Thanks for posting this update @Derek-Groves , our Chance is 16 and he has had seizures most of his life. It just started out of nowhere when he was a few years old and for a number of years, we tried all kinds of natural and non-natural medications. We tried Chinese herbs, CBD, diet changes then the typical meds like phenobarbitol, all somewhat helped, but he would still have recurring seizures several times a month, or sometimes a week. All in all, he probably had 100 seizures in his lifetime, but luckily no major damage other than he is a bit wobbly and has head tremors once in a while. It does not seem to bother him though and he is otherwise healthy and active for a 16 yr old. Once I found Keppra through trial and error we stuck with it and that seemed to have been the best way to curb the seizures. We went from monthly to maybe once in a few years, during major events like a house move. Today he is on 250mg of Keppra + Zonisomide every 12 hours and that does the trick, if he does have a sezure (we also have concentrated CBD tincture, which we keep bedside, injecting it into his mouth gets him out of it pretty quickly and speeds up recover. We ended up sticking a particular manufacturer for Keppra (Lupin labs), just to make sure no formula variation is introduced.
Basenji Breed Predisposition and Genetically Inherited Disorders
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Everyone looking for information on Genetically Inherited Disorders in Basenjis should make sure to visit the Basenji Club of America website, http://www.basenjiclub.com/?q=node/17 It has information on Basenji Health Concerns as well as updates on breakthroughs in research to find genetic markers or the genes for these diseases.
The Othopedic Foundation for Animals is a great resource, http://www.offa.org/diseaseinfo.html
Lisa Voss
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I read from other lists that some basenji breeders are getting back the results from the fanconis tests already!
This is wonderful indeed. -
I read from other lists that some basenji breeders are getting back the results from the fanconis tests already!
This is wonderful indeed.Also people interested in Basenji Health should visit (and consider a donation) to www.basenjihealth.org (The Basenji Endowment)
And yes, I got DC Tanza's Tego's back today.. Clear/Normal…. yea!!!! Which means while we wait for Joka's, Tego's kids at worst would be carriers, but will not get Fanconi!
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Yes, results probably won't show up on the OFA site for another week but emails to owners have been going out.
I got Rally's results this evening, Rally is Clear so none of her kids will be affected.
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This is wonderful!~
Kudos for posting these results.
I hope most folks will post the sad results as well.
We can share in their pain.
So, hugs to you all who submitted these dogs for testing. -
re: Testing - I am just as excited over the availability of the test as everyone else BUT I do want to insert this note of caution. Many of us who have been in this breed (or any breed of dog) for a long time - remember when there were other 'definitive' tests that as time went on were not really definitive.
This is a 'preliminary' test and so far it looks promising but doing your research prior to breeding is still important as is working with people who are willing to be as honest as they can about the health of all the animals they have bred in the past.
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re: Testing - I am just as excited over the availability of the test as everyone else BUT I do want to insert this note of caution. Many of us who have been in this breed (or any breed of dog) for a long time - remember when there were other 'definitive' tests that as time went on were not really definitive.
This is a 'preliminary' test and so far it looks promising but doing your research prior to breeding is still important as is working with people who are willing to be as honest as they can about the health of all the animals they have bred in the past.
Yes that is an important note… however I will note that every dog so far that has had results considering their sire and dam have shown the test to be right on....especially with probable affecteds. I believe it is way more then "promising"..... and believe that unlike some early attempts at Fanconi tests, this will be the test of the future... It will however be good when the final test is ready... but certainly this is a step in the direction to make much better breeding decisions. Now days many breeders are importing dogs from around the world or using sperm from around the world... we have all heard that many others countries say "no Fanconi" which has turned out to be false..
I will state without condition that I will not breed anything that is not tested first and I will not recommend breeders that do not do the same. And one of the best things about this test is that the results are public there is NO option to close the test results. -
Do you think this test will ever been given by folks who run the puppymills?
Any chance the general public could hit these "companies" with a lemon law type of lawsuit once its shown this a reliable test for health?
Course, educating the general public would be the key re health and temperment, as always. -
Do you think this test will ever been given by folks who run the puppymills?
Any chance the general public could hit these "companies" with a lemon law type of lawsuit once its shown this a reliable test for health?
Course, educating the general public would be the key re health and temperment, as always.I am sure that NO puppymill will test… they would not pay 40 for DNA with AKC, surely they are not going to pay 60 plus the cost of pulling the blood and sending it....
That is an very interesting thought about the lemon law?... I would think that you could with a lemon law type lawsuit... but I am not a lawyer, so don't know, would be interesting to find out....
However, I wonder how many people ever really use the lemon law on dogs? And since Fanconi is late onset, I would think that people would have to "pay" to have the test done as soon as they purchased a puppy?
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The lemon law typically is pretty specific - it has to be "something genetic diagnosed in the 1 st year of life" so it would seem that if someone bought a pup and went to get it tested that they COULD go to court but all you get under the Lemon Law is a different puppy, or a refund and return the puppy. There is no option to get back the price of the puppy and keep the puppy. If there is something medical the first year you can recoup vet costs - up to the cost of the puppy - but not 6 years later.
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Thanks. I didn't know this.
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FYI here is some puppy lemon law information - I don't think the list is complete but it's the only one I could find right now - my other computer on my favorites has a better list but…....... it's on my other computer that is slow.
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Hi Basenji lovers:
My Basenji is a stray dog. We have him for 3.5 years. He is the best dog in the world! He is estimated at 8 year old.
But now, he is not feeling good. He has a tremedous pain some where between the neck to the tailbase. We have brought him to the vet several times and then the specialties. After X-rays, MRI, X-rays, the neurologist excluded the disk issue and suspected that he has some kind of tumor growing between shoulder blades and verterbrade. There is a very small chance that that lesion he saw was due to the infection.
The operation is dangerous, not talking about expensive. He may end up paralyzed. We decided to treat him as infection in hope that is the reason.
He was a very active dog just two weeks ago. Now he walked with very arched back and very slow. He can't bend his neck to pick up food from floor. He has pain when he tries to sit down. He feels pain as I touch his sides next to his middle spine.
He is on pain killer, antibiotics and steroids for three days. His pain seems a little bit better but I think he is adapted to how to sit and sleep besides the pain killer.
He is such a sweet dog. I don't know what to do. I don't want him to suffer but I don't want him go without trying everything else. Now he is really suffering. He is only 8, if the estimate was right.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Banjo
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doggie actupuncture. sp sorry I don't know the correct spelling.
it does work, its expensive but does give relief.
If you can find someone to come to your home, its better for the dogs.
Hugs re this issue.
Its can be a hard one to treat.
Prayers going your way. -
Accupuncture and or Chiropractic will relieve a lot of the pain and pressure.
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I'm so sorry your baby is going through such pain, and I hope his suffering is relieved soon, but I've got to ask the other posters:
Granted, I have not done much research regarding acupuncture or chiropractic methods, but with all due respect, how can either acupuncture or chiropractic methods relieve the pain that may be due to a tumor that is causing the pain? I can see how chiropractic methods could work for stuff that is out of alignment due to physical activity or inactivity. (No comment on acupuncture as I have no idea how it works.) If the alleged tumor is pressing on nerves, how do either of those practices stop the tumor from "working" those nerves?
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Granted, I have not done much research regarding acupuncture or chiropractic methods, but with all due respect, how can either acupuncture or chiropractic methods relieve the pain that may be due to a tumor that is causing the pain?
Good question.
Acupunture can relieve pain through stimulating pressure points and this is something that I would recommend looking into.
If a tumor is pressing on vertebra, it could knock them out of alignment. A chirpopractor could possibly help with this.
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I would assume that someone who had a dog hurting like this would have had a simple x ray to show spine/neck allignment .
That would show something other than nerve issues.
I guess I was assuming that was done.
If not, it should be the very first thing, IMO. -
Just out of curiosity can someone tell me how the Fanconi Syndrome appeared in the Basenji breed. Is it b/c the breed had such a small gene pool? Also when was it discovered in the basenji? and are they trying to open up the stud books again b/c of these health problems? It might be stupid questions but just thought i'd ask. Thanx to anyone who reply's.
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It is unclear the origin of Fanconi Syndrome as prior to the internt - keeping track of the health issues was just not as easy as it is now. There is a school of thought that it might have been originially a mutated gene perhaps from environmental toxins. I don't know as anyone has ever been able to know that for sure - if there ever is a genetic marker - that answer may come out of the research related to that.
I would also say that the gene pool being limited to start with and then further limited when some other diseases showed up (HA & PRA for example). When those were identified there was no knowledge that HA could be so easily bred around and PRA was mis-or over - identified in the beginning because of the basenji hyper-reflective eye that LOOKS like PRA but is not. A large number of dogs was eliminated from the gene pool because of that. Now that we have a bigger knowledge base and testing and protocols for these, fanconi's and other health issues, we can look at the individual African dogs with knowledge of their actual health rather than in the earlier imports just assuming that if they are from African they are healthier.
With the combination of turmoil and war in Africa as well as previously isolated areas now being more accessiblt - it is important to acquire additional genetics while they are still largely not influenced by other dog breeds. We can now do this with some knowledge and science to make sure we are not adding the same things we are trying to avoid.
Obviously others have their opinions or fine points but this is the general overview.
