Skip to content

Digestive issues

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • My boy Finn will be a year old in late December and has had digestive issues pretty consistently since he was around 4-5 months. His stools are almost always pretty soft (except first thing in the morning they're usually a little firmer) and he's had intermittent bouts of diarrhea.

    He's also a very finicky eater and I can't tell if it's just because he's picky or if it's because he feels sick a lot of the time. Sometimes he'll eat his whole bowl when I set it out but other days he just grazes throughout the day. Other days I'll notice by 3 or 4 PM he still won't have even touched it. I know a lot of people on this forum are against letting their dogs "graze" but I've been letting him do it just for now because I want him to eat on his own terms and when he's up to it if he isn't feeling well. Probably I'll start being more strict about it when I find a food that he does well on.

    My breeder had him on Nature's Recipe and he did OK on it but eventually started rejecting it. I switched him to Innova hoping he'd respond better to a higher quality food and he loved it but his stools got very soft. I then tried a grain-free salmon and sweet potato based food and he completely would not eat it. It was so bad that some days he just would not eat at all and then would vomit up bile because his stomach was so empty so I switched him back to Innova for a bit and now am trying Nutro. Innova is the only food that he never refuses to eat but I think it makes his stools the worst.

    I brought this up with my vet a month ago and she did a fecal test for parasites and all came back negative. She told me to just keep him on the Innova for 4-6 weeks and not give him anything extra, so no bully sticks or treats. At about four weeks in he isn't any better, although I have slipped up with the treats a little–peanut butter on his kong toy every once in a while and pieces of apple for good behavior :)

    Otherwise he seems to be in great health. His coat and skin look great and he's FULL of energy.

    Any advice you can give me is much appreciated. Any tips on doing an elimination diet? Or tests I should demand from my vet?

Suggested Topics

  • Puppy Health Issues?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    2
    0 Votes
    2 Posts
    1k Views
    tanzaT
    Nope.... not in my opinion....not atypical. especially if these pups come for BYB or Millers.... That said, Giardia is not uncommon nor is a pup with a UTI.... In regards to Giardia, I wonder if these pups shown symptoms when still with the breeder?
  • Skin Issues?????

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    36
    0 Votes
    36 Posts
    23k Views
    D
    I was only recommending a shampoo to use in the future, not one that would clear up any skin problems. If the dog has allergies, she needs to be careful about what kind of general shampoo to use. Jennifer
  • Eye issue

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    71
    0 Votes
    71 Posts
    33k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    Pat, yeah, it was many but the specialist from GA (who does CERF btw, or did, could be retired at this point) said all were iris to iris and none should cause her issues. But you can still see them. I am comforted to know that a lot of strands don't pass as I honestly don't remember seeing that limitation, only on placement. Been a long time since I looked at CERF. But the issue was and then, the person LIED. She sent me a puppy for my child, who already had more on her than any child should with my health issues, that she obviously had no clue about– a puppy she had no clue about it's eye health. And then wanted her back if I wasn't going to breed her as she would. Yeah, over my dead body.
  • Liver issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    74
    0 Votes
    74 Posts
    37k Views
    tanzaT
    And in the end, just treasure your time together and give him the best care you can.. which to me sometimes means just keeping them comfortable…. that is the best any of us can do...
  • Incontinence Issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    3k Views
    tanzaT
    @ramseyclea: I didn't know incontinence was one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. So, I'm kind of glad to hear that. I know the weight gain and low energy level are definitely symptoms (I suffer from hypothyroidism myself). I will tell the vet to do the ful panel. Thanks for all the advice! This is such a great resource! There are many things that can be a result of low thyroid…. maybe not directly connected, but a off shoot of the condition. My OJ was loaded with hives... and regardless of what we gave him they would come back over and over... finally tested his thyroid and it was very, very low... put him on Soloxine and never another hive.... so while hives is not generally a symtom of low thyroid, the fact that it lowered immunities in other respects, hives popped up.... Not saying this is the cause... but again her age is pretty young for this problem, IMO. So best to rule out other things before moving on to hormones... and again I would still not rule out a UTI
  • Eye issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    2
    0 Votes
    2 Posts
    2k Views
    wizardW
    If she's loosing hair then it sounds like it might be something more than just stress-of-an-intruder. The stray could have brought something nasty along. Maybe there's mites or something. I would take both to the vet.