Hi everone. I grew up with a Basenji back in the 1960's. Awesome, wonderful dog. I now have a rescued Basenji/chi mix dog, Chumley. I've had him about a month. He has really loose hips, I have read that Basenjis can be susceptible to hip dysplasia, but Chumley is only 10 months old. Do any of you have a dog with hip dysplasia, especially one this young, that has any tips for me? Is it better to excersice him or try to keep him calm? I want to do what's best for him.
Has he had actual hip x-rays? With a dog that age there are many options still. The place to start would be to see a vet and have him evaluated and x-rays taken.
He did see a vet. Because of his age and the fact he has no signs of pain, she wanted to hold off on the xrays for now. She was able to manipulate his hips all over with no signs of discomfort and said because of his age and size (He's about 9 pounds) there was a good chance even if he did get HD, it wouldn't affect him much? This did not sound right to me, so I thought I would go looking for more info from someone that has dealt with the same problems if I could find anyone.
The only way to know for sure what his hips are looking like is to have x-rays done. In most breeds that are prone to HD this is done around 18-24 months of age to give the dog time to be fully mature and developed. In some cases an earlier set of preliminary images are taken and compared to the later set to see the changes if any.
What things have you observed that make you worried that he is having trouble with his hips?
You can always get a second opinion or decide to have x-rays done at a later date when the dog is mature.
Thank you for your help. He's floppy in the back, sways when he walks, sometimes when he sits his knees are splayed out almost flat on the floor. I think I will keep an eye on him and get the xray when he's older unless he shows pain. I mainly want to know if I should walk him and let him play with the other dogs or try to keep him quiet.
i'd make sure he gets gentle exercise and proper nutrition. Sometimes dogs from puppy mill situations can have lax joints b/c lack of good muscle tone or poor nutrition. (just a thought)
The big problems in HD come as the dog gets older. The joint not beeing formed normally and the rubbing of bone against bont will cause scarring and inflammation, that is where the pain comes from.
Agilebasenji makes a good point by mentioning possible problems due to lack of muscle tone.
Start with good food and careful exercise…and eventually maybe some x-rays and an evalutation by a specialist. Who knows he may be a good canditate for surgery or he may have a mild enough case that will hardly bother him 
We don't have puppymills here per se, but backyard breeders. I have no idea what he was eating before. He's switched to a good dog food now. I have a feeling he was not treated well at all at his first home, I think they were trying to beat the talking out of him. He's feeling a lot more comfortable here, so he is talking non-stop. And they had him tied outside, so it could be lack of excercise, too. I just don't know.
Just take it one day at a time. Take good care of him and when you feel it is needed you can go and have him checked out again and get x-rays if you wish.
He has a good home now and that is the most important part of keeping him healthy an owner who cares
Hi everone. I grew up with a Basenji back in the 1960's. Awesome, wonderful dog. I now have a rescued Basenji/chi mix dog, Chumley. I've had him about a month. He has really loose hips, I have read that Basenjis can be susceptible to hip dysplasia, but Chumley is only 10 months old. Do any of you have a dog with hip dysplasia, especially one this young, that has any tips for me? Is it better to excersice him or try to keep him calm? I want to do what's best for him.
That is not true, Basenjis have a very low rate of hip dysplasia. If you check out the OFA site you can search for Basenji results for hips. Granted they are not as widely tested as say Fanconi, but there is a data base showing that this has not proven to be a big problem in our breed.
By the way, all breeds are susceptible to HD, some just more then others (like Labs, Shepards, etc.)
And what you should do is see a specialtist in the field as a second opinion. At least that is what I would do. They would be more qualified then those of us here to recommend what you should or shouldn't do.
Could it be luxating patellas? I have a rescue Basenji that has hips rated as fair. Her hips swing when she walks. She is longer than she is tall and this is part of the problem. Could you post a picture of your dog?
Jennifer
I would venture to bet it is a bit of both. Did the Vet check her patellas?
However that said, depending on their other body structure not sure that longer than taller would indicate a hip problem. My Maggii was longer than taller and she had great hips and Patellas.. but she was not that must longer than taller either…
The vet checked him out and had him walk around in the back and jump off and on low things while she watched from different angles. She then checked everything on his back legs, I watched her do this. His knees are great, it's his hips that are loose. He is longer than he is tall. I posted some pics of him in the Show Off your Dog forum.
http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?12666-My-Chumley-Basenji-chi-mix
The vet checked him out and had him walk around in the back and jump off and on low things while she watched from different angles. She then checked everything on his back legs, I watched her do this. His knees are great, it's his hips that are loose. He is longer than he is tall. I posted some pics of him in the Show Off your Dog forum.
http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?12666-My-Chumley-Basenji-chi-mix
Still would say to get a second opinion from a specialist. Basenjis are NOT known for hip problems. While it is found in the breed, it is not a major problem as it is with many other breeds.
Thank you for the advice. I appreciate it. I just want the best for this little guy.
is she spayed? i've noticed bitches often get "wobbly" when coming in or in season.
also, our lab would often bunny hop with her back legs, a sign of hip dysplasia. she was severely dysplastic and this was known due to Xrays. Although, you would not have realized how bad off she was with out the Xrays because of her excellent muscle tone. At least not when she was younger. She was 12 when she passed.
He's a boy. And he's neutered as of three weeks ago. He's only about 10 months old.
