Basenji Health Issues & Questions

We had Juniper spayed about a month ago at 8 months old. Everything went well and her scar is almost healed…thankfully she doesn't seem to have lost any of her zeal! The vet said her sex organs looked as developed as a 3 y/o dog and it was they were the most mature looking sex organs he'd ever seen in 20 years of spaying and neutering. Believe it or not she went into a false labor after the spaying; about a week after the surgery her teats swelled up and when we took her to the vet he apparently squeezed out some milk! She was acting fairly normal but it was just as odd as it sounds! The vet said its rare but it can happen after a spaying because the hormone changes are similar to that of post-delivery. I did some research online and apparently false labors are common among wild wolves where the non-pregnant females will go into a false labor to provide milk and nurturing for offspring in the pack that are not their own.

My guy gets into "lickfest" mode from time to time. I find I can often distract him, or failing that just tell him to quit it. Sometimes I offer my hand and he licks that for awhile. In the fall, I find he is itchy much of the time, which results in more licking, groom biting, and scratching than at other times of the year. If he gets too insistent, I will put an Elizabethan collar on him for a bit, or sometimes just showing him the collar and threatening him with it will get him to cease and desist! :)

does he lay in the grass? ant bites or sensitivity to the grass on the skin, ever sit on the grass yourself and get those funny red spots and or indentions? maybe the same thing or him laying on a rug that has been cleaned with something he may be allergic to? If they do not clear up in a day or two or get worse; definitely see a Vet!

Evergreen Basenji Club publishes a great one, go to their website! Also, check out the Basenji University on the BCOA website. Terry

That's exactly the hell… they aren't sure.. so actually I have to say that after the Purdue study years ago, nearly all my Rottie, chow, Dane and other breeder friends got rid of elevated bowls as NO evidence they helped at all and some they might. @Mr: The RAW diet website says to not feed a combination of raw and kibble as the kibble takes so much longer to digest and is likely to cause stomach upset. They do and it's silliness. Not one single shred of research, not one, backs it. Pseudoscience bothers me, especially pseudoscience made up to get you to feel bad about not doing things they way they want you to. Especially ALSO when that nonsense causes people to not TRY raw because they cannot do it all the time and are told it is bad. I fed both most the time for 15 yrs, as do most of my friends. I wish I had the time and money to have done nothing else back then. I cannot do raw now as I have one dog with autoimmune issues and another who, no matter the meat source, every time I try she gets diarrhea. Sigh. So I feed the $60 per 25 pound best dry I can, with lots of home cooked meat, salmon ears and US source/made chicken treats. But I believe in raw in any situation where you can.

Pretty sure there is a board post about it, but I THINK there was a contamination issue or something. Certainly have not heard of any issues in a long time.

I read up on it, and it does sound very strong and unpleasant-tasting. I talked to our holistic vet yesterday, and the consensus was to start with caps diluted with olive oil and ginger. Ava also has allergies, so this might help with that as well. Then we can eliminate the Benadryl. She's already on a probiotic, so the vet feels a conservative dosage shouldn't have any ill effect. I'll watch her very closely to make sure.

@CrazySenji: Elliot's just came back clear :) So glad to hear this about Elliot. Hope he's doing well!

@DebraDownSouth: The issue is that Dodds looks at all dogs, but breeds vary. Ask your vet about a trial of low dose. Dodds is pretty much a sighthound specialtist… So I would tend to believe what she is saying... I would retest in 3 months and see if the Free T3 is still at the same level.

CALIFORNIA AB 272 lowering the age puppies must be vaccinated against rabies to 3 months passed the General Assembly & is in enrollment. The Governor has 12 days to sign this bill into law. Please call Governor Brown's Office TODAY 916-445-2841 (press 1 at prompt, then 6) & ask him to OPPOSE & VETO the bill, and ask all the dog lovers you know to do the same! http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/asm/ab_0251-0300/ab_272_bill_20130906_history.html

I am sorry for how hard this has been… but grateful you pup has you to do what needs to be done.

I have used frontline and advantage for over 20 yrs without issue, but I do the spray on frontline, not the top spot. I have had maybe 10 fleas in 6 yrs at most so I rarely use anything most years. See a flea? I hit them with frontline. It has been 4 yrs but I just found a flea so I ordered a new bottle on line from amazon. I know many give monthly pills but I hate giving my dog internal meds for external issues. (Except capstar, which I do use if I pick up a rescue with fleas and give it an hour or 2 to do it's job before taking it into my house!) As for natural, people swear by them, but study after study after study finds they do very little. Fleas carry disease. Some of the store brands are worthless, others report major issues. If they only got them at kennel, then you might luck out with one treatment but probably you need one now, one in a month, one in 2 mos and that should clear it. Cedar is toxic and no longer recommended at all (though some put in center of bedding, cover with other material, which is probably safe). Frontline and Advantage are safe for older dogs, and they have proven low rates of any issues if used right. Additionally, they sterilze the fleas so they help stop the problem. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=545

I hope it fits, I ordered it and he needs to have it in order to attend a doctors appointment on the 30th…if it doesn't fit I will ask the vet to borrow one... I don't dislike the mesh, but I feel like the basket muzzle gives a better opportunity to pant, of which he will. He has only ever worn a muzzle once and so I am nervous he will fight it so I'm hoping to introduce it as soon as it comes. I'm not necessarily comfortable with using a muzzle but at the very least its good he get accustomed to one, especially if he will be lure coursing with others

Thank you for the information.

One of mine scoots and licks when she needs expressing, but she rarely leaks/"splooges". My male, however, may scoot or lick, but I tend to do his at least every one to two months because he is prone to expressing them when he gets scared or startled – much like a skunk. I'd rather express his anal glands than deal with the "squirt" mess.

@CrazySenji: Elliot is thin and is so picky he's slowly killing me. We are doing kibble/wet in the AM and raw in the PM. Down for 10 minutes and gone til the next meal. Yesterday he skipped breakfast and ate all his dinner. Today he ate some breakfast and barely 1 bite of dinner. @________@ He likes it one day and hates it the next. Lovely little brat he is! I know how you feel, Becky. Just a year ago I was in that same position, begging a thin dog to eat. It's very worrisome and stressful. I hope Elliot gets over whatever it is and starts eating soon. I'm surprised that he doesn't like raw. Poor guy. :( @Chealsie508: The "little miss" is no longer little! Time flies…she is beautiful..love the expressions..looks like she telling you off under her breath in the first. Hard to believe, isn't it, Chealsie? She's all grown up… and yes, that's probably exactly what she's doing, saying, "Are YOU telling ME what to do?" Girl's got attitude, no doubt about it.

This should be a sticky here for dog eating anything that needs to induce vomiting. It would save people $180 I spent. It's not a wait and see situation.

Seems like every decade or so, they do similar studies with similar outcomes and yet people still want to believe a mixed breed is healthier. And what I'd like to know is WHY it isn't logic to understand that a purebred dog from generations of healthy dogs, bred for health, bred to diminish genetic disorders, is more likely to be healthy than a dog from mixed parents from people who simply let it happen with no idea of health or genetics. European studies have shown what incredible differences it makes on things like CHD and other inherited disorders when you breed clear to clear, clear to effected, etc. With their massive research I wish they would go back and separate out the well bred/tested purebreds from those without health/dna clearances.

I am so sorry for the loss but like the others, glad he was able to be there. ((hugs)))

Lucky for us in New Zealand we don't require the rabies vaccine, but it is great news that work is being done so dog's in countries that require the vaccine are not subjected to unnecessary poisoning. Glad there are people out there giving their all into making the use of vaccines safer for our pets as they can't speak for themselves. Hope everyone involved gets the recognition they deserve for their hard work and persistence and hope the results in the coming years are all positive. Jolanda and Kaiser