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Sick Basenji

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • My Basenji Egyn (my son named him that because he said he looked like the dogs from Egypt) is very sick. He has trouble eating. When he starts to eat he yelps and will not let you go near his mouth. I took him to the vet and the vet said his mouth and tongue looked red and irritated. He gave me antibiotics that he has been on for 10 days. He does not seem to be improving. I can tell he is in pain. I am taking him back to the vet on Monday. Has anyone heard of these symptoms?

  • Did the vet do a dental inspection to make sure he has no abscesses or teeth that need to be pulled causing the infection… Is he eating normally?

  • My rule outs would be Canine Ulcerative Paradental Syndrome "CUPS" (aka Stomatitis) or Masticatory Myositis. I would ditch the "regular joe vet" and go straight to a Internal Medicine doc and/or Internist.

    Good luck.

  • How old is Egyn? Has he had mouth problems before? There was a thread posted on here not long ago about a dog with possibly the same/similar problem. Is he eating now? Try wet or soft foods for him. The other person had to make his B little 'meat balls'. I would try another vet, sounds like your first vet did not do a formal exam of his mouth.

  • How old is he? What antibiotic is he taking? Has he ever had a dental cleaning done? He will probably need to go under anesthesia so the vet can have a better view of his mouth, teeth, and tongue. It could be a problem with his teeth, a growth, or one of the diseases that CongoMama posted in a previous post.

    Jennifer

  • Read this thread started by ownedbyspencer, in the 'health' section. Sounds similar, Spencer stopped eating or drinking, had an exam under anesthesia which reeled ulcers on his tongue and throat caused by a abscessed rear tooth. Not saying this is the same thing, but it bears reading.

    Sick Dog Question– help, please?!
    Started by ownedbyspencer‎, 01-20-2012 02:42 PM

  • @CongoMama:

    My rule outs would be Canine Ulcerative Paradental Syndrome "CUPS" (aka Stomatitis) or Masticatory Myositis. I would ditch the "regular joe vet" and go straight to a Internal Medicine doc and/or Internist.

    Good luck.

    Sorry - that should read …"go straight to a Doggie Dentist and/or Internist."

  • I am taking back to the vet tomorrow. They are going to put him under to do the full dental and mouth exam. Thanks for the input.
    Paula

  • Was Spencer OK after the tooth was removed?

  • Yes, Spencer is much better now, but he is still very thin. He lost six pounds. Even strong antibiotics cannot fight a severe abscess. I'm sure your vet found and resolved the problem under anesthesia, so that should put Egyn over the hump. SubQs and a few weeks of antiobiotics will hopefully get him back on the road to health. I had to feed Spencer critical care dog food through a syringe for several days after the surgery, then make him special soft food– the aforementioned meatballs-- for weeks after that. Good luck to you-- and positive thoughts to Egyn!

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