Skip to content

Fur Balls/Tired Acting

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • Hello,
    I am new to the board and have a question about my 5 month old Basenji. She has so far been the perfect puppy, house trained, doesnt chew, and can be left in the house alone the entire day without having to worry about anything being destroyed. She lives with a long fur cat and loves to play with him, but shes been eating his fur. Lately she has been coughing to clear her throat during play (not any other time) and shes been acting a little tired. I was wondering if anyone knows how to help her and if acting tired is common among teething basenjis. Any help would be greatly appreciated. thank you.

  • Where else has she been? Like outside the house… What you are describing sounds very much like the beginning of Kennel Cough... If you read the description of kennel cough it says:
    "coarse dry cough.... sounds as if the dog needs to clear it's throat and the cough will be triggered by any extra activity or exercise"

    Most dogs with kennel cough recover on their own, but best to see a Vet, IMO... and it lasts from 7 to 21 days. It is highly contagious and is an air borne organism

  • no its not really any specific location, it doesnt happen all the time, really just after playing with the cat or after running around a real lot. it really sounds just like when the cat has a fur ball its not so much a cough but more a dry heaving throat clearing sound. as far as her tiredness, im not sure if its because shes teething and just sore or if its natural for basenjis to be quiet and nap a lot.

  • coughing after exercise is also a symptom of heartworm….

    and no, teething doesn't really make them any more tired, or sore, in my experience.

  • Dog's don't really get hair balls, like a cat does…. while puppies do sleep alot it should not be any different that what you usually see... I would still be concerned if you have been around other dogs, pets stores, even to the Vets office (Twice mine have gotten kennel cough from the Vet's office)... and you have to think about maybe were you have been in the last 7 to 10 days. Teething should not make them tired... or at least it never has mine...

  • well she doesnt act sick at all, she just gets really active, then sleeps, she is up to date with all of her shots and has been on revolution heart worm meds. The problem really only occurs when she plays with the cat. Shes not acting sick, no loss of appetite or anything. Im going to the vet this week but was trying to get some info before i go because its not until later this week.

  • Just keep an eye on the cough, like I said, Kennel Cough will show most when active and playing… You said earlier that it happened during play... if it really is only when she is playing with the cat, then I would say, yes it is the fur... but still could be kennel cough... Active and then sleeping is pretty normal...

  • another question for anyone who has used revolution, it is tough to get the medicine directly to the skin, is it ok if it gets on fur and you massage it into the skin? I didnt even consider it being heartworm but now quercus has me paranoid

  • Well, your vet would let you know if heartworm was a concern in your area. And I would use whatever he or she recomends. If there is any possibility that it is heartworm, you don't want to use a preventative now. You have to get the treatment from the vet. It probably isn't heartworm, as she is pretty young to have built up enough to cause a cough I think.

    Could it be that she is sneezing, not coughing? Sometimes sneezes sound like a string of coughs.

Suggested Topics

  • 0 Votes
    11 Posts
    5k Views
    O
    Yes, the test for Lyme disease is a blood test. It is a special test that is not in the regular panels– they usually run it separately, after they rule out other things. I hope your B is better! Did you find out what was wrong?
  • Fur Loss

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    3k Views
    eeeefarmE
    @krunzer: does the skin look dark and dirty? it may be demodectic mange. If it is, the location is unusual.
  • Allergy/inflammation

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    28
    0 Votes
    28 Posts
    10k Views
    S
    We are going to talk to the vet again Thursday, and I will discuss all various suggestions with him. When reading on EPI, IPSID and IBD, all include symptoms as weight loss and diarrea. She does not suffer from any of these 2 symptoms. Her only symptom is vomiting on an empty stomach, and the stomach empties in no time at all which makes her vomit without the cortison. I will still go through the various conditions with the vet and take necessary tests to see if any of the mentioned diseases might apply anyway. IBD should have been tested during the Gastroschopy, only that it is called something different in Swedish. I will ask the vet. But more and more, I believe the problems were caused by myself giving her too big a variety of proteins, and too much food, when she was little. I am hoping to be able to go around this through finding the right food for Della, and cure her with a good nutritional balance rather than with medicine. Fingers crossed for Thursday/Sofie
  • Tri fur color

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    31
    0 Votes
    31 Posts
    9k Views
    renaultf1R
    @khanis: I did check with Pam and she said that Oregon does not have a red hue at all. So, not sure what you were seeing, just bad lighting I'd guesstimate. I just want to clear up one thing. I DID NOT say that Oreo had a red hue. I said he looked brownish in a certain light and I could see stripes. There are many shades of brown and brown does not automatically = red hue. ;) (For example: Chestnut brown and blackish/brown - blackish/brown was what I saw at the moment I was thinking of.) I wasn't saying he had a red undercoat like the pictures from Dan, he has a black undercoat and it takes a specific light to see the stripes. Yes, you are most likely right - weird lighting, he could have also just been dusty. I was simply agreeing with the original poster, Dan, when he said he had seen their b&w look brownish. It isn't unusual to see black (in general on anything) look like other colours depending on lighting - many times it looks blue. ;)
  • Heartworm meds/test

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    26
    0 Votes
    26 Posts
    10k Views
    snorky998S
    Treating heartworm infected dogs.. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=610 No offense intended, but the Beloved Bulldogs site was not written by a vet and seems a bit dated to me. Having had a dog treated for heartworm years ago, believe me the arsenic treatments can be dangerous and painful. (See above link)
  • Change of fur color/ losing fur

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    DukeD
    I noticed that Daisy (a tri) is also having lighter colors streaked through parts of the black on her back and sides. This is her first whole year in life so this phenomenon is new to me too. Duke's black and white doesn't change, but I notice his shed is usually white.