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Urinary issues

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • E

    I've got a 15.5 year old spayed basenji who's been having some potty issues.

    Essentially, whenever she wakes up from sleep, she'll pee nearly immediately- often on her bed/couch/etc, otherwise nearby. (Likely unrelated, but she then licks it up.) She doesn't appear to be leaking urine in her sleep, just experiencing frequent and urgent urination. It seems to have gotten worse in the past few months- at first I chalked it up to Chicago's bitterly cold winter and her not wanting to go outside, but the weather is getting milder now and the issue is maintaining.

    We ran a urinalysis a few weeks ago, did 14 days of Clavamox, followed by a full CBC, Chem, T4, and followup urinalysis. Those results came back yesterday, and my vet's comment was that the only thing that was remarkable was how GOOD her bloodwork looked- liver looks fine, and no significant kidney issues (BUN and CREA were normal). Urinalysis showed nothing questionable, WBC was normal, everything looked fine, save for the T4. She's been on thyroxin (.1 mg BID) for probably 8 years, and her bloodwork suggested that we should bump up that dosage. Vet has her at .2 mg BID now.

    He also prescribed Proin (1/2 25 mg tab BID). We've started on that, and I recognize that it's likely too early to see results, but it's frustrating to be dealing with urine everywhere (especially as I'm in an apartment, without easy access to a washer/dryer). Does anyone have additional suggestions? Tests we might run, supplements to try, alternative therapies you've had success with? Acupuncture? Corn silk tea? Would building more hind end muscle help? Magical dog foods? I'm contemplating switching her back to a raw diet to see if that makes a difference, but will wait until we give the Proin sufficient time to kick in.

    She's old and creaky, but keeping her on glycoflex and salmon oil keeps her pretty comfy- she's still walking 2-3 miles per day and swiping tissues from the trash can whenever she gets a chance.
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  • elbrantE

    Puppy Health Issues?

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    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?
  • A

    Thyroid issues.

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    tanzaT
    @Abaihya think you need a new Vet, no way should the Thyroid blood test be that price.... They draw the blood and it is sent out....
  • S

    Age issues or behavioral issues

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    agilebasenjiA
    @Patty: Personally I would take her to the vet to get her checked out for bowel or urinary infections. If she is losing sight and hearing she may be frightened. It sounds as though you need to step back a pace to calm your reactions. I can appreciate that you are getting fed up with all the work but she is an old dog. My present oldie (15) has taken to peeing (and pooing) indoors at times but I know I need to put her outside more often as she doesn't have the control she once had. She has also become blind and is certainly more aggressive with the others because of that. Any way first things first and do take her to the vet, please. Let us know how you get on. I have to agree with everything Patty wrote. Changing behavior ALWAYS needs a vet check. Increase aggresssion can be due to thyroid issues, pain, tick-born diseases, constant hunger (due to other things), etc. You didn't say in your post if you'd recently seen a vet and discussed her new issues. My oldest (16 in December) has failing kidneys (nonFanconi) and does need to pee more often. So, I put pee pads down in the house in his favorite pee spots. He's usually pretty good about that, but he does still pee in other spots if I'm not watching him carefully or if he gets a bit aggitated about the sitting arrangements. Would your pup stay in an exercise pen? That would give her a little more room than a crate.
  • Anne-MarieA

    Liver issues

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    nobarkusN
    @tanza: These kinds of problems are not uncommon when your Basenjis start to reach their "golden" years. You might want to try him on Dr. Dodd's liver cleansing diet. http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/Liver%20cleansing%20diet.htm Many have used it and had great results regardless of what you find out the issue might be. Good Suggestion Pat as I had an older B with liver issues in 2008 and that diet brought it down into normal range.
  • barklessk9B

    Kidney Issues

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    tanzaT
    You know, at his age (and in my opinion) any elder dog, the goal is to get them to eat and keep them eating… so I don't stress out about kcal's too much particularly since I use Vit Supplements.
  • KaliRooK

    Eye issues

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    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.