Help. . .Information needed on excessive peeing of a 4 month old female Basenji


  • Since we came home from the vets, Kali has not had an accident in the house and has been her usual puppy self the only thing that remains is the overwhelming desire for water.

    In answer to your questions about whether or not we leave water for her all the time the answer is no but I do make sure that she has something to drink 5 or 6 times a day. You might call it rationing but when she is relentless about it, I do give her water, just not copious amounts but enough to whet her whistle 3 or 4 oz. at a crack. She always finishes it all and always looks for more. The vet did say that that was enough water for a 13lb puppy. She was also looking for any signs of dehydration and found none.

    As for where did we get her, we got her from a breeder in Southern Illinois who breeds 5 or 6 different kinds of dogs , from westies to corgies to ridgebacks. She has had 2 or 3 litters a year for 3 or 4 years of Basenjis. Being a first time Basenji owner i never knew there was a registered club of Basenji breeders, and when i found Kali we had just lost our 9 yr old daschund and my daughter was heartbroken so we were looking for a replacement as quick as possible.

    Thanks again for all your concerns and comments they have been very helpful and appreciated.


  • What kind of congenital problem? As in a growth defect?…. Of course anything is possible as far as development goes... IMO and this is just what I would do is to have an ultrasound done... this will give you the answers if development of the kidneys or bladder is happening... and it is totally possible that if there was a congenital problem, with age it is coming to light...

    Again, where did this pup come from... and have or are you able to talk to the breeder? You say that you had her for 3 months, but that she is now 4 months? How old was she when you got her?


  • Have you had any contact with the breeder to see if any similar problems ever?…

    And I disagree with not leaving the water down with access all the time... I would be interested to know if she would keep drinking till like a quart without stopping... but the whole thing with excessive drinking would be a worry...

    Again if my pup, I would have an ultrasound done... and by a specialist in internal medicine.....


  • Also, you may have only just started to notice problems because she is now big enough that the reduced kidney function is beginning to show. When she was smaller she may have had enough kidney function to get by but as her body grows her kidneys can not keep up.


  • I know of one bitch who doesn't get water all the time who drank, drank, drank. Turned out she had a low grade infection. After she was cleared up with antibiotics she drank less. I too would leave water down for her for the moment. While limiting may help excessive peeing, it may also diminish the effectiveness of the antibiotics going through her system.

    The breeder could have also limited her water. (not to knock you but sounds like a puppy mill breeder). Alot of breeders with more than 2 different breeds cannot keep up with the requirements of the puppies and therefore the water is limited.


  • I'll correct the last statement not to offend anyone. 5-6 different breeds sounds like an aweful handful


  • Ordinarily I would agree with you on the topic of the breeder however I know the background story on Kali and I know she was well taken care of by the breeder. She was in beautiful shape when we picked her up and if it was a mill it was very well kept. Even so if it was then it was a good thing that we bought her and she is being well taken care of now.

    We are on day 2 of antibiotics and I will say that there has been a dramatic improvement. We have had 2 small mistakes in two days versus the incessant accidents on Tuesday so I hope (dare I say) we are over the hill.

    We have had so much good information from all of you and I think it might be a combination of all sorts of the ideas that you have shared with me. Whatever the case I will be checking it out with the vet tomorrow and will let you all know how she fared. Thanks again.


  • Great news… glad that she is doing better....

    And I will only say this.... while you might think that the breeder too good care.. the problem is that I am pretty certain that there was no health testing done on the Mom and Dad of that litter ever... since we have genetic concerns in our breed it is very important that breeders test and keep records of the dogs... and I wonder, is she AKC registered?


  • It is great that Kali is improving.

    As for puppymills and BYBs, not all of them have deplorable conditions but what BYBs and puppymill do all have in common is: little or no health testing of the dogs being bred, no responsibility for the puppies after they are sold, and little or no support for the buyer. They more breeds and puppies a person has they less individual attention they can give to puppies during critical development stages. This will directly effect the owners of these puppies since they will not have developed the same coping skills that well socialized puppies do.


  • How is Kali doing?….


  • Thank you for all your concern in regards to Kali.

    I will tell you that she is doing absolutely fine. I believe that most of it was the teething thing. We ran the course of antibiotics and since then Kali seems well. I can't speak to the genetic testing of the animals but I do know that Kali was one of the first litter to her mother and she is the only survivor. I do know that there was a real attachment to this puppy since the mother had no real interest and they wanted her to survive. I will say that I have tried to contact the breeder on more then one occasion and have had no reply so I am not sure what to think.


  • @Kalahari:

    Thank you for all your concern in regards to Kali.

    I will tell you that she is doing absolutely fine. I believe that most of it was the teething thing. We ran the course of antibiotics and since then Kali seems well. I can't speak to the genetic testing of the animals but I do know that Kali was one of the first litter to her mother and she is the only survivor. I do know that there was a real attachment to this puppy since the mother had no real interest and they wanted her to survive. I will say that I have tried to contact the breeder on more then one occasion and have had no reply so I am not sure what to think.

    That is great to hear…. does she still drink excessively?.... sorry however that you can't contact the breeder.... but she is lucky to have you!


  • She still seeks out water but not to the degree that she was. As the accidents wane, I have been trying to leave the water out a bit more, but like one of the other members said about their husband, mine also is sick of cleaning up the pee so I have to find a happy medium between the two. All in all I think we are doing fine, and once again thanks for all of your concern. I will be sure to connect with the Basenji Forums again if there are any other questions.

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