Bella is my 2nd tri-color Basenji. She was a gift to me from some sympathetic friends who knew how devistated I was when my 1 year old passed away. He slipped out of the car behind my back, into the path of a pick-up truck. I am so very protective of Bella and am fully aware of the fact that Basenjis don't understand traffic. She is a beautiful girl, but about a year ago (she is 3) she started having seizures periodically. I am concerned about what may be causing them. They almost always happen when I come home and she loses control of her legs, urine and stares blankly. Sometimes she will throw up after it is all over. Yesterday, I was only gone 2 hours and she had one when I got home. Today, she had her first seizure while I was home. The neighbors dogs suddenly showed up in their fenced in yard and were barking at her, which is nothing unusual. She ran back and forth a few times and then layed down. It seemed strange so I brought her into the house and she had one immediately. Her seizures can be several times in a month or none at all. If I am upset and may not even be showing it, she seems to have more. Any ideas out there? I really don't want to put her on medication…
Take her to the Vet and if Meds will control the problem that is what you need to do. Do you know who her breeder is? If so, have you discussed this with the breeder? While seizures are not a common problem, it would help to know her background.
You need a full vet work up including thyroid pannel. Also keep a journal of when and how long the seizures last. Make note of anything that happened that day - sirens, food, etc. if the vet work up doesn't show anything look around for a holistic vet before you put your dog on regular seizure meds.
Thanks for the info. I do not know her breeder for she was adopted from the Humane Society. I have been trying to figure out what triggers them, but only anxiety seems to be the common denominator. I always worry about how much vets are comfortable with the Basenji breed. I did talk to a Vet and they said that they don't encourage seizure medication unless they are extremely frequent.
maybe you can contact BRAT in Fl. I was going to adopt through them and was in contact with many of them for many months. I do not remember the lady's name in south Fl who is in charge, but if you try to contact her, I feel she is almost an expert -if you will. She may have some good info or referral info for you. I so feel for you. I just put myself in your shoes and could empathize with you if it were Uzie having these seizures…..let us all know how things evolve.
Agree with full vet work up, and keep a detailed diary of the seizures, length, severity, anything leading up to them (noise, food, location ). Might be as simple as needing a thyroid supplement.
If you are in the Tampa area, I recommend Tampa Bay Veterinary Specialists in Largo, FL. They are excellent and more reasonable than the big clinic in Tampa.
I'll chime in on the full vet work up and the seizure diary too. Our first Basenji had seizures his entire life - his first was at 6 weeks old. He lived to be 16 years old and was never on medication for the seizures. In fact, our vet told us, "The meds are actually more for the owner than the dog. They don't truly 'stop' the seizures. But the owner feels better." And the side effects of most of the commonly prescribed anti seizure meds can be pretty bad, especially if the dog is on them for a long time.
Terry
