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New to the board; have a health issue! :(

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • There are a number of Basenji people in So. California… if you go to the Basenji Club of America website and then to breeder listings, you might be able to find someone close to you and they should be able to recommend a Vet....
    Have you have blood work done? To me that is the biggest and most important thing to have done.. it will tell you lots of things... or rule out lots of things. Also, I am very surprised why your Vet has not taken the urine sample himself? They cath. the dog and take it directly from the bladder... only takes a few minutes.... have they tried that? The only other way that you can find out if it is Fanconi, if you are not able to get a reading, but like Andrea, I find that strange... is to have blood gases done...

  • By the way to all…. I do blood work on mine all the time... at least once when they are young pups to have a base line, then any time before any type of surgery, at least every two years till age 9 or 10 and then every year after that...

  • I am worried about your boy and my main concern is also Fanconi. My Bella is only a year old and I have not dealt with the disease directly. (I pray I don't have to). All I can say is learn all you can about the syndrome and don't be afraid to ask questions. Is your Vet. open to suggestions about treatment or is he/she sort of "running the show"? Fanconi can be managed with proper care (if that is what this is). You need a Vet. who has experience with Basenjis or who is very open to learning about the specific needs of Basenjis. I hope you find out very soon what is making your boy so sick. The sooner the better for his treatment and subsequent health…

  • For the vision loss, I would get him in to see a veterinarian opthamalogist. An exam usually runs about $35-$45 and you will get a specialists opinion about what is going on.

    You do not mention whether or not your vet was ever able to confirm a diagnosis of diabetes or fanconi. This would really concern me. If your dog has either one of these conditions they could be contributing to the seizures and other symptoms.

  • As far as I know, diabetes was ruled out, and I know my mom mentioned Fanconi and took our vet that handy dandy printout for vets, and he seems to think it's a tumor. He has had extensive bloodwork done, and his urine was tested at the vet, all coming out normal.

    As for the vision, we haven't noticed a thing with it, and the vet said it could very well me the aftermath of the allergic reaction, and he might have been in a fog. I guess he had laid a treat down to the side of him, and it was obvious that he only found it by scent; he literally just didn't see it. So we will have that checked again after a couple days have gone by and he is feeling better.

    I will check on the basenji vet idea…I know my mom loves this new vet we have, and she is really really picky about the care our boy is getting. So even though I don't have all the details quite straight (it changes daily!), I trust her judgement. Thanks all for the support!! :)

    Will post more again later, OH is begging me to come watch 24! :)

  • Seems like you are really trying to get to the root of the problem. I hope to see him feeling better soon, as I'm sure you are… Where is his tumor possibly located?

  • They think it is in the brain or pituitary gland…he is feeling better right now, sleeping through the night finally!! :)

  • That's what I suspected from the symptoms… I hope it is in the early stages. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
    God bless, Lis.

  • It sounds like Cushing's Disease.

  • Yes, it does sound like it may be. The possible tumor, the seizures, thirst, excessive urination, etc… How is it treated?

  • Most patients are treated with a medication called Lysodren or Mitotane. Anipryl (Deprenyl) and Ketoconazole (Nizoral) are two other medications that can be used to treat Cushing's. If Pongo has an adrenal tumor, the adrenal gland may be removed and/or treated with Lysodren.

  • http://vetmedicine.about.com/library/viewers/uccushings.htm
    Viewer Viewpoint - Cushing's Disease in the dog

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18 Feb 2007, 03:07

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    @Rebel - Full blood workup including full Thyroid panel (full panel no just what the normal vet workup that is not a full thyroid panel)... as they say make sure that he is in good health. Also what are you feeding him? How much total are you feeding a day? Also with reducing food, add veggies to his food to fill his belly... green beans are good to use... I use Cauliflower and Broccoli... Note also that low normal is typically too low for Basenjis.
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    @Abaihya think you need a new Vet, no way should the Thyroid blood test be that price.... They draw the blood and it is sent out....
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    @Patty: Personally I would take her to the vet to get her checked out for bowel or urinary infections. If she is losing sight and hearing she may be frightened. It sounds as though you need to step back a pace to calm your reactions. I can appreciate that you are getting fed up with all the work but she is an old dog. My present oldie (15) has taken to peeing (and pooing) indoors at times but I know I need to put her outside more often as she doesn't have the control she once had. She has also become blind and is certainly more aggressive with the others because of that. Any way first things first and do take her to the vet, please. Let us know how you get on. I have to agree with everything Patty wrote. Changing behavior ALWAYS needs a vet check. Increase aggresssion can be due to thyroid issues, pain, tick-born diseases, constant hunger (due to other things), etc. You didn't say in your post if you'd recently seen a vet and discussed her new issues. My oldest (16 in December) has failing kidneys (nonFanconi) and does need to pee more often. So, I put pee pads down in the house in his favorite pee spots. He's usually pretty good about that, but he does still pee in other spots if I'm not watching him carefully or if he gets a bit aggitated about the sitting arrangements. Would your pup stay in an exercise pen? That would give her a little more room than a crate.
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    Pat, yeah, it was many but the specialist from GA (who does CERF btw, or did, could be retired at this point) said all were iris to iris and none should cause her issues. But you can still see them. I am comforted to know that a lot of strands don't pass as I honestly don't remember seeing that limitation, only on placement. Been a long time since I looked at CERF. But the issue was and then, the person LIED. She sent me a puppy for my child, who already had more on her than any child should with my health issues, that she obviously had no clue about– a puppy she had no clue about it's eye health. And then wanted her back if I wasn't going to breed her as she would. Yeah, over my dead body.
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    Funny you guys mention this as today Dallas had his third vet appointment for his puppy shots [rabies, etc] & when the vet found out I was feeding Merrick's he didn't like it. He kept trying to convince me that Purina, Euk & Science Diet are the best & that Merrick's is too new to really have the quality of food that Euk & the others have been "perfecting for centuries". I like this guy but it kind of annoyed me actually. :mad: He said he would switch him back to Euk if he were me & also said that if I choose to stay with Merrick's I should at least have him on their puppy blend not the regular because of the extra stuff pups need. I didn't bother to mention the fact that adult Merrick's have more protein, fat, etc than any commerical puppy kibble :rolleyes: Less fillers & more concentrated…sounds better in my opinion. Oh & also, I mentioned adding fish oil to his kibble & he said it "wasn't necessary" & that his dry skin in his ears is because I am swbbing them too frequently. That actually may be the case [too much cleaning on my part] but the fish oil could never hurt right? :confused: