Skip to content

Fur Loss

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • I came home from work to find that my basenji, Noah, had a big patch of missing fur on his tail.

    He will occasionally pull his fur out, but in this case, it's much more extreme.

    I've taken him to the vet, and he thinks it's just caused by stress and I should take him running in the morning. I'm worried it could be something worse.

    Has anybody else had a similiar issue? Any suggestions would be very helpful!

  • That was all your vet suggested??? Not good.

    I'd rule out all the potential health problems first by having bloodwork and a urinalysis done.

  • This sounds too sudden (unless you'd noticed some hair loss before). I'm surprised that your vet hasn't done tests before just writing it off as stress. You say Noah occasionally does pull his hair out - is it always in the same place? Does he show any other instances of stress?

  • Topper would occasionally gnaw on his tail and leave part of it bald. In his case we think it was tingling from spine issues, but a dab of tea tree oil would at least get him to leave it alone. Might he have a flea? All it takes is one on a tail to get my guys chewing and ripping fur!

  • Did you vet not even do a scraping of the skin for mites or other "critters"? That is a bit of a surprise, I think. And I agree if this is a sudden thing that something else is going on other then stress.

  • How does the skin look? Normal or "other".
    My boy chews himself if I feed him the "wrong" thing or if there is grass pollen.
    I don't think I like the quick why your vet dismissed this issue…just imo.

  • Is he scratching, scooting or biting at his tail? Maybe it could be an allergic reaction to something in your home or outside. Or possibly his anal glands?

  • Where on the tail, exactly? My one girl used to occasionally pull hair out of her tail and sometimes chew it, just about mid curl. We never really nailed down why, but could have been anal glands or perhaps a contact allergy. Whenever I saw that problem I would check her glands and clear them if necessary. Sometimes that seemed to help….

  • does the skin look dark and dirty? it may be demodectic mange.

  • @krunzer:

    does the skin look dark and dirty? it may be demodectic mange.

    If it is, the location is unusual.

Suggested Topics

  • 0 Votes
    1 Posts
    1k Views
    No one has replied
  • Hair loss

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    2k Views
    P
    Yes, please do let us know. Personally I never have to deal with fleas but use a product called 'Billy No Mates' which is a herbal mix obtainable from www.csjk9.com I'm not sure whether they ship abroad but do have a look at the details on their site.
  • Tri fur color

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    31
    0 Votes
    31 Posts
    9k Views
    renaultf1R
    @khanis: I did check with Pam and she said that Oregon does not have a red hue at all. So, not sure what you were seeing, just bad lighting I'd guesstimate. I just want to clear up one thing. I DID NOT say that Oreo had a red hue. I said he looked brownish in a certain light and I could see stripes. There are many shades of brown and brown does not automatically = red hue. ;) (For example: Chestnut brown and blackish/brown - blackish/brown was what I saw at the moment I was thinking of.) I wasn't saying he had a red undercoat like the pictures from Dan, he has a black undercoat and it takes a specific light to see the stripes. Yes, you are most likely right - weird lighting, he could have also just been dusty. I was simply agreeing with the original poster, Dan, when he said he had seen their b&w look brownish. It isn't unusual to see black (in general on anything) look like other colours depending on lighting - many times it looks blue. ;)
  • Change of fur color/ losing fur

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    DukeD
    I noticed that Daisy (a tri) is also having lighter colors streaked through parts of the black on her back and sides. This is her first whole year in life so this phenomenon is new to me too. Duke's black and white doesn't change, but I notice his shed is usually white.
  • Missing fur, itching question

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    3k Views
    nomrbddgsN
    I thought I had it under control then I put advantage multi on her-baaaaaaad mommy! A few more weeks-hopefully-then I can start again with her food. There is a new food out there that has no potato in it. It has tapioca. I'm going to try it. I haven't even had her tested yet b/c it will cost a fortune up here. She was doing okay b/f the advantage multi-if I can get her back to that state I'll be happy.
  • Fur Balls/Tired Acting

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    3k Views
    QuercusQ
    Well, your vet would let you know if heartworm was a concern in your area. And I would use whatever he or she recomends. If there is any possibility that it is heartworm, you don't want to use a preventative now. You have to get the treatment from the vet. It probably isn't heartworm, as she is pretty young to have built up enough to cause a cough I think. Could it be that she is sneezing, not coughing? Sometimes sneezes sound like a string of coughs.