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Basenji losing teeth

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • Maybe she 'chews' on her crate?

    I saw that one of Lycia's canines has enamel damage. Tillo has it on the back of both is upper canines, he did that at doggy day care.. We took him to the dentist, who fixed it :)

  • I wish I knew what to tell you. I don't know if it is common or uncommon in B's to have stronger then normal dog teeth. Otis, has a small splinter in one of his smaller teeth, I believe he got that from chewing on bones, but don't know, I just noticed it the other day. You would think as common it is for B's to be chewers, even if their teeth are stronger they would also have more damage to them..no? I simply do not know, but this raises an interesting question no doubt.

  • @Janneke:

    Maybe she 'chews' on her crate?

    I saw that one of Lycia's canines has enamel damage. Tillo has it on the back of both is upper canines, he did that at doggy day care.. We took him to the dentist, who fixed it :)

    Kananga has the same thing, exactly why I won't crate him unless he's supervised. I do my best to keep his teeth pearly white. :D

  • Have you talked with the breeder? Is this common for his/her bloodline? There are some lines that really do not have great teeth…. and it just happens to be genetic, IMO. I had one of those... his teeth were terrible... regardless what I did for them... and there were/are relatives of his that have exactly the same problems with teeth. If this is a rescue then it is possible that her early condition could and can have something to do with her poor teeth.

    I don't agree that Basenjis are known for strong teeth, they are no different IMO then other breeds of dogs

  • Dogs are probably like people in that some people genetically have strong and tough teeth and others don't. Same with just the general physical genes in that one Basenji is so different from another. My first Basenji was physically tough as nails and never itched or had 1 hot spot it's whole life but my second, right as a puppy had allergies and other problems no matter how well I took care of her or fed her high quality food.

  • My b's also lost teeth by chewing on the crate.
    So, they are free now.

  • We had 3 brothers once, one of them had awful teeth. I brushed his teeth twice every day and he still needed cleaning and extractions every year. His other brothers had normal teeth, cleaned them about every 5 years, brushed once a day or less.

  • @MacPack:

    We had 3 brothers once, one of them had awful teeth. I brushed his teeth twice every day and he still needed cleaning and extractions every year. His other brothers had normal teeth, cleaned them about every 5 years, brushed once a day or less.

    Wow! Were they Basenjis? Did you have them since they were pups? Twice a day and teeth still went bad! Like Forest Gump says "A Basenji is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get".

  • my oldest basenji ( almost 9 ) had lost 2 teeth this year, 1 uppertooth and 1 premolar ( one of the "false" ones, I dont know how it is called in english ) otherwise she has pretty good teeth for her age, healthy gums and not very much dental plaque, the vet cant find any cause for her loosing teeth…..

  • Is there anything we can watch for on losing the teeth like color change in gums? anything at all?

    Rita Jean

  • Renewing a teeth thread….
    Have an appointment for yet again another tooth extraction and cleaning on Friday for my older boy, Ty. Have been using the Maxi Guard Oral cleansing gel for a year and it obviously didn't work for Ty.

    Ty had a base line panel done about 8 months ago, but I'm still concerned about reactions to anesthetic at his age.

    That said, I'd also like to know if there is anything else you all would recommend I have done when he's "under". Kind of a two-birds-with-one-stone scenario.

  • You need to have blood work done again before the extraction….

  • Already talked to the vet about this. It was her intention all along.

    Thank you Pat. Any other suggestions?

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    @jengosmonkey That is a very interesting link. My girl suffered none of the possible side effects. No lethargy, listlessness, weight gain and her shape remained immaculate till the day she died. But she no longer suffered from IBS.
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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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    So many of those poses and positions are the same things I see Paco do. I'm also no expert, and Paco's my first dog that's mine-all-mine for me to watch all the time, but I feel like Tag's face is very Basenji-like…and if he yodels as well... if he doesn't have Basenji in him, I'd at least say you could describe him to others as a Basenji-like dog.
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    I saw that you have a sewing machine – its not hard to make your own coat. I made one for my previous beasties with fleece and wool. I made it with a high colar (for the backside of the neck) and an indentation for the tail and a big belly and chest band (I used snaps at first but then switched to velcro). It worked pretty good for our single digit temps (and the occasional below zero walks to the corner). My current beastie refuses to go out the door with a coat on, however. When the outside temps are below 10F she won't stay outside any longer than necessary to go potty - the squirrels can run around all they want then! With respect to booties, mine will at least tolerate them when we go for walks but it's more for the road salt. However, the good pair I bought this year leak somehow (maybe through the stitching?) and she doesn't like them with they get wet inside. Nevertheless be sure you get the best you can find.
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    @ibi_n_sane: the ears of the basenji of the pictures you show look like their is really something wrong, but it is not right to think that a basenji with a bit thin fur on his ears also has a condition/ disease that causes this. Of course, this dog is diagnosed with pattern baldness. And no, you can't say that every basenji/dog with less fur on the ears has this condition. Like Tanza said: it could be flies, or maybe cold, malnutrition.. I do think that Tillo's bald blackish ear rims are more than just 'loosing hair because it's winter/spring/summer..' And I would love to know what's causing it. That's why I wanted to ask it at the University and that's why I was suprised to see the B-ears on the screen and to hear about this 'pattern baldness' :)
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    Frozen carrots work well also. But usually teething is not a big deal for pups