Life Expectancy??

[WeLuvBasenjis]

How old is your basenji?

I have found varying ages for the average life expectancy of Basenjis - anywhere from 8 to 16 years. While it's not the happiest topic, what experience have you forum readers had?

(Please forgive me if this has been covered somewhere else in the forums. I did a search, but couldn't find anything related.)

Thanks

[deedees14]

Our basenji lived for 13 years. His brother and sister (who were born at the same time as him) died a couple of years earlier, but I'm not sure the exact number of years. He really didn't start acting "old" until the very last year.

[tanza]

My oldest right now are Maggii, will be 16 August 27th, OJ - will be 16 September 9th, Mickii - Was 14 Feb 21st, Kistii - was 12 December 15th….

Maggii is the last of her litter, OJ is the last of his litter. Mickii's sister is still alive... and all but one of Kristii's littermates are still alive...

Mine are in fairly good health except all but Kristii are deaf... Maggii is in renal failure but doing OK with treat of SubQ fluids and still a very happy bed dog!

[felakuti]

the two that we had put down last summer, Sahara and Chaka Zulu, were 17 and 16 respectively…both quite ill at the end, having seizures, incontinent, etc. We had them cremated at a wonderful pet cemetary near where we live. But now we have another basenji in our home again, by the grace of God. I know you folks understand. from chris and tom on cape cod

[tanza]

By the way, average age for a Basenjis now days should be around 14 to 16.. of course barring Fanconi… or other genetic problems known to the breed..

[WeLuvBasenjis]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I had started to freak out a little yesterday when a Basenji site listed age span as 8 to 10 years. My B is 8 years old and has been with us for a little more than 4 years. I hardly remember what life was like before we got her! While she has calmed down some in the last year or so, she certainly doesn't act old.

I also want to give a broader thank you to everyone on this site. What a wonderful source of information and support!

[Quercus]

@WeLuvBasenjis:

Thanks to everyone who responded. I had started to freak out a little yesterday when a Basenji site listed age span as 8 to 10 years. My B is 8 years old and has been with us for a little more than 4 years. I hardly remember what life was like before we got her! While she has calmed down some in the last year or so, she certainly doesn't act old.

I also want to give a broader thank you to everyone on this site. What a wonderful source of information and support!

No, 8-10 is definitely just starting to be a *little old They don't start seeming old until they are 12 or more

[lvoss]

My 9 1/2 year old is running Iron Hound this weekend along with another 9 1/2 year old. Both are in good condition and having a blast and are definately still competitive against the youngsters.

[tanza]

What site said that?… Things like that should try to be corrected... I usually write the webmaster and let them know when things are on sites that are obviously incorrect about our breed.

[JazzysMom]

dogbreedinfo.com { http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/basenji.htm}

has a life expectancy of 10 - 12 yrs. Of course, they also state that Basenjis respond well to training and are eager to please. HA HA HA HA

What they fail to mention is that the Basenji IS eager to please . . .. THEMSELVES!

[JazzysMom]

kingdomofpets.com also lists average lifespan at 10 - 12 yrs.

www.dogsindepth.com/hound_dog_breeds/basenji.html 10- 14 yrs

www.petsbest.com/Community/Article/Basenji.aspx 10 -12 yrs.

Wow, really if you do a quick search, it's out there everywhere!

I'd always heard it was around 15 yrs. And I'm banking on that!

[Quercus]

@JazzysMom:

kingdomofpets.com also lists average lifespan at 10 - 12 yrs.

www.dogsindepth.com/hound_dog_breeds/basenji.html 10- 14 yrs

www.petsbest.com/Community/Article/Basenji.aspx 10 -12 yrs.

Wow, really if you do a quick search, it's out there everywhere!

I'd always heard it was around 15 yrs. And I'm banking on that!

Well, if you count in Fanconi affected, cancer and cars ….. it probably averages down to around 10

I would say that 15 years is rather remarkable...certainly not unheard of...but something special. I expect my dogs to live to be between 12-14.

[tanza]

I really think that the age (barring things like Fanconi, cancer (and that seems to be on the rise with Basenjis and cars…) really is closer to 14 to 16 now days.. with the better Vet care, much better food and general care by owners, like us humans, the life expectancy is a bit longer....

[MaxBooBooBear]

My Max lived to be 15 and 11 months. He really didn't seem "old" at all until about the last year of his life. At that point, he really declined very rapidly–it just seemed like overnight he went from an active boy to a very slow, aging boy. But the quality of his life was still good (although the quality of my carpet wasn't up until the very end.

[nobarkus]

I had one live to be 17-1/2 and another to 14-1/2.

[RockysWoman]

Okay, so lets expand this conversation. What about dogs who have Fanconi? Once the disease is diagnosed, what is the average life expectancy beyond that?

My B is 8 (will be 9 in November) and was just diagnozed with Fanconi. We believe he's in the early stages of the disease. I'm hoping to hit 10 or 12 with him. Can't imagine life without this crazy dog. But then again, I have a hard time remembering what life was like before him. He made us childproof our home before we even started to think about having kids!

[tanza]

@RockysWoman:

Okay, so lets expand this conversation. What about dogs who have Fanconi? Once the disease is diagnosed, what is the average life expectancy beyond that?

My B is 8 (will be 9 in November) and was just diagnozed with Fanconi. We believe he's in the early stages of the disease. I'm hoping to hit 10 or 12 with him. Can't imagine life without this crazy dog. But then again, I have a hard time remembering what life was like before him. He made us childproof our home before we even started to think about having kids!

Sorry to hear that your B has Fanconi…. but glad that you caught it early... Maintance on the Fanconi Protocol depends on each dog.. and how they are at taking the pills and how Fanconi effects them.... I know one dog that lived to almost 13 on the protocol... I don't think that there is an "expected" age... due to the fact that each are effected a different way by Fanconi.

Good luck and hugs! And remember all to strip your Basenji every month

[RockysWoman]

Too bad these dogs don't come with owners manuals. I can honestly say that this forum was the absolute first place I had ever heard of testing a B monthly for the syndrome. None of the veterinarians I had ever talked to had mentioned it, and our B was a "free to a good home" who never mentioned anything about the disease.

We got lucky in the sense that we knew something wasn't right with our boy about 2 years ago and kept pestering our vet to test him regularly for everything and anything under the sun. It wasn't until this past weekend though that all the factors "came into alignment" and we were able to get a positive diagnosis. Good or bad? Depends on how you look at it. At least now we know what we are fighting and that he's not just a thirsty dog with a little bladder. smile

[jys1011]

I've met some people who have had B's live long lives with fanconi so stay positive. The protocol is a very good one & since you caught it early there's every reason to believe your furkid will live to a ripe old age Lots of prayers & positive thoughts for you both!

[tanza]

@RockysWoman:

Too bad these dogs don't come with owners manuals. I can honestly say that this forum was the absolute first place I had ever heard of testing a B monthly for the syndrome. None of the veterinarians I had ever talked to had mentioned it, and our B was a "free to a good home" who never mentioned anything about the disease.

We got lucky in the sense that we knew something wasn't right with our boy about 2 years ago and kept pestering our vet to test him regularly for everything and anything under the sun. It wasn't until this past weekend though that all the factors "came into alignment" and we were able to get a positive diagnosis. Good or bad? Depends on how you look at it. At least now we know what we are fighting and that he's not just a thirsty dog with a little bladder. smile

This is exactly why we (as responsible breeders) come down so hard on Back Yard Breeders and Pet Store puppies… potential owners are NOT told of the health concerns in the breed, Sires and Dams of pups are not tested... therefore keep producing pups carrying these so very dangerous genes.... Responsible breeders put much time and thought into each breeding and also we GIVE back to the breed by supporting the Health endowment with donations not only of money but DNA samples for heath testing development.
Public education is the key, keep "hammering" why it is important to buy from a responsible breeder. Do your research on line about breeds and the genetic problems, remember they all have them.. the difference between purebreds and mix breeds is that purebred breeders "know" the health problems.... mix breeds, there is no record, therefore many think they are healthier... (And I am not saying these are not good dogs...). only that breeders of purebreds have years of records and are the first to ID a genetic concern in the breed.

Also, why it is so important that every Basenji owner print the protocol and have this placed in your Basenjis Vet file.... and that if they develop Fanconi they are put on this protocol immediately....