Crystals in urine (cystine)
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Hello once again,
I've recently noticed my B marking with blood (starting with the 3rd, 4th one, not so obvious in urine and first few markings) so I took him to the vet next day.
They found some crystals in his urine, namely Cystine, and also found some 'deposits' in his bladder & urethra canal with ultrasound (I believe).
From what I could tell, this seems due to high protein intake, which is odd because I always paid attention to what he eats.He recommended a prescription diet (U/D Urinary Care from Hills) and 5 days of antibiotics. Now, he is the vet and knows best, but having a strict diet for AT LEAST 6 months is going to be hell, especially now that he is 10 months old and is in that period where training is mandatory. He already started ignoring kibbles from his daily food for treats outside.
Has anyone encountered similar issues, with strict diets? Any alternatives on how to approach training from now on, since he specifically said to stay away from treats? I also use lots of praising and all that, but let's be honest, there is a limit to it.
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You can use treats sparingly for training. When you are teaching a new behaviour treats may be appropriate (depending on the dog) but once the behaviour is on cue it is not necessary or desirable to reward every effort. Anything frequently available loses its value. Reward with praise, again, "good dog" or similar is sufficient for routine obedience, keep the effusive praise for an exceptional effort. An unpredictable schedule of rewarding is generally more effective than the "reward every time" method used by many.....think "casino". You want your dog to try again and again, hoping that this is the time they will receive the treat! You might consider using part of his daily food ration as rewards, giving something "special" only occasionally and for a particularly good response.
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There was a round table discussion about this at the Nationals this year, here is the link https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8388795/
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@Lustopher - Also if you want I can try and connect you with a breeder in the Pacific Northwest that has a Basenji with crystals so that you might talk to her about feeding and issues. Message me here or email me, email can be found on my website, see link below.
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Sorry to be so late on commenting here. There are several Facebook groups you may want to join. 2 are Basenji specific.
Bladder Stones Basenji - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1505737939475808/
Canine Cystinuria - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1264949876904169/
The third group is secret and you need to be Facebook friends with a member in order to join. Contact me if you are interested in joining - Basenji Cystine Bladder Stone Awareness.
