Hi,

[kath]

I have 2 basenjis, Pete and Lily. Pete is a 14 year old brindle and Lily is an 8 year old tri-color. My dear Alice, who passed away 7 years ago, was a red and white. Both Pete and Lily have been healthy until fairly recently, when Pete began having some diarrhea, especially during the night. Neither dog is overweight, and I exercise them everyday when we walk 1-3 miles, depending on weather. I love them dearly. Pete has always been somewhat of a couch potato, and Lily is a sweet and curious explorer who loves to be outside.

Pete has just been diagnosed with some kind of liver problem from blood work. The diarrhea was his only symptom and the reason I took him to the vet.

He has been hypothyroid and on medication for most of his life. Today his thyroid function is okay, as are his kidneys and other organs (again, determined by the recent bloodwork).

Any info about liver issues with basenjis would be helpful in deciding exactly how to proceed. My vet hasn't recommended anything but did present me with 2 options: either an ultrasound to diagnose the problem or just medication management (SAMe and an antibiotic).

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

K

[nobarkus]

Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear about Pete. I had an elderly B/W named Nika last year that had her liver enzymes high and I put her on Dr. Dodd's liver cleansing diet and it really helped. Here's the link.
http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/Liver%20cleansing%20diet.htm

[kath]

Thanks, I might try it as I know Pete should limit his protein intake and increase carbs. Did Nika like the diet proposed by Dr. Dodd?

K

[nobarkus]

@kath:

Thanks, I might try it as I know Pete should limit his protein intake and increase carbs. Did Nika like the diet proposed by Dr. Dodd?

K

Yes she did. I gave more sweet potatoes. You can also substitute white rice. The fiber from the sweet potatoes will firm up Pete's stools too. Try putting some fish or salmon oil in there too. The omega 3 fatty acids will help Pete as well. I give my current Basenji some of mine. I just poke a cap and squeeze it on his food and mix in.

[sharronhurlbut]

Glad you found us…sorry about Pete. Hope the advice you get here helps.

[tanza]

SAMe is also good for dogs with liver problems. If my dog, I would try the medication route (of course while working with your Vet) and see if that helps before opting for other tests. It is not unusal at his age to begin to have problems like Liver, Kidney, etc… cost of getting old. There are no really liver problems just related to Basenjis.

[MacPack]

Welcome! My first basenji was named Pete, by the way. Hoping nothing serious is going on with Pete.

[thunderbird8588]

Welcome to the forum Kath. Pete and Lily, post some pics of your two when you get time.

[kath]

Thanks all of you, it is wonderful to have found you! I now have Pete (and Lily, too) on a rice and chicken diet, and will add omega 3 fats. Sweet potatoes were sneered at for some reason, and they have never liked fish much (tuna is occasionally accepted).

Lily looks so much like the photo of the Tanza tri in your post, Pat F. She is such a comedian! And I agree, my gut tells me to try the diet and medication route first while working with my Vet, but it is tempting to want to find out what is going on…although I wouldn't opt for surgery at his age and the ultrasound, etc will be expensive. Pete is such a cuddle-bug! He doesn't appear to be in pain but I do believe he feels slightly "sick to his stomach". And he yearns for his evening treat which I stopped when his diarrhea got worse (and why during the night?). Any thoughts about treats which might be tolerated? Both Pete and Lily loved pig ear strips more than anything else in life, I think.

I appreciate all your thoughts, replies, and advice.

[tanza]

I sure would limit the pig ear strips…. or stop them all together. Have you tried the 100% dehydrated chicken strips or they also come in bite size pieces ..... That is really a much better choice, IMO

[nobarkus]

@kath:

Thanks all of you, it is wonderful to have found you! I now have Pete (and Lily, too) on a rice and chicken diet, and will add omega 3 fats. Sweet potatoes were sneered at for some reason, and they have never liked fish much (tuna is occasionally accepted).

Lily looks so much like the photo of the Tanza tri in your post, Pat F. She is such a comedian! And I agree, my gut tells me to try the diet and medication route first while working with my Vet, but it is tempting to want to find out what is going on…although I wouldn't opt for surgery at his age and the ultrasound, etc will be expensive. Pete is such a cuddle-bug! He doesn't appear to be in pain but I do believe he feels slightly "sick to his stomach". And he yearns for his evening treat which I stopped when his diarrhea got worse (and why during the night?). Any thoughts about treats which might be tolerated? Both Pete and Lily loved pig ear strips more than anything else in life, I think.

I appreciate all your thoughts, replies, and advice.

Try some canned pumpkin instead of the sweet potatoes.

[Terry]

Just a caveat - when using the dried chicken, do NOT purchase or use it if it was made in China.

Last year, Dr. Gonto saw a tremendous increase in induced Fanconi in many different breeds - the common denominator appeared to be chicken jerky made in China.

[Patty]

Lycopodium is a homeopathic remedy for liver problems - it won't do any harm to use it with the conventional treatments and diet. One of mine died at the age of 17 having had liver problems for 3 years - he was solely treated with Lycopodium 30c. Apart from a liver friendly diet that is.

[AJs Human]

Any time AJ gets pork products other than incidental tiny amounts in bits of table food (like the Chinese food I share with him on occasion) he gets sick to his stomach and develops a case of the runs that can last for days. I avoid pork products as much as possible.

Also, since you're new here, you won't know I drive a truck. I have picked up freight from pig ear factories. The processing is disgusting, refrigeration is nominal and the smell is overpowering. There's no telling what myriad of organisms such as bacteria are present in the process. Having seen this, I would never dream of giving pig ears to any animal. Not even an iron-stomached mutt.

[kath]

I stopped them entirely several months ago, but the dogs sure loved them. Perhaps I'll give the chicken strips a try when Pete is more stabilized. I am going to try diet and medication before any further testing. The rice and chicken for the past few days has been well tolerated.

[kath]

Thanks all of you who replied, I appreciate your thoughts.

By the way, my vet recommends Pete take SAMe and metronidazol while following a low protein diet.

Any other treat recommendations? Both Lily and Pete were so used to having a treat at night.

[lvoss]

If you are going to be homecooking for a long period of time (more than 3-4 weeks), you may want to get a book written by or with a nutritionist or get a consult with a nutritionist that can help you balance the nutrients, especially the calcium:Phosphorous ratio.

[agilebasenji]

making your own chicken stirps is not very difficult. Slice chicken breasts into thin pieces (the thinner, the quicker), put the slices on a cookie cooling rack (might want to spray with nonstick first) into the oven at 200 degrees for 4 hours or so. Turn over 1/2 way through. Might want to season with garlic, cinnamon, or??

[tanza]

@kath:

Thanks all of you who replied, I appreciate your thoughts.

By the way, my vet recommends Pete take SAMe and metronidazol while following a low protein diet.

Any other treat recommendations? Both Lily and Pete were so used to having a treat at night.

For treats, just use their food, if cooking chicken and rice, pick out pieces of chicken for them, if using kibble, use that.

I think just following your Vets recommendations is the way to go, sounds like he/she is on the right track. As I have said, when you have elders, 99% of the care becomes just keeping them comfortable

[tanza]

@agilebasenji:

making your own chicken stirps is not very difficult. Slice chicken breasts into thin pieces (the thinner, the quicker), put the slices on a cookie cooling rack (might want to spray with nonstick first) into the oven at 200 degrees for 4 hours or so. Turn over 1/2 way through. Might want to season with garlic, cinnamon, or??

Great idea!!!