Skip to content

Vet in Pittsburgh

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • Looking for a basenji experienced vet in Pittsburgh. My first I tried was terrible (dismissing the anesthesia issue with sighthounds, wanting to give the rabies vaccine earlier than I preferred, and dismissing the grain-free diet). Any input is appreciated!

  • If you cannot find a vet who is basenji experienced, the next best thing to do is find one who is willing to become an expert on the breed. My vet had never treated basenjis before, but was open to suggestions, went online and read all he could find, took seriously my concerns when Shaye needed to be spayed that they do not take anesthesia the same as others because of the lack of body fat - and now, he seems to know what he needs to know to treat her. Vets who do not believe we know anything should be avoided at all costs!

  • I live in the east suburbs of Pittsburgh. I take my B to Norwin Veterinary Associates. Ask for Dr. Harvey Bendix, if he is available. He diagnosed Senji with his liver disease and basically saved his life. He's open to alternative as well as traditional medicine.

Suggested Topics

  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    879 Views
    No one has replied
  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    2k Views
    No one has replied
  • 0 Votes
    12 Posts
    5k Views
    Yay for Jake doing better! Which vet do you go to?
  • 0 Votes
    3 Posts
    2k Views
    When I took my puppy to my vet, he said he had little knowledge of the Basenji, but he would start reading up on them. Since that time, he's thanked me for the opportunity, and says he is learning more all the time - at our last visit for final puppy shots he said he felt he was becoming quite an expert - if you come across a vet who doesn't have a lot of knowledge about them, he could quite easily love the challenge and become great on the Basenji issues. I told him I'd sent for the DNA marker kit and had Shaye tested (thank God, it was clear), and he launched into a really good discussion about the symptoms, illness, etc., and said he was glad I'd done that, but maybe in a while we would do some blood work to be sure of everything. I feel very confident with him now - so, a good vet with a love to be challenged can be an answer too.
  • 0 Votes
    8 Posts
    6k Views
    @Phebese: We take Max to the Banfield in the Petsmart on Cobb Pkwy in Acworth. We have gone to many different veterinarians but only found two that we feel comfortable with. We have the Banfield insurance which really helps, but most importantly he is comfortable going there and we trust them. He has been there twice in the past couple of weeks getting a cyst removed. They call in between appointments to check on him and see if we have any concerns. We do not like all the Banfield clinics, in fact the one on 92 we did not like. Another good vet is Randy Esbeck at Sawnee Animal Clinic 770-887-1900. He is a Basenji specialist. It's in Cumming Georgia. It's just to far for us to go. Good Luck, Max's Mom (Emily) As they say, it is not the place but the Vet that is working there…. so while many of the Banfield clinic might not be good, when you luck into a good Vet.. that makes the clinic... IMO
  • 0 Votes
    11 Posts
    3k Views
    Though my dogs have not had a reaction to a vaccine, I tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to vaccines. I would rather give a benadryl to help prvent a reaction then wait and hope for the best. I say this because my cat had a severe vaccine reaction after his rabies shot. Within 20 minutes of the shot he was vomiting, the hair at the vaccination site fell out and the site became swollen. We had to rush him back to the vet to be treated for the reaction.