• Thanks for the info! We have already had Dane neutered so passing on the gene wont be happening but we will definately test him. Dane had some eye problems (caterac (spelling?) and a sphinctor muscle that doesnt contract so his eye is permantly dialated – We took him to an optomitrist and were sad to find out that he will NOT be able to read but other than that he said it shouldnt affect him to much other than squinting and a spot in his vision. Does your boy have anything like that?


  • @navyman:

    My wife and I have been discussing getting Buddy tested for the Fanconi gene, but decided to wait til the direct gene test is developed so that breeders can get their dogs tested first. In the meantime, our 4-yr old Buddy's FS strip testing is showing no spillage of sugar.

    That is great to hear that he is not spilling…. kudos!!!


  • @navyman:

    Yep, Buddy and Dane are definitely related. Here's Buddy's Sire pedigree, which involves the Hofer line, and likely explains Buddy's and Dane's resemblance. Zande Basenjis basenji databse provides good information on the relationships between the lines.

    I recently noticed that Hofer Zipper has been determined to be AFS (Affected by Fanconi Syndrome). Fortunately, FS is recessive in nature, so it's unlikely that our pups will be AFS, but they would likely be carriers of the FS gene mutation. As such, our males are not good breeding candidates by any standard whatsoever. Buddy was born a chriptoorchid (undescended testicles) and subsequently castrated by the puppy miller's vet (which is unusual in itself). In any event, having a Hofer line pup means we got to be diligent on doing the FS strip testing monthly, just in case.

    Why do you think that your pup would not be affected? Do you know what the Fanconi status is of his Dam? If the Dam is a Carrier or Affected then the pup could or can be affected….


  • @tanza:

    And also, Kudos for fostering … and even if you did "support" puppy mills without knowing, your B's now have wonderful homes and will never fall into puppy mill breeding to produce more pups!

    In hindsight, we are very glad Buddy ended up in our home. With his autoimmune hypothyroidism (he was diagnosed with hypo at 1 yr old), he was extremely food-aggressive. There's no way any other unsuspecting family would have been able to work through that kind of experience. We attribute the fostering to our learning about hypo and proper treatments, positive reinforcement training, etc. BRAT coordinators have helped us tremendously in understanding how to manage our special-needs Hofer pup.

    The fostering has been a very rewarding experience even though it's a LOT of work. After having rehabilitated and rehomed 14 foster B's, we ended up adopting our 15th foster, and have hung up our fostering hats to allow the three to bond and to give our two resident B's a rest from the ever-changing pack dynamics. My wife is now the BRAT coordinator for MD & DE, so we will continue to pay penance, but on more of an administrative level.


  • @tanza:

    Why do you think that your pup would not be affected? Do you know what the Fanconi status is of his Dam? If the Dam is a Carrier or Affected then the pup could or can be affected….

    Tanza, admittedly, my comment is really an optimistic form of speculation based on the observation that Buddy's Dam appeared not related at all to any of the Hofer pedigree lines, but of course that doesn't guarrantee that she wasn't a carrier or AFS. The fact that the gene is recessive reduces the likelihood, but again this is all predicated upon the assumption that Buddy's Dam was free of the gene. With that said, I am testing Buddy & Bella (she's half Avongara) monthly, knock on wood.


  • @luvsmy2bs:

    Thanks for the info! We have already had Dane neutered so passing on the gene wont be happening but we will definately test him. Dane had some eye problems (caterac (spelling?) and a sphinctor muscle that doesnt contract so his eye is permantly dialated – We took him to an optomitrist and were sad to find out that he will NOT be able to read but other than that he said it shouldnt affect him to much other than squinting and a spot in his vision. Does your boy have anything like that?

    It seems basenjiforums crashed last night, and I couldn't respond. So far, Buddy hasn't shown any vision problems. However, as I mentioned in another post in this thread, he was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which I believe may be genetic due to his young age.

    Please post a picture of Dane or redirect me to one so I can see for myself the resemblance. Have you ever had Dane tested for hypo?

    Based on my fostering experience, I believe the incidence rate for hypo in the basenji is relatively high (30% of my fosters were diagnosed with hypo). Buddy was a completely different (and much better) personality than before he was put on soloxine.


  • @navyman:

    Our girl is from a responsible breeder and is half-African (Avoranga line from 1980's African imports).

    Welcome to the forum Navyman, enjoy. What is the registered name of your half Af?


  • @Basenji_Boy:

    Welcome to the forum Navyman, enjoy. What is the registered name of your half Af?

    Hi Basenji_Boy, thanks for the warm welcome. What a resource-rich site this is. Our sweet-tempered half AF is:

    KISA Last But Not Least (KISA Kennels owned by Dana & Kim Byrd near Richmond, VA).
    F
    HP089333/04 USA
    2 Jan 2004

    Her sire is:

    Avongara Imba Tena
    Brindle & White
    HM678202/03 USA
    19 Dec 1996

    Her dam is:

    Am Ch
    KISA Renegade Red
    HM559546/06 USA
    2 Jan 1995


  • Your girl is related to several of our B's. We have two Imba Tena children and a grandson.

    My wife travels and shows dogs with Kim…..they'll be at a show in Virginia this weekend.:)


  • @Basenji_Boy:

    Your girl is related to several of our B's. We have two Imba Tena children and a grandson.

    My wife travels and shows dogs with Kim…..they'll be at a show in Virginia this weekend.:)

    That's really neat! Do your Imba Tena kids have the sweet-tempered and not-so-brave personality of their dad like our Bella does?

    Despite her sweetness and complete submission towards her human pack members, she is definitely an alpha with other B's, and has shown she can keep a whole crowd of male B's under her paw with masterful control. It amazes us! For example, at times when Buddy would be feeling a little snarky with a foster, Bella will mouth his muzzle softly with a growl to let him know to "knock it off." She seems to know her human companions don't care much for snarkiness. Her cop skills have helped to keep us out of trouble more than a few times with our fosters.

    Kim is such a wonderful, thoughtful person. What's your wife's name?


  • Hi Navyman,

    Sorry,,,,,,I think the forum crashed or something last night, anyway, What are the symptoms of hypoth.? I will try to post some pics of our Dane,,,,,,,,,we have had trouble posting here before,,,,,,,or I can email them to you.


  • Do your Imba Tena kids have the sweet-tempered and not-so-brave personality of their dad like our Bella does?

    Yes, Max is a lovable couch potato, but very cautious and yes…not so brave. Penny is a bit more daring, but still a little leary of some things.
    Both are very good hunters.

    Despite her sweetness and complete submission towards her human pack members, she is definitely an alpha with other B's, and has shown she can keep a whole crowd of male B's under her paw with masterful control. It amazes us! For example, at times when Buddy would be feeling a little snarky with a foster, Bella will mouth his muzzle softly with a growl to let him know to "knock it off." She seems to know her human companions don't care much for snarkiness. Her cop skills have helped to keep us out of trouble more than a few times with our fosters.

    That's interesting. Max was our first and when we brought in the second, an Af female, Max almost acted like her trainer. He'd take things off of her she wasn't supposed to have and bring it to us…...it just blew us away!
    The third B, Penny was raised by the first two and we often say, we had nothing to do with how Penny turned out.....the B's raised her.

    Kim is such a wonderful, thoughtful person. What's your wife's name?

    We've learned so much from Kim, she is a very nice lady. My wifes name is Gail:) They were showing in Cumberland Md last weekend and do many shows in Md. I go to some not all, maybe we'll see you at one in the future. I think they're about done for this year after this weekend.

    Are you a member of the Mid Atlantic Basenji Club???


  • @luvsmy2bs:

    Hi Navyman,

    Sorry,,,,,,I think the forum crashed or something last night, anyway, What are the symptoms of hypoth.? I will try to post some pics of our Dane,,,,,,,,,we have had trouble posting here before,,,,,,,or I can email them to you.

    Yeah, the forum crashed last night since I couldn't get in either. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of Dane.

    Here's an excellent website that lists the various symptoms of hypo:

    http://www.apubasenjis.com/bhealth.html

    Keep in mind that in different B's, hypo manifests itself differently. For example, our Buddy's hypo expressed itself in a very slow metabolism (that translates to obesity) and a very food-aggressive temperament. A foster we recently sent to his forever home exhibited his hypo via brittle, oily hair and thin frame. Our very first foster was 40lbs and diagnosed with hypo.

    Generally, we could sense a B being possibly hypo if it had brittle/rough oily hair, doggie smell, and an unexplainable grumpy attitude towards dogs and/or humans.

    I'm no expert, but based on my experiences, I think a good B owner would take the time to get their dog(s) tested every 1 or 2 years to ensure thyroid function is in normal range. Incidence rates are too high in the breed to ignore to the possible detriment of our loved pups' health.


  • @Basenji_Boy:

    Yes, Max is a lovable couch potato, but very cautious and yes…not so brave. Penny is a bit more daring, but still a little leary of some things.
    Both are very good hunters.

    That's interesting. Max was our first and when we brought in the second, an Af female, Max almost acted like her trainer. He'd take things off of her she wasn't supposed to have and bring it to us......it just blew us away!
    The third B, Penny was raised by the first two and we often say, we had nothing to do with how Penny turned out.....the B's raised her.

    We've learned so much from Kim, she is a very nice lady. My wifes name is Gail:) They were showing in Cumberland Md last weekend and do many shows in Md. I go to some not all, maybe we'll see you at one in the future. I think they're about done for this year after this weekend.

    Are you a member of the Mid Atlantic Basenji Club???

    Thanks very much for sharing your views and experiences on your B's. It really goes to show how dogs really understand each other much better than we could ever understand them.

    This morning, our 10-month old tri puppy, Tippy, got excited when he saw one of our cats on my computer desk. While "countersurfing" the desk, he kept excitedly nosing at the cat, which of course wasn't something the cat was thrilled with. Bella came over and basically told Tippy to leave the cat alone. I can only speculate that her experiences in being raised in a large B pack the first 6 months of her life with Kim equipped her with exceptional doggie social/political management skills. Maybe Fido's genetic influence has something to do with it.

    I don't know how Kim does it all while working a full-time job (or did she "retire"?)

    We were members of MABC before, but the events tend to take place on Sundays, which doesn't work for us with our church committments.


  • @navyman:

    I don't know how Kim does it all while working a full-time job (or did she "retire"?)

    Kim works a full time job as does her husband. She has things set up very well to handle the number of dogs she has, but wow that is quite a commitment by both of them.


  • Thanks for the info on hypo,,,,,,,,,,we will talk to our vet next time we have him in there and have him tested,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,by the way,,,,,,,,,,since Dane and your boy are nephew/uncle,,,,,,,,,,,,does this mean that we are related Navyman 😉 ?


  • @Basenji_Boy:

    Kim works a full time job as does her husband. She has things set up very well to handle the number of dogs she has, but wow that is quite a commitment by both of them.

    Right, and I just remembered they do the minpins too! Now that's asking for double-trouble :eek:


  • @luvsmy2bs:

    Thanks for the info on hypo,,,,,,,,,,we will talk to our vet next time we have him in there and have him tested,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,by the way,,,,,,,,,,since Dane and your boy are nephew/uncle,,,,,,,,,,,,does this mean that we are related Navyman 😉 ?

    smiling If we go far back enough, we'd probably be related somewhere 😃

    If you proceed with having Dane tested for hypo, please follow the advice on the abubasenjis website link I provided you. In particular, you'll want to have your vet withdraw the appropriate amount of blood and have it spun. Then you would overnight it (ideally right after the vet visit) via USPS to Dr. Dodd's lab in CA. Dr. Dodds is considered by the B community to be the foremost expert on hypo in our breed.

    Your vet may end up insisting he/she send it to the MSU (Mich State Univ) lab, which is what most vets tend to do, but B experts have found that MSU isn't always accurate in their analysis of the lab results for sighthounds in particular.

    Lastly, if Dane is confirmed to have hypo, get the soloxine medication (don't use any other brand of thyroxine due to uneven production) from Omaha Vaccine online. Buy the pills so that you can split one for 2x a day…saves a bit of money. Fortunately, soloxine will cost most people no more than $50/year total. Any detailed questions regarding hypo, please PM me and I'll be more than glad to help.


  • Wow,,,,,,,you are very knowledgable! Thanks for the great info!


  • @navyman:

    smiling If we go far back enough, we'd probably be related somewhere 😃

    If you proceed with having Dane tested for hypo, please follow the advice on the abubasenjis website link I provided you. In particular, you'll want to have your vet withdraw the appropriate amount of blood and have it spun. Then you would overnight it (ideally right after the vet visit) via USPS to Dr. Dodd's lab in CA. Dr. Dodds is considered by the B community to be the foremost expert on hypo in our breed.

    Your vet may end up insisting he/she send it to the MSU (Mich State Univ) lab, which is what most vets tend to do, but B experts have found that MSU isn't always accurate in their analysis of the lab results for sighthounds in particular.

    Lastly, if Dane is confirmed to have hypo, get the soloxine medication (don't use any other brand of thyroxine due to uneven production) from Omaha Vaccine online. Buy the pills so that you can split one for 2x a day…saves a bit of money. Fortunately, soloxine will cost most people no more than $50/year total. Any detailed questions regarding hypo, please PM me and I'll be more than glad to help.

    However, even it you have the test sent to U of Mich, when you get the results you can send them to Dr. Dobbs, she will gladly review them and give you her recommendations.

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