Basenji ribs - to see or not to see?

[saba]

Hey curlytails,

Im from Aus, and I will send off a few emails to a couple of breeders, and do some detective work, to see if I can get any info. I agree with you, Im sure the breeder will be VERY concerned to see his/her dogs in this condition, I know I would :mad:…

Can you email me the article, and when/if you have the time to do a basic translation, with names, dates etc, etc, would be great, and I will be a little 'bulldog detective', to see what I can find out ??? I dont recognize them, but it may be because they are sooooo underweight :mad:... Off the top of my head, Im unsure of anyone who exported to Malaysia, but in saying that, it doesnt mean they werent. Im sure the owner isnt lying when he said they were Aussie imports...

[Janneke]

I don't mind seeing some ribs on a dog (any shorthaired dog), but these poor pups are certainly way to skinny! I think the Sloughi looks ok for a young dog. As long as they have good musculature, I don't mind seeing ribs and hip bones on a sighthound like that. My absolute favorite breed (in looks) is the Azawakh.. and well.. they always show ribs and hipbones:

Tillo (or any other basenji) for me, looks perfect when you can see the ribs as soon as they starts to move, with a nice tuck up and good musculature.. Like this:

He's too chubby now :rolleyes:

[Quercus]

@Janneke:

I don't mind seeing some ribs on a dog (any shorthaired dog), but these poor pups are certainly way to skinny! I think the Sloughi looks ok for a young dog. As long as they have good musculature, I don't mind seeing ribs and hip bones on a sighthound like that. My absolute favorite breed (in looks) is the Azawakh.. and well.. they always show ribs and hipbones:

Tillo (or any other basenji) for me, looks perfect when you can see the ribs as soon as they starts to move, with a nice tuck up and good musculature.. Like this:

He's too chubby now :rolleyes:

Agree with all of this! Except some Bs, by nature of their shape just will never have their ribs showing, unless they are far too skinny (our Blondie)..she just is naturally more, uh, stocky, or..fluffy. Even when she was at her most perfect show weight, and coursing fitness, no ribs ever showed through.

[agilebasenji]

google is happy to translate that page into English. That's what I always use

[Buddys Pal]

This is the example of the statement 'Skin and Bones'. Just imagine the undernourished mind of these dogs- not normal indeed. So Sad!!!!

[Basenjimamma]

There was a little brindle girl (B) that I say the other day..she was skin and bones, way too skinny for me and most that saw her, but not knowing her history I don't have a leg to stand on so to speak..she might have an eating disorder, or a really hard time keeping weight on…or something else..I just wonder why show her...but then again, maybe this is how her owner likes for her to look...just not my taste.

[dmey]

"That was a headline article the week that it was published. The reporter concludes that Basenjis are NOT popular in Malaysia because (and I'm paraphrasing here from the article): 1) They look like street dogs, 2) They can't guard the home (because they don't bark), and 3) since they only come to heat "once a year or every other year" (according to the article), they don't have much economic value."

This again brings us to a common topic here on the forum. Generally speaking… On Earth... This is what people see in dogs..... Protection, Money, and to a lesser extent status!!!

[tlish]

the google translation was very poor - it talked a lot about Kyrgyzstan and 'raw shellfish guitar dogs.' and this is why i tell teachers and administrators that real human translators are invaluable.

[tanza]

@Basenjimamma:

There was a little brindle girl (B) that I say the other day..she was skin and bones, way too skinny for me and most that saw her, but not knowing her history I don't have a leg to stand on so to speak..she might have an eating disorder, or a really hard time keeping weight on…or something else..I just wonder why show her...but then again, maybe this is how her owner likes for her to look...just not my taste.

There was a bitch showing up here a couple of years ago that was very, very thin…. I thought the same thing... the comments were that she eats like a horse but runs it all off... funny thing was, she was on the road with a handler and really no place to run, so to speak.....

Who was the bitch? Did you get a catalog?

[Kipawa]

@Janneke:

I don't mind seeing some ribs on a dog (any shorthaired dog), but these poor pups are certainly way to skinny! I think the Sloughi looks ok for a young dog. As long as they have good musculature, I don't mind seeing ribs and hip bones on a sighthound like that. My absolute favorite breed (in looks) is the Azawakh.. and well.. they always show ribs and hipbones:

Tillo (or any other basenji) for me, looks perfect when you can see the ribs as soon as they starts to move, with a nice tuck up and good musculature.. Like this:

He's too chubby now :rolleyes:

Well, over at THIS house, we think Tillo is PERFECT!

[eeeefarm]

@tanza:

There was a bitch showing up here a couple of years ago that was very, very thin…. I thought the same thing... the comments were that she eats like a horse but runs it all off... funny thing was, she was on the road with a handler and really no place to run, so to speak.....

Who was the bitch? Did you get a catalog?

I would be wondering about exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). I don't believe it is common in Basenjis, but my sister had a GSD with the problem. She ate and ate, had huge loose stools, and could not gain weight. Unfortunately she died of bloat before they figured out what her problem was….

I did find a thread on here that tells of a Basenji with the condition:

http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?t=7053

[curlytails]

Saba, thanks for investigating! I hope something comes out of your inquiries… maybe it's a long shot.

Janneke, those pictures are helpful. The one of the Azawakh in particular is in line with other Azawakh pictures I've seen. Somewhere I recall a breed description of Sloughis describing their musculature as similarly "dry" (Wikipedia says that too). At any rate, I don't get to see many of those breeds to compare! As for Tillo, while he has some visible ribs, he's always struck me as a brawny, athletic dog -- his muscles are clear and he looks great.

I just checked out Google translate's version. I am very amused by the literal translation of "shellfish raw guitar dogs." But yeah, you can actually get a sense of some of the article.

[DebraDownSouth]

@curlytails:

Debra, I read and speak Chinese.
Sorry for the shocker re: pictures in the article, guys…

I am impressed. Chinese looks so hard.

Shocker? No, just sad. Someone posted a pic on Facebook with a dog with its throat cut (it lived but the picture was horrific). That was really unnecessary imho.

@Janneke:

My absolute favorite breed (in looks) is the Azawakh..
Tillo (or any other basenji) for me, looks perfect when you can see the ribs as soon as they starts to move,

I had never heard of Azawakh before. Impressive looking dogs! But I googled them and most look healthy, muscled, thin but not emaciated. I could get used to that.
Yes, Tillo looks perfect.

[Basenjimamma]

Tanza, I don't know, and no..I did not get the catalog, will try to find out who it was though.

[tanza]

@Basenjimamma:

Tanza, I don't know, and no..I did not get the catalog, will try to find out who it was though.

Not important. The catalog with the results will be on Onofrio site soon.

[krunzer]

I was told at the dog show this past weekend that my dog could drop a pound or two and he would do better for showing. Because he is a hound he should have a more defined tuck. The dogs I was showing against looked thin….like you could see their ribs...they were puppies though, but I thought my boy was at a really nice weight. So now I am a little confused too.

[tanza]

@krunzer:

I was told at the dog show this past weekend that my dog could drop a pound or two and he would do better for showing. Because he is a hound he should have a more defined tuck. The dogs I was showing against looked thin….like you could see their ribs...they were puppies though, but I thought my boy was at a really nice weight. So now I am a little confused too.

The pictures of Tillo show an adult male dog of perfect condition and weight. Sometimes puppies might be a bit thin or even a bit fat depending on their growth cycle.

[deschroedter]

We have had Bs for over 34 years. We have bred our own, shown our own or had them from a show breeder and have always had lovely conformations, sleek, ribs just showing when in dead runs across the yard. Now we are slaves to our rescue Kell, all 40.6 lbs of him. Our girls are 17 1/2 lbs and 18 lbs. Kell is 5 inches taller at the should than they are, a much heavier frame. His conformation is just rotten, his tummy does not tuck up into a waist at all, there are muscles on him that look like they are double the size they should be. He gets 1/3 cup of dog food plus 2 tbsps, Taste of the Wild Venison/Bison or fowl, and that is exactly what the 2 light weighs get with the exception of the additional 2 TBSPs. He gets the exact same number and type of treats they get for going into their crates. You can see his muscles on his rear and front shoulders. He has the widest chest of any B we have ever had. He is fast, he wears both the girsl out with his antics. He is 19 months old now and still a very BIG puppy. Duane says we need to get him a tummy tuck to get him a waist. He just has lots of loose skin around his waist. And pardon me, but he has the smallest penis I have ever seen on a dog his size. But for all the conformation faults, if we could insert his disposition into all Bs, they would all be love buckets. He adores being petted, talked to, and he almost always answers us back when we talk to him.

[DebraDownSouth]

ROFLMAO, that is so much the Wimauma dogs. Horrible looks, HUGE giant monsters, and omg personalities to die for. I stretched Arwen, who is 24 pounds, and then Cara, who is about 35 pounds. Neither fat, but Cara's reach is over a foot more than Arwen–- she is about 3 to 4 inches taller and a good 4 inches longer. I told her the other day she was a giant and my husband said "Well she can't be TOTALLY PERFECT! She is perfect in every other way!"

Well no, she has no tuck, she is higher in the rear, floppy ears, light eyes and one drifts out. A vision of beauty she isn't, but I have rarely met a sweeter dog of any breed.

On dogs... sigh. I like to be able to almost see a rib on a Rottie, but for the show, they want them definitely overweight. Muscles but over weight.

[ownedbyspencer]

I wish Spencer's ribs wouldn't show. His backbone and butt have gotten bony, too. He eats well and takes vitamins and supplements, but he's just gotten thin. The vet thinks he looks good for his age, but I think he looks like a skinny little old man. I guess that's what he is. Sigh.