet wet - hates being bathed tho ! and loves the rub down afterwards.
Her cousin up the road wont even get a toe in ANY water - will insist on being carried or make a big detour !

you made me smile today !

Kris

Thanx for a prompt reply - I had a similar idea in general , but specifically got a female to go through the breeding process with my young family. I understand that the extra weight would be a problem and we would need to pay special attention to her needs.
I have been extremely happy with little Zinze and she is a real sweetie - and wouldnt put our needs before hers. But I did think that a carefully managed pregnancy would be good for her. That is the beauty of this forum - I can discuss and plan without actually doing anything yet…

No other posters have commented ?

Not specific to Zinze's general condition - but she has the bump on her belly-button of fat from the partially closed at birth hole. This hole is now closed and no amount of pushing and prodding will get the fatty lump to move. We got her with it at age 5 months and there has been no change and she has no discomfort from it. My vet says its fine ???

any comments ?

Kris

My 2 c worth - My wife is allergic to dogs and I am allergic to cats - so our B lives out on the porch / garden with the cats - very happily…

Of course she loves to come inside and has twice showed her territorial rights and dis-pleasure at being banned from the bedroom by peeing on the (white) bedspread.

last time it happened , I caught her , took her to the scene of the crime - spoke very sternly to her - and got "the look" - and then chucked her outside - she landed ok and sulked for a few hours but I ignored her for 24 hours except for the "bad dog" comments.
She did the same at my tenants house - snuck in when not supervised - and similar treatment there ! That was embarrassing !
That was a year ago - no problems since - I think in my case it was a territorial problem !

kris

Hi everybody - wasnt sure where to look and a friend mentioned the forum…

After years of wanting / waiting lists - I finally got my basenji 18 months ago and was suitably impressed / shocked / loved by the new addition - our only dog , but sharing with 2 cats.
Unfortunately , Zinze (Azinza) was 5 months old when we got her and had a few traits and problems along the way that I found strange. The initial problem was the house training - took 3 months to sort that one out - would only do it on a concrete floor. but that is now OK.
Our other problem was the infections and cysts on the front paws between the toes. Got so bad that she would fold the foot over and walk on the top instead.
Numerous visits to the vet cost more than expected - also had a skin allergy that needed dietry supplements to minimise.
We took her to visit her sister and the sister had none of the problems,
Eventually it was diagnosed as Interdigital Furunculosis.
At about the same time - as it was getting better / worse / better / worse ...
her front paws collapsed.
I have some pics of her current condition - not sure if I can post them here.

I try not to stress her front feet but the condition is definitely reducing her ability to "go nuts" altho being a Basenji means complaining is rare...

any comment from the forum appreciated.

PS was going to breed with her next time round - now dont know it its a hereditary problem to worry about.

Have chatted to the local breeder - needed some extra comment please...

Kris