I am thankful that my girls are consistant with the once a year cycles. I honestly do not know how breeders of other breeds that cycle twice a year handle it. I think I would go mad!

If your dog does not lose weight after cutting back on the food, have a complete thyroid test done. Do not cut back the food drastically but slowly week by week. I have used plain canned pumpkin as a filler. My three dogs get no more than 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups but they are on different foods. Jennifer

@Patty: Personally I would take her to the vet to get her checked out for bowel or urinary infections. If she is losing sight and hearing she may be frightened. It sounds as though you need to step back a pace to calm your reactions. I can appreciate that you are getting fed up with all the work but she is an old dog. My present oldie (15) has taken to peeing (and pooing) indoors at times but I know I need to put her outside more often as she doesn't have the control she once had. She has also become blind and is certainly more aggressive with the others because of that. Any way first things first and do take her to the vet, please. Let us know how you get on. I have to agree with everything Patty wrote. Changing behavior ALWAYS needs a vet check. Increase aggresssion can be due to thyroid issues, pain, tick-born diseases, constant hunger (due to other things), etc. You didn't say in your post if you'd recently seen a vet and discussed her new issues. My oldest (16 in December) has failing kidneys (nonFanconi) and does need to pee more often. So, I put pee pads down in the house in his favorite pee spots. He's usually pretty good about that, but he does still pee in other spots if I'm not watching him carefully or if he gets a bit aggitated about the sitting arrangements. Would your pup stay in an exercise pen? That would give her a little more room than a crate.

I have not been on the forum for awhile and am sad to read about Spencer. I know how much you loved him and he is now free of pain. Jennifer

Gosh yes, please do!

I REALLY wanted the plaque vaccine to pan out. When it came out, my vets (who are cautious) said to wait a couple of years. Well, it has been found safe, but they discontinued it as it doesn't work. I really need a miracle. Though the truth is, she is good about it now and heck, I spent more time grooming the chow 2x a week than I do brushing her teeth every night. I still have to get them cleaned every 3 mos though. My vet recommended trying a water pik. ROFLMAO, me and what army? Sigh. So we just keep getting them cleaned. For the record, she isn't forming tartar, it is the actual plaque her gums react to. http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Breaking+News/Pfizer-discontinues-production-of-veterinary-perio/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/718560

went to the vet today. he said i caught it early. he didnt hear anything in his lungs, but his glands were enlarged. he gave him a cough supressant and antibiotics. after putting a humidifier in my room, its really helped his nighttime coughing fits. so he has another apt in a couple weeks. just going to give him lots of rest and his meds. he will be good as new. doc said he's in great shape for his age. could use a teeth cleaning tho! haha

I'm puzzled because if she has the correct pliant skin for a Basenji, it would get fewer wrinkles if she was too fat. I stand to be corrected here but thats what happens to mine!! I think she looks very good and that she has no need to lose any weight. Her coat is gleaming. Congratulations to you for keeping her in such lovely condition! I've only ever had to remove ticks from our collies - the Basenjis have never had one but I can understand that you feel the need to give medicine but personally I only give conventional medicine to a Basenji if I (and my vet) consider it totally necessary.

Bully sticks are just baked rawhide. Antlers are tougher and the mniscule amounts of antler that can be chewed up in a day shouldn't rile up a sensitve tummy. Have you tried "moo tubes"? They're bovine trachea and more digestible than skin, whether in rawhide or bully stick form. As with any dog toy, check ountry of origin and avoid non-domestc produced.

I heard in the news that arsenic can be linked to certain types of cancer. Still if there are high concentrations of arsenic in rice, it does not makes sense to feed it to your dog everyday. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/09/arsenic-and-rice-yes-again/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews

@nomrbddgs: Since it appeared later on, and is hard, and red, I would suggest getting it fixed. Most of the umbilical hernias I have come across are pink and soft-no matter the size. I find it highly unusual, and I don't mean to scare you, that it is hard and red. I would get it fixed asap. Just my opinion. I agree that the presentation is more likely indicative of strangulation, and the appearance beyond infancy is additional evidence of a problem. I too would get it fixed asap and forget about acking on another procedure to save costs. A dog with strangulated bowel doesn't need additional stress.

Thanks! I have 2 on meds but they take soloxine.

@Nemo: Of course they don't have to register them at all to sell puppies. thats for sure :(

If the rocks and ball look too much like food, try getting a bowl that has "walls" on the underside. If you turn over a regular bowl, some brands have these connecting bars between the inner and outer bowl walls. Put the food in the underside of the bowl and the dog has to work around these walls.

I believe this was a false alarm, something topical rather than illness. I gave her a long, cool bath yesterday, using a shampoo that "relieves itching associated with minor skin irritations, inflammation and rashes." She has completely stopped licking (anywhere on her body, not just under her tail). She seems much more relaxed and comfortable, compared to yesterday, even though we're dealing with 99-degree weather. When I check her labia, I don't see any redness, or any change. I can prod the area, and she doesn't show any sign of pain. I think that what I thought was swelling is just how the vulva looks in a healthy dog. I'll keep a watchful eye on her for the next few days to see if anything changes. Thanks for the tips. :-) (Waving hi to Laura and Ziggy's kin)

@giza1: Heh, heh, inbread/purebread is a pet peeve of mine as well. That, and SPADE. It's not really my dog, I don't have inbread dogs, I got it from my genetics list (when I saw the title I thought that these people shouldn't be making that mistake). Go ahead, use it. Can you pull it off the forum or do I have to email it to you? HAHAHAHA I thought the exact same thing. I was like…WTF! People should not own dogs if they dont know how to spell things. lol SPADE is on my "list" And "inbread" and "purebread" I dont really like when you say "purebreed" either, to me its purebred. but maybe i am wrong on that, thats just how i am. hate it! lol but thats so funny tho! THANKS for sharing! super cute!

Good news I hope he continues without pain .