Fanconi and personality change?

[gjrcvw]

I have a 4 and a half year old male basenji who I have been strip testing for a while because his parents are both carriers. He used to be very silly, funny, and happy. For the last year he has been unpredictable. He is no longer safe with anybody but me. He has random moments when he gets really defensive and growls and acts like he will attack.

He has not tested positive for sugar before now. The last few weeks he has had accidents in the house. I tested again toight and there was sugar in the urine.

I will retest in the morning and get to the vet. But my question is about the temperament changes. Has anybody else had that experience with their dog? Having a nice easy going temperament and with the onstt of the disease getting unpredictable? If they are on the protocvol and managed does that get better?

[lvoss]

Have his thyroid tested. Hypothyroidism can cause personality changes if untreated though any time a dog feels sick personality changes can go hand in hand.

[lvoss]

Have his thyroid tested. Hypothyroidism can cause personality changes if untreated though any time a dog feels sick personality changes can go hand in hand.

[tanza]

And if he does have Fanconi, Hypothyroidism is very common to Fanconi affected Basenjis….. and it can bring on temperament changes for sure... as lvoss said. It is recommend for all Fanconi dogs to have a "full" thyroid test which is different then the one your vet would do with normal blood work.

And I would get him to the Vet for Blood gases asap, to confirm or not his possible Fanconi status. When they first start spilling, you can find that they might spill one day and then maybe go 2 days with no sugar being spilled.. and the on the 4th day, spilling again... which is why it is a good thing to strip test 3 or 4 days in a row.

Good luck... and let us know

[tanza]

By the way, there is a yahoo list for people with Fanconi affected dogs, would be a good list for you to join if he does have Fanconi

[gjrcvw]

He is going to go in for his blood gases on friday and we'll run the thyroid panel then. Poor dog. I will join that list when they confirm fanconi. I am very sad.

[tanza]

@gjrcvw:

He is going to go in for his blood gases on friday and we'll run the thyroid panel then. Poor dog. I will join that list when they confirm fanconi. I am very sad.

Hopefully he will do well on the protocol… and I am very sorry to hear that he might have Fanconi...

Hugs and good thoughts that he does well on the protocol....

[sharronhurlbut]

Hugs to you and your boy.
Most dogs are just fine with the protocol and the fanconis support group will give you great tips and support.
Hugs…

[Terry]

You may want to wait to do the thyroid panel until after he is stabilized on the protocol. There can be false results before that… Also, he probably has a UTI (which may or may not show up on a urine test). The sugary urine is a superb medium for bacteria, and Fanconi dogs frequently have thickened urinary tract walls from previously undetected UTI's. Also, they can 'wall off' or loculate the infection so it won't appear on a standard urine test. Many people go by empirical symptoms and have the vet put him on a 2 - 3 week course of Clavamox or Baytril regardless of test results. A UTI will also complicate the results of the thyroid test.

Terry

[gjrcvw]

Terry,
Thank you for that information. It looks like I have to use a separate lab for the venous blood gases than my regular vet anyway, so I'll get that done and then with my regular vet make a plan for everything else that needs to be done.

I am not as devastated as last night. When I pulled the test strip out of the urine last night, I had a hard time breathing for a short while. I was panicking. Followed by feverish research on the computer for personal stories and then much crying.

I want friday to come so I can have the results and get started on the supplements. But in the meantime, I have settled down a lot and my dog is just being himself. Yodelling for me and eating treats and wishing the rain would stop.

[tanza]

@gjrcvw:

Terry,
Thank you for that information. It looks like I have to use a separate lab for the venous blood gases than my regular vet anyway, so I'll get that done and then with my regular vet make a plan for everything else that needs to be done.

I am not as devastated as last night. When I pulled the test strip out of the urine last night, I had a hard time breathing for a short while. I was panicking. Followed by feverish research on the computer for personal stories and then much crying.

I want friday to come so I can have the results and get started on the supplements. But in the meantime, I have settled down a lot and my dog is just being himself. Yodelling for me and eating treats and wishing the rain would stop.

Remember that you and/or your Vet can talk to Dr. Gonto and he will be more then happy to help with the proper course of supplements….

[Terry]

Yes, Dr. Gonto is more than willing to talk to you or your vet.
He usually answers e-mails the same day, even though he can get 50 or more. I just e-mailed him my latest blood gas results Saturday for my 3 Fanconi dogs - haven't heard back yet, so I'm hoping he's on a well deserved vacation.

Terry

[gjrcvw]

I will definitely be asking my vet to talk to Dr Gonto and will most likely touch base with him myself as well. I am glad we have him as a resource.

[tanza]

How did the Vet visit go?

[khanis]

I am sorry to hear of your dog's possible Fanconi Affected status.
I agree completely with Terry about waiting on the thyroid panel until he is stabilized on the protocol… and making sure if he does have a UTI, getting that under control as well.

When you join the Fanconi list, be prepared that you will get tons of information, some of it conflicting. You will need to sort out what is best for your dog and you and his health. Do the protocol and hope for the best. Some dogs do very very well on it. Some do NOT tolerate it at all. I have two littermate boys with Fanconi, the one on the protocol was sick from day 1 and his body hated the protocol. His brother was sick on it, so we came to the conclusion that a better diet could make him feel better... and it did. He lived 4 years after diagnosis whereas the one sick on the protocol lasted about 2 years. Each dog is different.

I lost my old Benny to Fanconi last fall and it was the most devastating thing I have been through in my life... I have helped my dog owners with their affected dogs and will continue to do so with the last few that have Fanconi Syndrome. If you ever want to ask me some questions, feel free to PM or email me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Belly rubs to the boy for me and one from Benny's kindred spirit.