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.
Advice / help on mysterious health problems.
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@antigone thanks to all of you that answered. We have had a couple of weeks of hell and as my girl deteriorated, we concluded that she had either a brain problem or more likely a brain tumor. Many things which we thought were arthritis and dementia were actually a cognitive problem. We put her to sleep today as she was suffering too much. She is in peace now. Very tough and I am sure you all know how it is. Hopefully if someone else reads the thread, it may help them.
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You did the right thing entirely, difficult as it may have been. You let her go to save HER further suffering. Letting them go with dignity when it is their time is the last chance we get to show them we love them.
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@dagodingo I am so very sorry for your loss. The longer we have them the harder it is to lose them. I have been rescuing animals since I was 10 years old. I found a Kitten by the School and I brought her home. My Parents decided I could keep her because there were not any Infants in the House.
Please keep all of her things because that is very important. I had my 16 year old girl euthanized and I had a private Cremation for her. She is in a little Cedar Box on my Desk. My little Mister Smith who was killed by the older and larger female Cat was also Cremated. I only do that for the animals that made a huge mark on my Heart. I still have the Killer Cat because they both came from the same home and both were abused. I refuse to put a healthy animal to sleep. When she passes I will get another B.
Again, I am so sorry for your loss. It takes time to deal with it and I still miss my dog desperately.
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First, I'm so sorry for your loss. It is always heart breaking. I never forget my previous animals no matter how long ago. They bring such love into our lives and truly make it better. My first Basenji, Roxie was a rescue who was starved and abused from the first few months. She will be 6 yrs old Nov 12th. As a result she is only about 14 lbs. She is a very picky eater. I experimented with different foods. I quickly determined to leave her dry food out at all times. She will only eat a few bites at a time. She eats more like a cat than dog at times. She is pad trained so if i can't be available to take her out it's no problem. She loves boneless chicken, vegetables and fruit at any time, especially crunchy apples, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, plums, and watermelon. Of course, I only give her a few bites at a time. This is healthy and will encourage most picky eaters. Dogs with very low or very high blood sugar can have episodes just like a human diabetic who become disoriented, pass out, or have seizures. I'm type II diabetic and eat vegetables and fruits daily anyway so a few extra bites don't cost that much.
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@redial said in Advice / help on mysterious health problems.:
also she needs to loose more weight, around 9kg (around 18 lb) is about right, and see if the lost weight helps, it did to my older girl.
What are you basing the "right" weight on? There is no magic number. My champion Sayblee had great tuck up, no fat, 22 pounds at 2. You tell fat by looking at the dog, not breed average.
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I am so sorry, was responding to your post and missed your later one about losing her. You tried everything and I know she felt the love. Releasing her was the most painful part, but that you also did for her.
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@debradownsouth Her right weight was around 22lbs, which was perfect with a tucked up stomach and a waist. She had a lot of muscle on her until she became more ill. But as it got harder for her to eat and get her meds down her, we compensated with all kinds of cooked foods and didn’t restrict it much. She often would refuse food for days but if you cooked her steak, then for so longs as it smelled good she would eat. She liked beef steaks, filet mignon, scrambled eggs, chicken, pork loin etc, but only if you cooked it fresh. I guess the smell drove her to eat. In fact, I remember one morning while cooking her scrambled eggs and filet mignon, I then made a bologna sandwich for myself and told my wife there was something seriously wrong with the picture lol. Before she became ill she would eat anything food we put in front of her, just as my other boy does now.
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My question Redial, who said 18 pounds was the right weight.
When a dog is sick, you feed them whatever they'll eat as long as it doesn't hurt them. You did all you could. I wish all dogs had such devoted families.
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@dagodingo said in Advice / help on mysterious health problems.:
Her right weight was around 22lbs
@debradownsouth said in Advice / help on mysterious health problems.:
My question Redial, who said 18 pounds was the right weight.
The standard calls for 18 pounds for bitches, 23 pounds for dogs, but the operative word in dagodingo's post is 'RIGHT' - If 22 lbs is the 'right' weight for a larger built Basenji, or one whose appetite needs to be tickled - in sickness or old age - that is perfectly OK.
Basenjis should never be allowed to become 'overweight, that can react badly on their organs in general. A 22 lb bitch might not win in the show ring, but that is totally unimportant, weighed against quality of life !
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Exactly, it depends on the dog. Though, as I said, Sayblee got her major and championship at a svelt (for her) 22 pounds. Her ideal weight as she aged and muscled up more was closer to 24 pounds but we had a hard time getting her to eat.
