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Those Basenji ears?!?

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • Ninabeana26N

    So I noticed that Dallas has some ear wax buildup in both of his ears. I read in the Basenji book that I bought that this occurs obviously because their ears are upright & thus easy for dirt to get in. It says to simply grab a q-tip & clean them as you would your own.

    HAHAHA

    Not with my basenji! Dallas would not stay atill no matter how many treats/peanutbutter/bully sticks I tried to bribe him with. I think he doesn't like the sound inside his ear or something.

    So, how do you all clean your Bs ears?!? I have tried holding him down but he goes CRAZY! I have battle marks from trying to clean out this pups ears! lol Any suggestions would be great! :)

    Nina & my baby boy Dallas

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  • tanzaT

    Start by just lightly rubbing his ears, like when he is asleep in you lap… and only the inside of the upright part, continue to practice this when he is awake to get him used to your fingers being in his ears... then slowly work your way down. Use a tissue or gauze pad on your finger instead of a q-tip. This is NOT going to happen overnight... you should be conditioning your pup to have all parts of his body handled... legs, feet, tail, ears, teeth (especially teeth and looking in his mouth).. everything..

    And it seems that it is only puppies that seem to get this waxing build up.. once past teething it stops. I have never had an adult that had problems or if I did, it was once an a blue moon.

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • CraighC

    @tanza:

    I have never had an adult that had problems or if I did, it was once an a blue moon.

    I have - Alex's ears get quite a bit of wax build-up. I have to clean them every couple months with cotton balls and peroxide. He doesn't seem to mind though.

    Bella (Tri female), Alex (Red/White boy RIP), Cassi (Red/White girl RIP)

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  • Ninabeana26N

    @Craigh:

    I have - Alex's ears get quite a bit of wax build-up. I have to clean them every couple months with cotton balls and peroxide. He doesn't seem to mind though.

    Maybe he wouldn't mind a cotton ball as much? I put my finger in his ear & he didn't mind that. However, everytime I use a Q-tip he squirms like crazy & then runs. I'll try a cotten ball…

    Nina & my baby boy Dallas

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  • etzbsederE

    That sounds like my dog, but I still use the q-tip. I just have to wait until he's tired and then he doesn't mind as much, but it works better than the ball.

    Michael Feldman
    Gilbert, AZ

    Chaverim Basenjis

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  • JazzysMomJ

    I use the little round cotton cosmetic pads and sort of massage the ear with them; they dogs think they're just being pampered, LOL.

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  • nomrbddgsN

    I don't see the wax because Sugar loves to clean everyone in the house!

    Arlene, the Basenji Brats with the Boxenji![](images/smilies/biggrin.png "Big Grin")

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  • BarklessdogB

    Our red girl dog has the same problem. Freaks out when you touch her ears with a swab, but loves the inside of her ears rubbed when petting her. You know the two handed ear & cheek rub.

    That gave me an idea!. I found some real soft white - tight gardening gloves (unused), gave her an ear massage and cleaned her ears out. it worked well. I was extra careful not to push the dirt down her ears, but did kind of a wiping motion out and away from her inner ears. She loved it!

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    I too am sorry for not seeing this thread sooner and hopefully the poster will return. My Basenji had some teeth removed and the vet prescribed Carprofen as the follow up antibiotic. My Basenji turned out to be allergic to Carprofen which caused her liver to fail. I went through the same scenario you are describing. She gradually quit eating over the course of several days and then her water consumption started to go down. The eating had me worried since she had an excellent appetite upon return from the vet and the final purging of the anesthesia from her system. Nevertheless, her condition started to degrade. I followed her outside and watched her urinate. Her urine was a very bright yellow. I suspected then a liver issue. Once back inside she was shivering - off to the vet we went. LIver panel blood work up showed very high on specific indicators for failing liver. Vet prescribed Denamarin (containing SAM-e and silybin). SAM-e helps protect liver cells from cell death and aids in cell repair and regeneration. The Vet also started fluid injections. Fluid injections were everyday for two weeks. My Basenji showed a remarkable response to the fluid injections becoming much more her normal self even after the first day. She hated the injections and I could hear her cry when receiving them at the vet (believe me that will tear you up). But she was doing better and she (me) were going to have to tuff this out. Also a different antibiotic was prescribed to prevent liver infection during recovery. The Denamarin comes in dosages based on weight (medium for us). It is the size of a large human like solid oblong vitamin pill. Instructions want you to give it on an empty stomach and preferably not to cut it or place in something similar to a pill pocket however you can if necessary. My Basenji would not take that size (can't blame her). Cutting and disguising it did not work either. I was frantic and got the SAM-e in powder form. I couldn't slip her that either. All though some folks had success with peanut butter and liverwurst. I finally after three days had to have the vet pill her along with her fluid treatments. A week later another blood sample and her liver panel indicators were coming down. The pilling would last for a month and it took two people to get the pill down her. The important part is - she fully recovered from the liver failure. She is 13 1/2 yrs old. My experience after having 5 Basenjis is that the breed is sensitive to medications (anesthesia also). Many of the medications work just fine in most other breeds and mixes. The vet, if not that experienced with the Basenji, must be cautioned. Mine was not. Before accepting any medication have the vet go over any contraindications with you and to double check their resources for potential side effects when dealing with Basenjis. They may switch to something else if a medication has a bad track history with Basenjis. Know what to watch for should your Basenji start to react in a non-positive manner. The poster did not indicate if there were medications in play when the dog started showing degenerating conditions. I sincerely hopes this helps in some way and helps other Basenji owners
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    @tanza: Could also be a reaction to some kind of bite… here is another thought... when did he have he last round of shots? But in the end, I think I would take a trip to the Vet... could just be a little ear infection going on... they can and do get yeast infections in the ears.. and I have found that puppies for what ever reason get dirty ears... and slight infections. Kobey had one when he was about 4/5 months old... His second round of puppy shots he got on the 7th of this month. His next round isn't until the 6th of March. I am going to call the vet this afternoon & ask them if we should bring him in. His ears do get really dirty with wax buildup. I have actually used a q-tip (he's gotten a little better) & cleaned them almost every other day in the past week because everytime I look down there I see some buildup. Maybe that itself is another sign that something more is wrong. I will check his paws & rear tonight for any signs of an allergy but I examined him a lot last night (after noticing his ears) & didn't see anything else out of the ordinary.