Posts made by LifewithAva

The email was returned as undeliverable. I thought I remembered the gmail address MHMei provided before deleting, but I must have gotten it wrong because the email bounced back last night. I resent it this morning, just in case.

@mhmei I sent you an email with my contact info. You can call or email at your convenience-- or if you want to chat through the forum, that works, too!

I'm in Knoxville and my family has had Basenjis for many years. I'll be happy to talk to you about Mei and see if we can help her.

It goes by fast. Seems like Ava was just a feisty puppy a short while ago... and now she's nine. Her face just started turning white. Puppies are fun, but these older dogs are a treasure.

I walked almost the exact path with my last boy, who was also a Fanconi dog. He had a Grand Mal seizure at age 10 and the vet diagnosed a possible brain tumor and recommended a whole battery of tests, including an MRI. I went to another vet and the new vet recommended starting with a short round of steroids to see if he would respond. He did and had a healthy life until he was approaching 15.

The last year, his sight and hearing had been declining and he had become a picky eater, so his weight was down. Then one night, he had a series of seizures-- the first in almost five years. The meds and SubQs helped him keep going for another month, though he started eating less and was looking frail. Everybody said he would tell me when it was time-- and I wasn't totally sure I'd recognize it-- but that's exactly what he did. I felt like he wanted to keep going and I helped him do that for a month, then one night, he put his paw on my hand and gave me this look. I knew. You will, too.

I also had a B from the kennel that traded on the Cambria name. My dog had that "Cambria pedigree" so I thought I did my research. He, like most of his line, had Fanconi. He was a joy and I had him for 15 years, thanks to Dr. Gonto, but Fanconi is very hard. Which is why I personally checked that Knoxville breeder out.

Good luck, OP, on your Basenji search! Find a responsible breeder who cares about the breed and the health of their dogs, and you won't be sorry.

There are no reputable Basenji breeders in TN. Responsible owners who live in TN and care about the breed go out of state to get our Bs.

This woman does not have a legit kennel. There isn't even a fenced yard at the address she provides. She tries to charge $1000+ without providing any health info or really any info at all and assumes she can because the breed is "rare."

I didn't try to get a B from her-- both of mine came from other states-- but I know someone who did. I feel very, very bad for her dogs-- if she has any.

Congratulations-- she is beautiful! My brindle girl's grandmother came from the Basenji Sisters. She was also a brindle.

And if anyone else is looking for advice on this thread, I would steer clear of Mountain Springs. There is a lot of Fanconi in their lines. As Tanza noted, they don't health test.

@elbrant said in Corn chips:

@lifewithava said in Corn chips:

Giving her a warm water and apple cider vinegar rinse will help

Are you mixing this in a 1:1 ratio and then applying it after a bath? ...maybe I should try it on my hair oops, did I say that out loud?

Yes, 1:1 ratio as a rinse after bathing or you can just use it as a rinse. LOL, works for human hair, too-- if you don't mind the vinegar smell. Fritos definitely smell better!

She's a cutie! Sounds like she'll make a wonderful companion no matter the pedigree. And I second the jumping ability-- once they realize how high they can leap, nothing is safe!

Could be warm weather and an overgrowth of yeast fungi. Giving her a warm water and apple cider vinegar rinse will help. It will make her fur nice and shiny. Ava is prone to itchy paws, so when she starts biting and scratching at her feet, I soak her paws. She's not a big fan of it, but it works!

I agree with the others that you deserve an answer. Whether there's a puppy for you or not, it impacts your family's life in a big way and you need to know. Did she tell you there would be a puppy for you from one of these litters? With multiple litters, you might not know which litter your puppy will come from until the little one is ready to take home, but I've never heard of no contact for a month after the puppies arrive.

I really hope it works out for you. Keep trying! Are you in touch with any other breeders who might have an extra puppy for you... or know someone who might?

He's adorable! Makes me really, really want a puppy this year.

My last B came to me litter box trained, and it was so easy. I had a litter box set up for him when I brought him home and he went right to it and used it. No accidents in the house. To transition him, I took the litter box outside where I wanted him to go and he used it there. After a day or so, I took the litter box up and took him to the spot and gave him the "go potty" command, and he got it right away. My current B wasn't litter box trained and it was much harder with her.

I just realized that this might be a bit confusing. I'm referring to two different dogs. My parents' dog is being thyroid tested. Ava is my dog and she has no shortage of energy!

@tanza My parents' dog is a rescue, but she had the Fanconi test when she was a year old. Luckily, it's not Fanconi.

@rugosa So it's like the 3-year rabies vaccine-- exactly the same as the 1-year product but costs more due to the added testing. When Ava was vaccinated last year, her vet didn't have the 3-year DHPP. Hopefully, she won't need to be vaccinated again.

@seibel45 She just turned five, but has gotten really lethargic, with no energy—lies around and sleeps all the time. She’s drinking a lot more water, pees more and her hair has been thinning. Her coat is losing its shine and feels rough, almost matted. Her skin has gotten flaky and scaly, but not itchy. She had been to the groomers for a bath and nail clip, so the vet said she could be having an allergic reaction to their products. The hair loss suddenly escalated around her tail—and the “rat tail” really made me think thyroid.

She’s had several eye and ear infections over the past six months and has been prescribed antibiotics for those. The vet suggested allergies, until the hair loss and change in her coat. She’s fed Fromm’s Surf-n-Turf, so no chicken or grains, and she’s been eating it for years. She’s on flea control and has been tested for parasites. No UTI; negative fecal. So we’re down to thyroid… Cushing’s (no weight gain or pot belly, though)… some unknown allergy… or maybe something else?

Thanks for the advice! I agree about Hemopet-- it's worth the added cost. We just want to find out what's wrong with her so we can get her the treatment she needs.

I appreciate the replies! Her vet suggested the FT4 test, but I thought Hemopet's Thyroid 5 and a consult with Dr. Dodds would be more thorough. The Hemopet site is very helpful, but I didn't know about MSU. Thanks for the suggestion-- I'll give it a look.

I've always done 3-year rabies, but she's required to have DHPP every year for playcare and agility classes. Like most, I don't agree with annual vaccines. It's amazing how many vets still push it and how many facilities still require it.