Skip to content

Health Tests

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • Hello!
    I would like to know when and where should I start doing Nilo's health tests? (He is 9 months now) Which ones should I start with? (PRA, IPSID, Pancreatic Enzyme Deficiency, Hypothyrodism…) What are the procedures?

    Thank you

  • Fanconi testing would be what I suggest first.
    Unless you have that test from your b's breeder.

  • At 12 months old he will be old enough for his first thyroid test. OFA recommends every year for the first 5 years then every other year since most autoimmune thyroiditis is seen in the first 5 years. He will also be old enough to get his patellas certified at 12 months. CERF exams are only good for 1 year so if you want to keep them current you will want to have one performed 12 months after his puppy CERF. Generally, you will not see symptoms of PRA until later in life so you will need to keep testing well into old age. Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency is only tested for if symptoms are present. There is no test for IPSID.

    Hips can be OFA certified at 24 months along with elbows.

  • @sharronhurlbut:

    Fanconi testing would be what I suggest first.
    Unless you have that test from your b's breeder.

    No, I do not have it. So I should start with Fanconi first, ok. And where is the test given? Is there any special lab where my vet should send a blood or urine sample?

    Thank you for the info about the tests, I asked my vet but it seems that Nilo is the only basenji he sees, so any more info from you all is more than welcome.

  • @Nilo:

    No, I do not have it. So I should start with Fanconi first, ok. And where is the test given? Is there any special lab where my vet should send a blood or urine sample?

    It's a DNA linkage test, you can order a kit from OFFA. Go to https://secure.offa.org/Cart.html and search for 'Basenji' to order a kit.

    You can do it at home, it doesn't need to be done by a vet, just take the cheek swab from the kit and take a sample from Nilo's cheek, put it on the card and mail it back in. You'll hear back in about 4-6 weeks.

  • The fanconi test needs to be ordered from the OFA website, https://secure.offa.org/cart.html

    Have you talked to Nilo's breeder about health testing. Without pedigree information his tests alone don't provide a very complete picture since disorders like PRA are late onset.

Suggested Topics

  • Ear health

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    3k Views
    KipawaK
    @vickilb: My little BRAT, Hunter, LOVES to make his own trails when we go hiking. Last year he got one of those Foxtail seeds stuck way the heck down his eardrum. He had to be put under because it was resting on his ear drum and he wouldn't hold still for the vet!!! $500 later, he is as good as new. Do I take him to the same hiking area, you betcha!!!! Those foxtails are BAD! We have them here in the summer, and they are everywhere, so there is not much we can do. Yes, that kind of vet procedure can cost quite a bit. What we don't do for our fur babies!
  • CHIC testing

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    13
    0 Votes
    13 Posts
    5k Views
    NemoN
    Thanks Kathy and Lisa! :)
  • Should I Do PK Test?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    2k Views
    sabaS
    I have the same idea Maya. I have heard that there are very few carriers left in the world, and that the disease appears to have nearly been erradicated, BUT, to my way of thinking, if there are even a few carriers left in the world, then Im sure I would be the "lucky" one who would put carrier to carrier, so testing for me was VERY important… Im actually a bit anal about testing anyway :D
  • Health testing results

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    3k Views
    basiB
    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.
  • Test Results

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    27
    0 Votes
    27 Posts
    18k Views
    RockysWomanR
    @etzbseder: Well, I got the results back yesterday, and they say that Medjai is "PROBABLY AFFECTED WITH FANCONI SYNDROME". So, now I get about one more year of little worry before I start strip testing and waiting for the inevitable. Hang in there. It is a tough road ahead. neither you nor your dog will understand the changes that can happen so suddenly… but know that it is not with malicious intent that they pee and pee and pee. There are so many supporting groups and people out there to help you and your B thru this. You can have a good life even with this sentence hanging over you. Best of luck. Enjoy your B as they are today... don't worry about tomorrow. I'll keep you and your Medjai in my thoughts.
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    3k Views
    No one has replied