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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.
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    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 !
  • Puppy Health Issues?

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    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?
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    @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....
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    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.
  • A urinary concern :(

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    When in doubt see the vet. Animals can be good at seeming not in pain when they are.
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    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.