• Hi all. I picked up my first basenji in February. I haven't posted a picture of him yet as I've been very busy with work and school and raising him. Unfortunately he got parvo from the breeder we got him from at 6 weeks old. Today we had our first puppy socialization class, now that he's fully recovered! So to celebrate, here's Kaseko! 3_1460260990123_image.jpeg 2_1460260990122_image.jpeg 1_1460260990121_image.jpeg 0_1460260990120_image.jpeg


  • Cute pup! Six weeks seems a bit young for him to have left his breeder. The parvo wasn't a good thing either. Did the breeder do health testing on the parents? Fanconi, etc.?

    I wish you all the best with your young man. He looks like a real sweetie.


  • Thanks! He was almost 7 weeks, actually. The parents were both Fanconi clear& AKC registered. He came from Nocturnal Kennels in North Carolina & we drove 12 hours to get him. We really didn't want to give him up or take him back so far.

    He got a positive parvo the 6th day we had him so the vet said that he would've picked it up at the breeders or from a rest stop on the way home. Sarah was kind enough to offer a refund but we really didn't want to send him back since he's such a great little guy. The pictures don't do much justice for his colors as they appear in the sun, he's actually trindle. I'll post some more when we get a good one, he just doesn't sit still lol.


  • I got my girl, Tamu, at seven weeks, but it is a bit early. In my case I had an adult female at home and it was important that they bond, which they did. Good that the tests have been done! Enjoy him. Puppyhood does not last long and they are so charming when they are small. They get bigger quickly, but not less naughty! 🙂


  • said:

    Nocturnal Kennels in North Carolina

    Sigh. Going to duct tape hands and limit response.

    1. Even in states with increasing puppy mills, like NC, where slack laws allow it, responsible breeders rarely place a puppy before it is 8 wks old. They care far more about their puppy than your convenience. Had your pup waited and completed all vaccine series, the likelihood of parvo should have been much less. Please talk to your vet about the possible consequences of parvo. Sadly, just living through the initial stage is not always the end of it.
      https://www.vetinfo.com/the-long-term-effects-of-parvo-in-dogs.html

    2. You now have parvo in your home.
      http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/dogdiseasesconditions/f/ParvoDisinfection.htm

    Please do the right thing and report the kennel. Although parvo is not listed as a required report, they can help track it

    NCDA&CS Veterinary Division Animal Welfare Section, R. Douglas Meckes, DVM, State Veterinarian
    Mailing Address:1030 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1030
    Physical Address: 2 W. Edenton Street, Room 348, Raleigh, NC 27601
    Phone: (919) 707-3280; FAX: (919) 733-6431<<


  • @betterrthings said:

    He got a positive parvo the 6th day we had him so the vet said that he would've picked it up at the breeders or from a rest stop on the way home.

    Did the breeder report whether any of her other puppies had parvo? Unfair to lay the blame if it's possible the pup picked it up en route home. I concur with Debra that 7 weeks is young for a puppy to go to its new home, although as I said, I have had one at that age.


  • Age of that pup was way to early with Basenjis and in many states it is not legal to place/sell a puppy before 8 wks. I don't place mine until 10 to 12 wks, unless it is with a person that already has a Basenji, but still not before at least the first round of shots...


  • Sorry for the delayed response.

    I wasn't informed you can report parvo as mentioned above but I'll be doing that now. We did contact the better business bureau, but the situation is a bit complicated and wasn't worth the effort of going 12 hours away to court, returning the pup, or anything. I'll just describe my experience with the breeder.

    We began contact in December 2015 after I had a fall through with a local breeder (one pup was stillborn, so they returned my deposit I sent in September.) I asked if she had any litters planned still, and she claimed she'd have pups ready to go around the 22nd of February.

    We contacted back and forth and I sent her a deposit for the puppy I was interested in. This was the third week of January. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to ask for the dogs specific birth date, but I was informed that she typically sends pups home from 8-9 weeks after they've received vaccinations. I planned on picking my dog up February 26th or the 19th. I assumed he'd be nearly 9 or 10 weeks old. Due to a snowstorm around the 19th I asked when I should come. She suggested the weekend of the 14th and I thought the dog would be a bit young but went with it. As I was about to leave she called & claimed he had a bad reaction to his vaccines & was sick. I told her that it's fine I'd rather wait to be safe. I ended up going the 19th and picking him up. When I received his vaccination records I realized he wasn't born until January 5th and wasn't vaccinated until February 16th. So the whole him having a bad reaction thing was another lie. As for his AKC registration, his sire and dam are listed. Yet when looked up on the basenji pedigree directory, his AKC mother is the daughter of the dog listed as his AKC father. I was told that he'd be sleepy and not willing to eat or drink much for a few days because that's normal. On the sixth day of him acting odd we took him to the vet where he got the positive parvo test.

    There are so many issues that I'm really unsure if Nocturnal Kennels was a bad breeder or if there were just some minor issues, as no breeder is going to be completely perfect. I should've asked his specific age, the dam and sire could be a simple error of technology, and he could've picked up the parvo from a rest stop on the way home.

    Our vet contacted Sarah to follow through with the contract we signed but to receive the amount we paid for him (only 1/3 the vet bill anyhow) we would have to send him back to her. There are so many issues as to whether it could be a false positive and the lying about vaccinations, false advertisement about the "family" life the dogs at the kennels have, etc... That it's not really worth pursuing anything. Truthfully I was shocked and felt guilty for purchasing a pup from them.

    Like I said, there are many issues that could easily be dismissed, so I do not at all want to bash them, but they're definitely not somewhere I'll get my next basenji from. It was all a very shady experience.

    I am glad that I do have Kaseko now, the treatment and everything we've gone through was worth it. Our vet has put us on a payment plan so it's manageable.

    As for the lasting effects of parvo, I wasn't aware that there were long term issues associated with it. We cleaned thoroughly and even took our 3 elderly rescue pugs to the vet (they're up to date on vaccines and were not around the puppy due to one being blind and one deaf) just to make sure. It was just one big fiasco.

    I'll be sending a report to the address mentioned above about the parvo. But otherwise there's not much else that can be done. I've definitely learned my lesson. Thank you all for the help. I don't want any issues or something of the like, I'm just glad Kaseko is doing well and no other dogs got sick.


  • @betterrthings Sorry for your bad experiences, but I can safely say that these was not minor issues. Besides the age problem and of course the parvo, there is the issue of the inbreeding. Not that this is not done, but only with quality dogs, not what I would refer to as "for profit" breeders. It is pretty easy to see that you were placed with an already sick dog.

    Glad that he has recovered... and I assume you check www.offa.org for health testing on the sire and dam? Then again, doesn't really prove that the correct dogs were tested.


  • He's an adorable little guy! Such a sweet face. I'm glad you're not sending him back to that breeder-- sounds like he will have a much better life with you. Since the breeder has not been totally upfront, you could have the DNA test for Fanconi to make sure your pup is not at risk. The test is only $65-- a bargain for the peace of mind it brings. Kaseko is certainly a cutie-- enjoy him!


  • @betterrthings Is he a trindle?

Suggested Topics