Basenji Health Issues & Questions

@nobarkus: That's a possibility. Though I'm not sure what's in plastic that could be missing in the diet. Mine have eaten dirt/clay to get the minerals. Can you get Steve's Raw Dog Food? It's sold mostly at Whole Foods Market. http://www.stevesrealfood.com/. I'm picking up a new tri today from BRAT and I'm going to try it. The woman who runs BRAT said it help her B that had chronic diarrhea. You can mix it with kibble. I'm also going to use Organix dry dog food to mix it with. Let us know how it goes.. and we would love for you to join us next weekend in Livermore for the BCONC lure trial/puppy match/club meeting….

Sharron I'll try pumpkin if I can get hold of it - it's not readily available here. Thanks.

That is great! Fingers crossed for even more good news to come. :)

I know my 2 b's don't do well on anything with Lamb in it. So, that would be something to watch for. IMO

Today I had put Jazzy's morning bicarb tab in her mouth and was holding her, petting her, rubbing her throat –usually a pretty successful and stress-free way to get her to swallow her pills -- and she managed to spit the bicarb out. Keoki, ever on the alert for anyone getting some treat and constantly fearing that he is missing out, pounced on that tablet and ate it. You could tell he didn't like it, and kept licking his lips afterward as if he was trying to get rid of something nasty. But he kept it and ate it --wasn't ABOUT to let Jazz get something he couldn't have. What a dork. LOL

So we took Akeyla to the vet for her heartworm check…everything went great! We will start her on heartworm prevention today :)

BDawg…thanks...the next real vet appointment will tell me which member on the forum was right. :D:D:D I'm going with the thought that it was a one off because of the euthanasia (hey, I'm an optimist :D). In the meantime, I'll just do a couple of social visits. BTW, mine don't react to going in the driveway or door of the vet...so I think I'm lucky there. The only shots they've ever had have been regular vaccines.

@nobarkus: I'm too hesitant to try any of the chemical drops with the bad reactions I've seen. Well, actually my vet recommends against topical for my basenji kids. They said that they have plenty of dogs in their practice that got Lyme while on topical. The best line of defense is to look my kids over after they have been outside. I too have heard too many horror stories and I don't want pesticides on my bedding or furniture. Granted I have it somewhat easier as my kids are 2 red & whites and one red brindle…black, dark brindle or tri would be harder to find a tick on.

Dr. Watkins was so impressed with how well the wound looked yesterday that the cone collar is officially off now! Baron is so happy to be rid of that thing and so am I. That was his last check up. Thank you to everyone for your positive vibes, prayers, and well wishes. Basenjimamma, thank you for the tip. I will keep this in mind for any future injuries and wounds. :)

Periodontal disease is a tough one to get on top of once it takes hold (in both humans and dogs) because the bacteria gets down in the pockets and it is very difficult to keep clean. People have better luck because they have the ability to floss daily, but that is very difficult with a dog – and believe me, I've tried. :D Periodontal disease is not the same as an auto-immune disease that dogs can get (lest I be accused of getting them confused). I believe the reason our furry companions, and especially the dry-mouth (non-slobbering types) often get it is because of a couple things in addition to not being able to floss. 1. They don't slobber so their mouths really don't get a good natural rinse, and 2. they are fed an unnatural diet. In the wild they would be crunching up bones which acts like a natural toothbrush/floss, and they wouldn't be eating cereal grains which are carbs on steroids turning to sugar once it hits the saliva. There are kibbles out there that do not contain grains which may help by keeping the sugars at bay in the mouth. Evo is one, Instinct is another. Feeding raw is a great alternative. I am also a big fan of the PetzLife product and think it works wonders to keep plaque at bay on the teeth, but not sure how well it works with the plague and bacteria already under the gumline. My rat terrier does not have periodontal disease. I feed him Evo and brush his teeth daily (with a three-sided toothbrush) with Petzlife and he has the teeth of a two year old which isn't bad considering he's almost 11. If his gut could handle it I'd feed him raw, but that has not bode well with him unfortunately. FWIW, in a past life I worked as a chairside assistant for a dentist so I do know a bit about teeth and periodontal disease. I came away from that experience realizing that if I were on a deserted island I'd rather have an endless supply of dental floss vs. a toothbrush. I would be more likely to keep my teeth with the first rather that the latter. Now if we could just figure out how to floss a dog's teeth. :)

More health testing results for Kobey, got his Thyroid back, also Normal….. now to get an update eye exam sometime this summer... he did have one at 9wks and all was normal.. but we didn't get it up on OFA....

Oh well… at least it brought Jumoke to the foreground again! :-)

That is scary, and I now have to worry as I'm in AZ now.

Thanks to all who have put questions and answers forward. I'm kind of glad I pushed the issue, I have learned much more about the syndrome from the people who actually have the experience. As Jason stated, there are a lot of questions that people have who have never had an afflicted dog. And as Andrea states, some do better on the protocol than others, while some have different organs affected over time. It's all a learning process for us. And, it opens our eyes to some of the more difficult aspects of Fanconi. This is the part of the education that I wanted-some real discussion on living with them. I'm sorry if I've offended anyone, but I really want to know. I guess I have an enquiring mind and feel a need to understand.

Thanks Tanza :). Well you can see that I didnt do my homework on this disease BEFORE I posted my question :o:o. (Says this, then runs off to commence my edumacation for the day. Topic is… H.A. :))

Thanks once again Tanza ;). Again I will have to wait for this test to be done… Khani's, our dogs first birthday pressie was info on how to be a good doggie, and follow all the rules Mummy has laid down for them ;););)... I cant believe that they wont follow the manual...

Thanks for that Tanza :). Our printer has broken down, so I will take the info to the Vets to get them to download the forms for me… Of all the testing that I was about to do, this is actually the only thing, (apart from Ochres Fanconi...), that I can do :(. I had Saba booked in for H/E, but, now I cant do them, cos I want to put them up on the OFA site, but he needs to be at least 2 yrs, and he wont turn 2 till 19th July. Also Thyroid has to be done 100 days from being in season, so again, have to wait, and patience is NOT my strong point :D

You might want to watch her carefully in regard to her food, treats, and whatever she eats when you're not looking. Then change one by one to see if the diarrhea is indeed because of the particular brand of food.

Great news:D Belle is having her eyes done in a couple of weeks then her hips are being done a few days after that.

I did have a Westie in the past that had severe allergies to….storagemites, which is in every dogfood that has been stored for a few weeks or more, i.e every food known to man, so he was on the raw diet, did great, he was also severly allergic to fleas, or the saliva from the fleas and to mold/mildew, which living in houston Tx there is a lot of. Poor guy was miserable, until we did the raw diet and decided to keep him inside all the time, when the other dogs went out to play he had to stay in..and it is funny he wanted to go out and the other dogs wanted to come in...figures. The few foods out there that are supposedly good for allergies according to my vet is grainfree ones, Dick Van Pattens sweet potatoe and duck, I believe was one of the ones he recommended. Try to keep the ingredients list as small as possible, cleaner food means less irritants. Just like our food, the less junk we eat the better we feel... Good Luck, I know how hard it is with a dog that clearly is bothered by something and you don't know how to help it. I do know that Petco and Petsmart here in Texas will take food back even though the bag has been opened, which is nice if you are having to try various/numerous different brands until you find what works. Basenjimamma