Vets knowledgeable in basenjis
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Oh, I should have added this was 20 yrs ago…long time, so much is known now.
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I've just been to my vets with Trouper for his yearly booster and the nice young new vet asked if this was the dog that had been DNA tested for Fanconi!!! I said yes it was and we had a discussion about how I am strip testing etc. I asked how much she knew about Fanconi and she told me that they had learnt a little about it at vet school but not much. I had given the vets the Protocol for when 'the time comes' for Trouper, she said she had read it and filed it. I was really pleased as our vets are so against pedigree dogs and breeders. This new vet was really impressed at how much we were doing to make sure we get rid of Fanconi (even though we have a Prob Aff dog) by strip testing and DNA testing all breeding stock and only breeding with at least one clear etc etc. Phew! At last a vet who has at least heard of Fanconi. :)
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Trial and error or simply going off of recommendations of local basenji owners is the way to go if there's no list.
The vet I switched to a year ago was the best decision I made. She knows Basenjis… first thing she did was sat down to be eye level with Kananga to make him feel a bit more comfortable. She was a bit impressed how well he did when she was inspecting his teeth. I guess other Basenjis she's worked with tend to hate having their face touched, I tend to do this a lot with Kananga so he gets used to it, and I guess that has helped. We talked about Fanconi DNA testing, general behavior, diet, etc. It's really beneficial to work with a vet that knows the breed. It'll help avoid miscommunication and be more proactive about preventing things that might be common with the breed.
It also helps when they understand how a Basenji behaves. ;)
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I've just been to my vets with Trouper for his yearly booster and the nice young new vet asked if this was the dog that had been DNA tested for Fanconi!!! I said yes it was and we had a discussion about how I am strip testing etc. I asked how much she knew about Fanconi and she told me that they had learnt a little about it at vet school but not much. I had given the vets the Protocol for when 'the time comes' for Trouper, she said she had read it and filed it. I was really pleased as our vets are so against pedigree dogs and breeders. This new vet was really impressed at how much we were doing to make sure we get rid of Fanconi (even though we have a Prob Aff dog) by strip testing and DNA testing all breeding stock and only breeding with at least one clear etc etc. Phew! At last a vet who has at least heard of Fanconi. :)
Not sure what you mean by "I was really pleased as our vets are so against pedigree dogs and breeders"? Do you mean breeders that do not health test.
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Our vets seem to look down their noses at you if you own anything other than Heinz 57s or BCs. I think it's because mainly they deal with farm animals? Who knows? but they're not good with pedigrees. I think maybe a certain programme which was shown here in 08 doesn't help either as Pedigree dogs are seen as those which have most health problems. Mongrels are healthy. (Not my words BTW) just how the vets/public/MPs etc see dogs in the UK.
This TV programme -Pedigree Dogs Exposed - focused on pure breeds with known exaggerations such as GSDs, cavaliers, pugs etc and put breeders in a bad light.
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There is alot of anti-breeder sentiment out there and in my experience some of the worst of it is coming right out of the vet schools. When my vet office added a new vet to the practice her initial view was pretty anti-breeder. She grouped everyone who bred in the same category. Now that she has been practicing for awhile and has seen my dogs and other responsibly bred dogs she realizes there is a world of difference between responsible breeders and irresponsible ones
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My OH has had an idea which may already exist here but we can't find it.
How about if members put together a list of differences between Basenjis and other breeds. Also any other useful info that could be printed out and given to vets.
Facts like the difference in a Basenjis temperature, anaesthetic requirement,etc.
What do other members think? -
A great idea - come up with the possible 'chapters' first, and then insert text and articles, keeping it brief, because Lord knows if it gets too complex vets might just see the info as too lengthy to get into. The different individual forums on this forum might be a good starting point for chapters.
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Is there anyone out in the New Jersey area (or knows of a site that I can be directed to) who knows of any vets that have knowledge of Basenjis?
We have a 4 month old Basenji and our breeder took her to the vet at 8 wks but she hasnt been to one since so I've been looking for a good vet for a standard visit and cant seem to find one who knows about Basenjis (well all the vets Ive talked to, act like they know about them but you can tell they've never had one as a patient ;0
Thanks for the help!
