Basenji Health Issues & Questions

Stormie is loving his Nupro, too! I make his into a gravy and give it to him as a treat for taking all his meds! He doesn't even know it's supposed to be good for him! ;) Glad it's working for you, too Lynn!

@Phebese: We take Max to the Banfield in the Petsmart on Cobb Pkwy in Acworth. We have gone to many different veterinarians but only found two that we feel comfortable with. We have the Banfield insurance which really helps, but most importantly he is comfortable going there and we trust them. He has been there twice in the past couple of weeks getting a cyst removed. They call in between appointments to check on him and see if we have any concerns. We do not like all the Banfield clinics, in fact the one on 92 we did not like. Another good vet is Randy Esbeck at Sawnee Animal Clinic 770-887-1900. He is a Basenji specialist. It's in Cumming Georgia. It's just to far for us to go. Good Luck, Max's Mom (Emily) As they say, it is not the place but the Vet that is working there…. so while many of the Banfield clinic might not be good, when you luck into a good Vet.. that makes the clinic... IMO

Glad you know what NOT to do.. Hugs to all.

@tanza: And for those of you with "elders" note that with age they do become more sensitive to heat…. while mine when younger would lay in the sun at 100 degrees... they don't now at 14+... also I find that they pant more when it is really hot That's good info…I forget about how the age makes a big difference with such things.

Like people, some dogs are highly allergic and a bee sting is a vet emergency. Giving benadryl immediately is a good idea, and watch for extreme swelling or shortness of breath. Anne in Tampa

I was told that if it is an intestinal bug, giving an anti-diarrheal upon onset will slow the bodys natural ability to evacuate the nasty virus, and the 'bug' can in fact regroup in the intestines and come back even stronger. Fluids are key. Dehydration can happen so fast. After the diarrhea slows, try feeding active culture yougart (I use Activia)to re-introduce the 'good' bacteria back into digestive tract. This along with the soft boiled diet and Gatorade or Pedialyte in the water, seems to do the trick with my older male. Glad to hear Topper if feeling better.

Dog owners weighing the cost of titers against the seemingly lower cost of a possibly redundant booster should consider the estimated numbers of adverse reactions to immunization and the cost of treating an adverse reaction. Time Out: Rabies Researchers Assess New, Long-lasting Vaccine NEWStat, American Animal Hospital Association June 25, 2008 http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/aaha2/issues/2008-06-25/index.html "A rabies vaccine and vaccination schedule with a seven year DOI will reduce the number of animals that develop adverse reactions following immunization, which is currently estimated to be 1-3% of the population." Based on the estimate of "…more than 72 million pet dogs in the U.S." from the American Veterinary Medical Association U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook (2007 Edition)http://www.avma.org/reference/marketstats/sourcebook.asp, the currently estimate 1-3% of the population adversely reacting to vaccination translates into between 720,000 and 2,160,000 dogs.

Yes, I have heared about that, but to be honest, I will send the blood samples directly to the US as it is not done in Finnland but they extract the genetic info and send it to America. So I can send the blood as well…. same time, even less expences.... Regards, Esther

I guess we have been lucky. Roo got his Rabies shot about 3 weeks ago and was fine. We also used Advantix on him with no issues. With the flooding we have had here recently, the Mosquitos have been terrible. We even stopped walking in the park because they are so bad and will swarm on Roo. Jason

@sharronhurlbut: I bring my dogs home…I don't let them stay. A deal breaker for me.. I agree Sharron. I lost a Bully years ago due to an 'overnight vet'. Consequently I followed the "new" vet from that practice that was into continuing education and specialty breeds. She left my area for a short time for some additional training and came back with her own "mobile vet clinic". She gives door to door service for routine stuff and also provides surgical services, (neuter/spay, etc…). The most important thing we agree upon is a dog in recovery needs the most family support it can get for an easy recovery from anesthetic. She keeps the dog with her in a large kennel in the RV, checking vitals at every stop, then calls when they are ready to be picked up on her route, or dropped off at your house (the 'senjis never make it to the end of the day....the moaning and whining convinced her early on it was better to drop them off into the capable hands of "mom and dad" than put up with the attention getting behavior:)

Hi Terry, Cairo is really great with people, kids, dogs, and if a cat would let him get near them he would be great with them too. He just loves playing with everybody. We socialize him allot. That is making it hard for us now because even though he is sore and healing from surgery, he just wants to play. He has sooooo much energy to burn off. If you have any suggestions we are listening. it should be over soon though. Thanks for saying hello. Dan

Well I am not very sure about the food but the ticks and lyme disease…It is good you plan to take her to the vet soon. I found a tick on my basenji and I was so worried because she hadn't been on any flea and tick prevention. (I had never seen a tick on or near her before...I've had her for about 2yrs.) I felt so much better at the vet because their was nothing wrong. Just take her to the vet asap. http://www.hmdawg.blogspot.com

This is very normal. I went to a dog show and brought my basenji with me and we walked around out side looking at vendors for a while and as soon as I sat down on a bench she just fell over in the shade. We gave her some water to cool down and she was fine. Basenjis love the sun but they know when to much is enough.:)

I recently went to a lecture on Lyme disease…freaked me out...and after that I was at my vet and asked about putting Ruby and Brando on Frontline. My vet told me to not bother with it. I live in an area with a lot of ticks but she said that because Frontline isn't completely effective and because she knows of some dogs that got Lyme using Frontline, I'd do just as well to just check the pups over thoroughly when they come in from outside and not use Frontline. She wasn't against Frontline, but just felt that with Ruby & Brando's short coats, a visual check would be the most effective method of dealing with ticks. Maybe once a week I do find a tick on Brando...haven't found one on Ruby yet, but I'm vigilant and know that I've found it within an hour or two of one climbing on him. With one exception they have only been dog ticks, luckily...one was definitely a deer tick though. But even with a deer tick you usually have 24 hours before you need to worry. Nina, the really small ones may be deer ticks (that's what the small ones are here)...those are the ones you need to worry about.

Poor Ham…but glad to hear he is on the mend! :)

@etzbseder: While we're at this, when they are neutered, how long do you have to keep them from licking? Can they lick in 4 days? or do you have to wait like 7-8 or what? Not till the incision is well on the way to be healed (which would mean the incision is closed..)…. 4 days is not long enough... IMO

17 is normal for a male… From the Basenji standard: Size, Proportion, Substance Ideal height for dogs is 17 inches and bitches 16 inches. Dogs 17 inches and bitches 16 inches from front of chest to point of buttocks. Approximate weight for dogs, 24 pounds and bitches, 22 pounds. Lightly built within this height to weight ratio

@Rev: My wife loved the Chiya website beutiful dogs, our guy is 13 and my wife is already thinking about another. But I'm the one walking in the rain, and freezing in zero degree weather here in Chicago walking this guy, and 6 a.m. even on weekends. No thanks. This is my first and my last dog ever!!!:rolleyes: hee hee my husband said my Gypsy was our LAST DOG EVER. Then he said, NO MORE DOGS until Gypsy has been dead at least a year. Then he got me Jazzy for my birthday three years ago – Gypsy is still alive and kicking at 14 ---and he said Jazzy was the LAST DOG EVER. Then last year he brought Keoki home and said, NO MORE DOGS EVER AND I MEAN IT. Poor guy lives with three dogs now. :p Although, I am the one who takes care of them, walks them in the rain, up at 6 Am with them, etc. He just pets them and yells when they chew his stuff. :D

Totally unrelated. Jabari, I can't tell you how it warms my heart to hear "aloha" and "mahalo". Oh warm and fuzzies :) My family is still on Maui as my little sis is only in high school. Our Riley is getting the big snip in probably about 10 days. Poor little guy. I think it's the non-laser kind. We haven't had a comprehensive exam w/ the new vet yet but she comes highly recommended from a breeder out here. I just wish she accepted AKC's comped vet visit certificate you get for registering :/