Skip to content

Skin Issues?????

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • Zola is two now. OK….. I just looked up demodetic mange... that looks scary. :(

  • Usually it's not that big a deal. It's more common with pups or young dogs, but adults can get it. My Border Collie used to have occasional episodes. From what I understand, the mites that cause it are carried without consequence by many (most?) dogs, and only become apparent if for some reason the dog's immune system is a bit low. I believe Ivermectin is used for it, but you shouldn't use it at the same time as Trifexis. Your vet should be able to tell you if that is the cause…..

  • @ZolasMommy:

    Zola is two now. OK….. I just looked up demodetic mange... that looks scary. :(

    My female got demodetic mange when she had her first heat. She lost a tiny patch of hair on her cheek and still went to a conformation show and managed to get two points that weekend over the other basenji that was there. Hers went away after she went out of heat and it has never happened since. But yes some of the pictures that you can google look horrible. Do you have some pictures that we could take a look at? Demodetic mange makes the skin look really dirty….

  • Had a rescue dog that had a bad reaction to mosquitos. He developed bumps/hives all over his body. We were in Northern IN lure coursing and the mosquitos were horrible but he was the only dog that had a reaction. We gave him Benadryl.

    Jennifer

  • Hey everyone. Sorry to reply to this thread so late. I do have an update. So we took Queen Zola to the vet. She ran some test and found that Zola was having a skin reaction…. but can't figure out WHAT is causing it. So I have to bathe her in Benzoyl Plus shampoo twice a week to get rid of her "Folliculitis". Well.... after two weeks of bathing her with this stuff, her bumps have INCREASED massively, and now she is always scratching herself. Her skin is irritated, and I feel like a horrible mommy.

    But I don't know what to do. The vet said it may get worse before it gets better.... but I don't know if she meant THIS much worse. My husband thinks we need to find a new vet.

    dcmclcm4, did the Benadryl work? How much did you give?

  • Can you ask your Vet for a referral to a specialist? I think that is your best choice

  • Do you think it could be a reaction to the Trifexis? Sounds like something that is in her system or that she is still exposed to.

    Regarding the Benadryl, Spencer used to have a terrible reaction to his rabies shot, so the vet would give him a Benadryl shot before and that would prevent it. The vet also gave us Benadryl tabs and they cleared up irritations quickly. Hope Zola feels better!

  • My suggestion is to make sure her food does not contain wheat, corn or soy, and no animal byproducts

    Stop using the shampoo it's crap, having used it myself many times as a groomer I can tell you I've never actually seen it work. Take her off the chemical flea stuff only use it if she gets fleas. Benedryl to get rid of the symptoms at her size I'd use 1/4 of the dose (this works well for any random allergy for the short term and good for bee stings) but only use it for a few days. How long before this reaction was the last set of shots? If it was within 3 months there is a good chance that is part of the problem. Stay away from all chemicals on her and for cleaning - there are MANY safe things you can use that kill bacteria and do just as good a job on your surfaces. Have you recently installed new carpet or had the carpet cleaned by a pro? I've seen this cause MASSIVE reactions on dogs that present as you have described. A picture of the problem would be helpful.

    Are you also noticing a different odor on her anywhere? Perhapse in the ears?

  • I would also consider finding a Holistic vet in your area

  • Thanks for all of your knowledge Mimi, and everyone. So…...Zola has a new vet that actually has Basenjis on his client roster, and knows the breed. She has seasonal allergies (we ruled out food or drug allergies). So instead of using the shampoo that the other vet prescribed, she is on two antibiotics. He called one of them "Benedryl on steroids" and she will likely take them for about 3 weeks.

    After only two days of taking them, she has already stopped scratching herself so much, and we have not seen any new bumps. So I think the meds are doing the trick. Unfortunately, she will probably be a lifetime allergy sufferer (at least for as long as we live in Houston). So we will need to get her on a preventative once this protocol is complete.

    The vet said that she had the cleanest ears he has seen in a long time. We are feeding her Blue Buffalo Basic, which has no byproducts, soy, corn, etc. We threw out that shampoo..... and will NEVER go back to that first vet.

    Oh.... and I was never able to figure out how to add photos to specific posts on here. :(

    So.... there it is. I am just glad that we found a more knowledgeable vet.... and he is right down the street from us!!!!! That is also a plus. :)

  • Interesting comment about the ears? I have never had a Basenji with "unclean" ears…. Especially since they are up right, typically are not a problem unless they roll is lots of dirt and/or swim.....

  • Often an allergy will show itself as a yeast problem either in the ears or between the toes that is the reason I asked about odor coming from the ears.

  • Maybe he meant a dog (of any breed) that has such clean ears for a dog with bad allergies…boh dogs and humans tend to get gucky ears with allergies, some kind of buildup I guess

  • Interesting, because I had not heard that, especially with a dog with up right ears… and the only place that I have seen yeast problems is on the belly area... and without any odor.

  • I don't know the reason or cause but I have smelt many a dogs ears that have a yeasty smell with a lot of build up that isn't only wax but more of a greasy goopy wax, in particular was a puggle who is sensative to environmental allergies. I do agree it's probably not so common in dogs with upright ears….it is a very distinct and pungent smell, ugh- makes me want to clean Oakleys ears out right now!!

  • Agreed that it is not uncommon for many breeds… just not found it in Basenjis...

  • Its quite possible that somewhere along the line your puppy came in contact with something that caused this reaction. So maybe it is just a contact allergy, You really are not going to know if its a life long allergy until it presents itself again. At least you are better prepared if there is a next time.

    The shampoo you were told to use, probably exacerbated the rash. Sometimes its not a great idea to bathe a dog who has a rash for fear of spreading it. There is also the possibility of stripping away the natural oils on the skin which will make the rash itch more. Maybe the rash that your dog experienced was something that was spread similar to how poison ivy is spread on human skin.

    We think its great that you actually found a competent vet. If you do not mind we would like to know the actual names of the antibiotics that were used. We would like store this information away just in case we have a similar experience.

    Sometimes, owners suffer as much as their dogs when they see them in discomfort. Have faith, maybe this will not re-occur.

  • Great article for allergies and pet food as well as another one on pet food. Love that they mention the importance of rotating your protein sources

    http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/05/07/protein-diets-for-pets-allergy.aspx

    http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/10/my-top-3-pet-food-picks-from-an-upscale-boutique-shop.aspx

    There are some different plants and herbs that can help with allergies - nettle for instance (I use it in capsul form but you can also do tea) is helpful wth allergies

  • After reading this post, and thinking about what you have experienced, we wonder if your dog possibly got into some poison Ivy or poison oak. While we have no experience ourselves, we have read that some dogs are susceptible to poison ivy. Maybe someone more experienced can add this post and tell us how susceptible Basenji's might be to this. It would also be good to know what symptoms show up and how to best treat them.

  • I don't know about all Basenjis, but mine have shown no sensitivity to poison ivy. Unfortunately, I do! Walking my guy down forest trails where there is a considerable amount of it, I ended up with rashes on a number of occasions…...and yes, I do know what it looks like and try to avoid it.......but my dog was unaffected. He does seem to have a seasonal problem with ragweed, however. (guessing a bit here, he hasn't been tested, but there appears to be a correlation that indicates a contact allergy, not airborne......he is affected when he runs through it in the fields, not if we stay away from it by walking on the road)

Suggested Topics

  • Help, please - emaciated B skin issue

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    4k Views
    YodelDogsY
    One thing you can do to help his coat is to bathe him every 1-2 weeks with Murphy's Oil Soap. Use your fingers and gently "scrub" him while he is soaped up. (Murphy's does not produce much lather so don't expect it.) The massaging will loosen dead hair and help it fall out. This stimulates new hair to grow. Murphy's has natural oils including coconut that help moisten the skin and keep it healthy.
  • 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.
  • Skin/Coat Issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    2k Views
    N
    At the beginning there were a couple of little spots, this was about three weeks ago, I thought that they could have been the result of playing at the dog park so I just put a little bit of aloe vera on them, but then they started to show on different spots and not only on the black but on the white coat as well. I do not see him scratching himself on those spots but what I notice is that is getting dandruff, it is like his coat is going through something and all that comes to my mind is the food, I do not know.
  • Incontinence Issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    3k Views
    tanzaT
    @ramseyclea: I didn't know incontinence was one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. So, I'm kind of glad to hear that. I know the weight gain and low energy level are definitely symptoms (I suffer from hypothyroidism myself). I will tell the vet to do the ful panel. Thanks for all the advice! This is such a great resource! There are many things that can be a result of low thyroid…. maybe not directly connected, but a off shoot of the condition. My OJ was loaded with hives... and regardless of what we gave him they would come back over and over... finally tested his thyroid and it was very, very low... put him on Soloxine and never another hive.... so while hives is not generally a symtom of low thyroid, the fact that it lowered immunities in other respects, hives popped up.... Not saying this is the cause... but again her age is pretty young for this problem, IMO. So best to rule out other things before moving on to hormones... and again I would still not rule out a UTI
  • Dental issues

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    21
    0 Votes
    21 Posts
    8k Views
    nodakerdebN
    Periodontal disease is a tough one to get on top of once it takes hold (in both humans and dogs) because the bacteria gets down in the pockets and it is very difficult to keep clean. People have better luck because they have the ability to floss daily, but that is very difficult with a dog – and believe me, I've tried. :D Periodontal disease is not the same as an auto-immune disease that dogs can get (lest I be accused of getting them confused). I believe the reason our furry companions, and especially the dry-mouth (non-slobbering types) often get it is because of a couple things in addition to not being able to floss. 1. They don't slobber so their mouths really don't get a good natural rinse, and 2. they are fed an unnatural diet. In the wild they would be crunching up bones which acts like a natural toothbrush/floss, and they wouldn't be eating cereal grains which are carbs on steroids turning to sugar once it hits the saliva. There are kibbles out there that do not contain grains which may help by keeping the sugars at bay in the mouth. Evo is one, Instinct is another. Feeding raw is a great alternative. I am also a big fan of the PetzLife product and think it works wonders to keep plaque at bay on the teeth, but not sure how well it works with the plague and bacteria already under the gumline. My rat terrier does not have periodontal disease. I feed him Evo and brush his teeth daily (with a three-sided toothbrush) with Petzlife and he has the teeth of a two year old which isn't bad considering he's almost 11. If his gut could handle it I'd feed him raw, but that has not bode well with him unfortunately. FWIW, in a past life I worked as a chairside assistant for a dentist so I do know a bit about teeth and periodontal disease. I came away from that experience realizing that if I were on a deserted island I'd rather have an endless supply of dental floss vs. a toothbrush. I would be more likely to keep my teeth with the first rather that the latter. Now if we could just figure out how to floss a dog's teeth. :)
  • 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.