Skip to content

Urinary issues

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • 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.
    attachment_t_16022_0_photo.jpg

Suggested Topics

  • 0 Votes
    41 Posts
    4k Views
    ZandeZ
    @channingsmom said in Gallbladder/liver issues: He is getting enough to eat that he hasn’t lost weight That in itself is very good news. It can be very difficult to keep weight on a picky, elderly Basenji. Once they really start to lose it, often there is no putting weight back on. Good luck !
  • Digestive issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    717 Views
    No one has replied
  • Eye issue

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    71
    0 Votes
    71 Posts
    29k 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.
  • Issues with legs

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    2k Views
    D
    How old is your dog? I would take her to a specialty clinic or university clinic that would have both a neurologist and an orthopedist. My 1 year old deaf rescue girl who is a herding/spitz mix has shuffling feet, tremors, and other problems. She was seen first by the neurologist and they suggested x-rays and more testing. My regular vet did take x-rays of the neck, back and hips. I took her to an orthopedist to review the x-rays. Since she was a stray they do not know what caused the problem but it was suggested distemper or perhaps another infectious disease. I just took her to an opthalmologist and her eyes are good but she does have sensitivity to light. Distemper almost always causes eye problems. The specialists are suggesting an MRI of the back, neck and a spinal tap for her. If your dog was adopted as a puppy or an older pup, I would check with the Humane Society to see if she may have had distemper or some other disease. Did she have an accident where she might have injured her back or neck? You might want to look into getting a doggy wheelchair since she has good movement in her front legs. I am sorry for the problems your girl is having and I hope you find out what is causing it. Jennifer
  • 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.
  • Health Issues for Mixes

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    3k Views
    SweetShelbyS
    Never mind. I just read another thread that answered that question. I will pick up some diastix from Walmart. I don't really think it is a possiblity that she could develop Fanconi's since she is a half B but it won't hurt to occasionally test her urine because I would feel awful if something happened to her and I could've done something. Thanks again.