My Basenji doesn't curl her tail anymore.

[Rav805]

I have a female Basenji who is 14 years old and 3 months. It is getting extremely rare for her to curl her tail anymore. I just started noticing it recently. Does it have anything to do with age? Or is there any possible health concerns?

[eeeefarm]

I would say it's about age. My older girls started having fairly loose tails as they aged. When they were excited about something, usually the tail would curl more....

[Dagodingo]

My older girl was around 11 when her tail started getting a bit floppy. She could still curl it but she often had it just hanging down loosely, so I would guess it’s normal. You could certainly have the vet check it on her next checkup.

[Rav805]

@dagodingo said in My Basenji doesn't curl her tail anymore.:

My older girl was around 11 when her tail started getting a bit floppy. She could still curl it but she often had it just hanging down loosely, so I would guess it’s normal. You could certainly have the vet check it on her next checkup.

@rav805 said in My Basenji doesn't curl her tail anymore.:

I have a female Basenji who is 14 years old and 3 months. It is getting extremely rare for her to curl her tail anymore. I just started noticing it recently. Does it have anything to do with age? Or is there any possible health concerns?

Thank You both for your comments! I'll probably take her to the vet for a check up mostly because she hasn't been in a long time.

[tanza]

@rav805 - Pretty normal at her age

[Patty]

The tenor here is that it's normal. In my experience, the tail may get looser with age but I have had several bitches whose tails drooped like this like this and it was because they did feel unwell in some way. I would still get the vet to give her an 'MOT' (a thorough health check) before jumping to conclusions.

[Zande]

I had a ten year old to whom I kept shouting 'Be a PROUD 'senji - do your TAIL up' -

I wouldn't worry if that is the only way she is showing her age !
Be a proud Mom !!!

[Dagodingo]

@rav805 It is important as they age, I take mine every year up to eight years old and every six months after that or as needed. That is what my vet recommends, it may be a bit overzealous but the vet can often spot problems before I can.

[Dagodingo]

@zande Lol, I used to do something similar, I would tell her to put her tail up because she is a Royal Basenji lol.

[Redial]

My girl has never really had a curved tail, and more recently she has sometimes drooped more, but I think it is just muscles starting to get old more. I find even the tight curly ones will unwind when they are sleeping, when they are eating, and when they are relaxed. Don't rush to the vet, but next time you go, get the vet to check her for something,other than age.

[DebraDownSouth]

Like the consensus seems to be, probably age but COULD be health. Since you haven't seen the vet with her for a long time, a full check up with blood panels really is due. The earlier you find a problem, the better your chances for treating/slowing whatever is wrong. So even without the tail, please do get the check up.

[Zande]

@debradownsouth said in My Basenji doesn't curl her tail anymore.:

probably age but COULD be health.

It's never a waste of time (or cash) to consult the vet. Especially if you have trained him or her into the vagaries of Basenji health. I've spent years training ours !

[Rav805]

Hi y'all I just wanted to give a quick update on my Basenji. During the time I made the original post she had lost her appetite and was losing weight. My family didn't know the severity until we started seeing her bones and she had trouble walking. So we took her to the doctor and she was diagnosed with an infection in her bone marrow. She started taking medicine and receiving fluids twice a week and certain doctors kept saying she may need a blood transfusion others said its 50\50 if she will recover and some were saying it may be best that she be put down. We continued with the medicine and started see improvements in her appetite and ability to walk. Also the bone pain started to subside. She started off taking different medications everyday, but know after checkups twice a month her medicine intake keeps getting reduced. She has gained 20 pounds since the initial appointment. She is not 100% back, but is a far cry from where she was when I originally made this post.

[Zande]

Great news that she is gaining weight but to have gained 20 lbs (!) - my girl doesn't weigh that much and she is a tad overweight ! Its wise not to over-medicate, especially for an older Basenji.

However don't, I beg you, keep her going if her quality of life starts to deteriorate sharply. The kindest thing we can do to show we love these fabulous animals is to let them go with dignity when it is time.

Fingers cross that time is a long way off yet.

[DebraDownSouth]

I am glad to hear of her improvement. Sometimes we live with dogs and don't see the changes they start so slow. It's good to make it a habit to actually inspect them monthly. I hope she keeps improving but as Sally said, too much weight gain isn't good.