• @zande - Tails (tips) would dry out and get scaly. Hair would fall out and then they could lose the tip of the tail. Some say it is an infection, others say dry skin or coming from moisture.... no one knows. If you had a litter of 6, maybe 2 or 3 would get this. In my Mickii's litter of 4, two of the four got this and they lost the tail tip (this was back in 1996) and the one boy had only about 20 white hairs on his remaining tip. It was the Jones girls that put me onto A&D and never had a problem since. So to this day, we do not know what causes this, all the breeders have raised their pups in different manners, so nothing ever pointed to note what/when the problem was coming from. Of course back in the day before internet, none of this was shared... it was word of mouth... but when I asked the Jones Girls, they told me they had this and started using A&D from birth. And like I said, to this day, no one really knows what/why it comes from. For my pups I would do this daily when I change the bedding in the litter box (put the A&D on)... and continue till at least the eyes were open. Once the eyes were open I would start them on the litter box... they really figured it out pretty darn quick. Love it much better than paper... LOL


  • @tanza No, have never heard of anything like that, Pat. I tried litter for one litter - they walked it all over the floor. Then they lay in it, nose to tail like sardines, and I had to brush it out of them. NEVER again ! Newspaper, shredded, was instantly available and, if you saved the dailies up for a few weeks before the birthing, there was plenty of it. 👣


  • @jengosmonkey

    FREAKING FANTASTIC!!!!! Congrats to the beautiful grand champion and her proud humans.


  • @tanza
    Wohoo!! Wtg!! Seems it was a great shared event!


  • @jengosmonkey
    She looks so much like my champion Sayblee. What a lovely feminine head and fantastic body. She makes me smile. Thank you for sharing her pictures.


  • @jengosmonkey
    You can't share too much ...it helps us all be part of the experience and are glad you are sharing.

    My 1st litter, Rottweilers, my bitch had 13 puppies --1 stillborn and 1 that died at 5 days (called a fading puppy) in spite of all we could do. My poor niece was only 11 and stayed with me whole spring break helping...we fed the boys while mom fed the girls... next feeding we swapped. Talk about jumping in head first. LOL my neighbor was a jockey, who like me had a lot of experience with "birthing babies" of the farm animal variety. Man was I glad for his help! We both agreed our previous experiences didn't count for much when we got down to it!

    In fact, I'd be nervous whelping Basenjis! Quiet a difference handling nearly 1 pounders over little basenjis!

    I haven't cheated scrolling down to see...but I'm sure you did fine. You certainly have listened to your mentor and done everything right.


  • @elbrant
    I wish I could magically pop over too!
    I was sad when I decided my heart was in rescue and gave my (considerably larger but nowhere as nice) whelping box away. My co-breeder, who I had mentored since she was 18 and who could certainly mentor ME now, took the reins and it's been nice watching her at invitationals, including Westminster. So I know his breeder is very happy to enjoy the mentoring side.
    But I do miss whelping and baby puppies.


  • @zande
    I'll never let them eat more than a couple of the placentas because it can cause diarrhea and really isn't necessary.


  • @jengosmonkey said in Princess Sparkle...:

    Just dawned on me that a well fed fat lil’ Basenji puppy looks an awful lot like a Tardigrade. 🤣

    1D5A8AEF-6008-4584-A4A4-29CD714FE385.jpeg

    omg I LOVE tardigrades!


  • @zande - LOL Zande... I tried with one of my first litters that was NOT happening... but then figured it out... potty box was just outside the whelping box (but I need to explain that I used a 400 size wire crate since my girls were happier in that the whelp)... I would take them after they nurse.. and put them in the potty box... and they would go immediately... but you need to be there... it took them less than a week to figure it out... and then we didn't have to worry when they were up and moving about pee/poop on newspapers or any paper... but I had litter boxes in the whelping area and when they were in the family room, two litter boxes... if I caught one I would put them in the box and tell them "potty box" and it was the easiest litter to raise... As far as the tail rot, yes seems to be in the US but I have heard that there are some breeders overseas that have had this issue. I didn't with my first litter but my friend that has my Maggii's litter mate did.


  • @zande said in Princess Sparkle...:

    Poor Greg, you are getting so much input you probably don't need - just look on it as coming from a jealous and frustrated breeder who would love another litter but is herself too old !

    Jealous? No way! Just puppy hungry! I do understand the feeling though of being too old. I'd love a baby Rottweiler...but my health and age would make it irresponsible. Sadly, even though my daughter and her husband wouldn't object (we live together), I know they couldn't handle one when I'm gone. It doesn't stop the yearning. Maybe you can find someone needing a mentor. They would be extraordinarily lucky to have you share in their lives. If we were near, my daughter would gladly be your backup for a basenji should it need to be rehomed. Maybe you could find someone who would be your backup?


  • @debradownsouth I am very lucky in that my son realised I could never be without a Basenji (or two) and insisted I buy in a puppy when Keeper died. Hoover was miserable anyway as a lone dog after being part of a pack for 11 years. She became a puppy again, with the new buddy, but sadly she died a few months after her 12th birthday, leaving a miserable boy. So the obvious answer was. . . buy in another puppy. Mku's half brother, Kito. They both had birthdays in the past couple of weeks. Mku is two and Kito one year old. My son adores them and will take them on when the inevitable happens.

    In the meantime they are keeping me fit and active. Daily squirrel hunts - yesterday we were out for 2 hours in the forest and they got absolutely filthy in the mud and rain ! I am looking at the weather now and figure there is a window of a couple of hours in the downpour about 11 o'clock.


  • Wow! Lotta posts! Logan bit my Laptop power cord in half (shocked himself, but he's ok), so I only have a little battery left until the new one gets here.

    @tanza 👍 on the A&D. Not losing any puppy tails on my watch.

    @Zande I love getting your input and it's gratifying to me that you're getting a kick out of this thread. You're a great contributor here. Wouldn't be the same without you here.

    @DebraDownSouth IT"S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU BACK! Thanks for the kind words! Very much appreciated, and again... so glad you're enjoying our puppy journey!

    I'll give a much better update with pictures in the next few days once I've had a chance to charge this thing back up. I hate typing on a tablet.


  • @jengosmonkey said in Princess Sparkle...:

    Logan bit my Laptop power cord in half (shocked himself, but he's ok)

    There is something about electric cables and Basenjis. Nothing was plugged in but until they got used to being left - during lockdown they almost never were - Mku and Kito chewed through the cord to the coffee machine, the charger for the torches and two chargers for the laptop.

    I suspect Kito. He is the one who ate a whole pack of Omeprazole. Well, 25 from the 28. He managed to get them all out of the individual foil bubble packs except for one, and I had taken the other two. No after effects whatsoever to him, but to my wallet, OUCH !

    A trip to the vet, and an expensive call to the Poison Line to find out what, if any, harm they would do him. Luckily no need to pump him out. Mku had to go too, because I wasn't sure if he had eaten any.


  • @zande said in Princess Sparkle...:

    ate a whole pack of Omeprazole

    Well, if nothing else... a Basenji will encourage you to keep your home tidy! 😉


  • They were on a high shelf. My home is immaculate but nothing legislates for a determined Basenji who can leap onto the kitchen table from a sitting position ! He probably picked that packet because he couldn't open the bottles of pills which are on the same shelf.


  • No pictures yet, but here's an update...

    Puppies are FAT. Fat puppies. No eye slits yet. I checked yesterday This morning and this evening. No damned eyes slit at all. None. Zero, zip, nada. Nothin'. GROW DAMN IT! Poop is bigger. Pee is more. More poop and pee on me, but no eyeballs yet. I clipped 96 toenails today. That was nerve racking. I only got two yelps, but no "I'm dying" screams. No blood either. Tails are fantastic! No tail rot at all. I adjust collars everyday too.

    When I pick my lil' critters up I hold them in front of my face and gently blow into their lil' Basenji noses... very gently. They always calm down right away. Then I cradle them next to my heart so they can feel my heartbeat. They're so sweet. They always calm down. I did this again when I clipped nails if they got upset. Worked to settle them down every time.

    Tri Baby's red is coming in BIG TIME. Pips and red are everywhere. He's gonna be a really stunning Basenji, I think. Zowie's lightning bolt is sticking good so far. Tank is a BIG baby. And Dotto's dot is still there. Spike and PW are healthy buggers. I think they could be the surpriser's, but I'm no expert.

    ... I have to not get attached, but I am. My babies.

    Even though they're blind and deaf... they're like ATV's at this time. They can't see, but they know they can walk. They're walkin'. Once the peepers open.... game on. Noses are fully functional.


  • @jengosmonkey It is inevitable that you become attached, but try and maintain contact with new owners so you get emailed photos and updates. I am still getting Christmas cards from people who bought a puppy in 1985 - she is now fostering any dog that needs a home for a while. Others along the way are also in touch. Although back then contact was by letter post and hard copy photos !

    I held neonates to the pulse in my neck - same difference. You are doing all the right things. Eyes will soon slit and then open entirely, but all hell will break loose as you so rightly surmise ! They will be all over the place, exploring and chewing.

    Has Sparkle let Logan take over some of the parental duties yet ? He should be a good teacher.

    Enjoy them while you can !


  • @JENGOSMonkey (and @Zande and @tanza) This, I think, might be my favorite thread of all time! I absolutely love hearing about Princess Sparkle and Logan's litter! The updates have me giddy with impending news. ❤ it!


  • @zande - Agree that you become attached.. that said, Zande is right and I am sure that Stella will let you know where she places the pups... so you can keep in touch.

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