Skip to content

Liver disease in basenjis

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • My basenji just turned 11 last month. A week after that, he stopped eating for several days and was very lethargic. By the time I was able to get him in to see the vet, he had stopped drinking too. The vet admitted him in to the hospital immediately. His blood tests were off the charts in terms of his liver enzymes and he was jaundiced. The x-ray showed that Senji's liver was 1/3 of the normal size. He had cirrhosis and hepatitis(non-contagious). The vet put him on prednisone, Amoxicillin, pepcid, milk thistle, SAM-e, and urosidol(bile salts). He also has him eating Science diet-liver diet formula, which is low protein. The follow-up blood test showed significant improvement. The vet thought he was a goner for sure. The only problem now is that Senji is constantly hungry and thirsty…and needs to "go potty" about every 2 hours. Also, his muscle tone has atrophied significantly. The vet blames this on the prednisone. This dog has never been sick or on meds in his life before this happened. He's always been very strong and rambunctious.;) Has anyone ever dealt with a problem like this?

  • I haven't dealt with liver problems in dogs before, but when people take prednisone (a steroid) they get so hungry they'll eat anything they can get hold of. That's just the nature of steroids. Steroids can also raise blood sugar, so your vet needs to monitor Senji's sugars to make sure the steroids haven't thrown him over into diabetes. The excessive thirst and urination and possibly even the weight loss could be a symptome of diabetes.

  • So far, I haven't had to deal with that. I'm sorry your baby had to go through it. I'll keep good thoughts that he gets the thirst/potty problem regulated. Keep us posted on how he is doing.

  • I hope your baby does better soon. Please keep us posted on his condition. We can all learn from your experience.

  • The vet is tapering him off the prednisone. He started at 10mg twice/day. This week it's one pill/day. After that, it will be 5mg/day, probably as a maintenence dose. The diabetes aspect makes sense. I've known people who have become diabetic after being treated with high doses of prednisone.

  • I do hope he gets better. It does sound similar to a diabetic condition.

  • Please also strip test! If blood sugar is normal or low normal and he is spilling sugar in the urine, he could have Fanconi. Excessive drinking and urination are also symptoms of Fanconi, and unusual liver results have been noted in many Fanconi dogs.

    Terry

  • I think it would be strange to develop Fanconi's at 11 years old, isn't it? The vet thinks he may have had a defect in the porto-systemic shunt, possibly congenital. I wasn't willing to subject the poor boy to a liver biopsy or a scan with injected dye, since it would require anesthesia, and I don't know if he could survive that. I think I'll get some test strips though, just in case.

  • Unusual, but not unheard of. I know of at least 1 that didn't develop Fanconi until age 16! And if I recall correctly, after successfully beating another life-threatening disease as a young dog. Inga-Kaarin, do you remember? I think the dog was in Europe. I also seem to remember another at age 15.

    Terry

  • keep us posted with the progress….

Suggested Topics

  • Basenji Dandruff

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    818 Views
    senjisillyS
    My Valentino had terrible dandruff. His vet said it was due to dry skin. She had me add Goat's milk and coconut oil to his diet. His dandruff lessened dramatically after about a month. The amount of coconut oil (solid or liquid) per day should be no more than 1 teaspoon per 10lbs of body weight. Valentino is about 27 lbs. so I give him about 2.5-3 teaspoons a day. I divide the amount in half and add it too his meals. I feed goat milk rarely because it is so high in calories.
  • Carsick Basenji

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    eeeefarmE
    My first girl got carsick. I used Dramamine (Gravol) for her. Luckily she outgrew the problem, because every time I had to pill her the neighbours thought I was killing her. She screamed her head off! (and of course spit out the pill). She did best riding loose in the back seat. That was in the '60s, and we didn't worry about such things…...
  • Cushings Disease

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    2k Views
    D
    Here is the test information that Missy had done and an article with the portion that includes Melatonin for treatment. I have inlcuded the webpage for the entire article. She has not been on the Melatonin long and I am slowly increasing her dosage but she is definitely not as puffy in the intestinal area as she was. The Adrenal Panel with Combined Dex Supp/ACTH Stim Test for Dogs: The following hormones are tested in the adrenal panel: Cortisol, Estradiol, Androstenedione, 17-Hydroxyprogesterone, Progesterone and Aldosterone. REVIEW ARTICLES Steroid Profiles in the Diagnosis of Canine Adrenal Disorders Jack W. Oliver, Proceedings 25th ACVIM Forum, Pp. 471-473, Seattle, WA. 2007. http://www.vet.utk.edu/diagnostic/endocrinology/pdf/Steroids%20Profiles%20in%20the%20Diagnosis%20of%20.doc Melatonin. Results of in vitro cell culture (human H295R adrenocortical carcinoma cells) studies in our lab55 revealed that both 21-hydroxylase and aromatase enzymes were inhibited by melatonin. Also, in dogs with adrenal disease that are treated with melatonin, and repeat adrenal steroid panels are done, cortisol levels are consistently reduced, and estradiol levels are variably reduced.29 Inhibition of the 21-hydroxylase enzyme would lower cortisol levels, and inhibition of the aromatase enzyme would lower estradiol levels. Estradiol levels were decreased in a prior study of dogs treated with melatonin.31 Results of in vitro studies with human MCF-7 breast cancer cells also revealed that melatonin inhibited aromatase enzyme, which resulted in reduced estradiol levels.56 Melatonin treatment for cases of mild adrenal disease in dogs may be effective, and particularly in cases where sex steroids are increased. Jennifer
  • Is this a Basenji?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    26
    0 Votes
    26 Posts
    19k Views
    ShannaniganS
    So many of those poses and positions are the same things I see Paco do. I'm also no expert, and Paco's my first dog that's mine-all-mine for me to watch all the time, but I feel like Tag's face is very Basenji-like…and if he yodels as well... if he doesn't have Basenji in him, I'd at least say you could describe him to others as a Basenji-like dog.
  • Basenji in Alaska

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    22
    0 Votes
    22 Posts
    8k Views
    wizardW
    I saw that you have a sewing machine – its not hard to make your own coat. I made one for my previous beasties with fleece and wool. I made it with a high colar (for the backside of the neck) and an indentation for the tail and a big belly and chest band (I used snaps at first but then switched to velcro). It worked pretty good for our single digit temps (and the occasional below zero walks to the corner). My current beastie refuses to go out the door with a coat on, however. When the outside temps are below 10F she won't stay outside any longer than necessary to go potty - the squirrels can run around all they want then! With respect to booties, mine will at least tolerate them when we go for walks but it's more for the road salt. However, the good pair I bought this year leak somehow (maybe through the stitching?) and she doesn't like them with they get wet inside. Nevertheless be sure you get the best you can find.
  • Itching Basenji!

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    15
    0 Votes
    15 Posts
    7k Views
    nobarkusN
    It's most likely a yeast infection. They get it in the ears quite often. Buddy has a yeast infection right now on his stomach.