Sick Basenji…...Not sure what to do

[DAVEampPIPET]

I'm not certain what others will tell you, but I had a similar experience and I was given the following advice from a Wisconsin Breeder who has stopped breeding (due to old age) but has 3 Basenji's ages 2 to 10 year's. The middle dog stopped eating, as did my girl at age 2 1/2, no explanation, just a steadfast rejection of all things kibble. I was told to offer her fresh raw chicken (boneless chicken breast is what I opted for despite the FACT that they can have small pliable bones (as they are in some very high end foods like MERRICK at $2.49 a can). After getting quite thin she immediately took to chicken, 1 cup diced with some chopped or grated fresh granny smith apples and or pears. She has not showed a moments finickiness since. She gets chicken and fruit M-W-F and canned food with a bit of kibble (that I soak in some water to soften) on Tues/Thus/Sat….Sunday we play by ear.[

She is the healthiest dog I know, and my vet concurs. No salt, no chemicals, no crap...just food (the chicken is Amish Organic, no steroids or chemicals). I actually spend less now than I did on the Merrick and other upscale chow. They do afterall hunt, kill and eat in the Veldt and deep forests when serving their tribal masters in Zaire and elsewhere) it stands to reason chicken would be so palatable.

As to the peeing, I would worry he has a bladder infection and that has killed his appetite, get him to the vet despite his lack of Basenji experience and check that one out....I am sure you considered this. Good Luck

and QUOTE=Basenji_noob;158735]My Basenji Buddy (original I know!!) is 1 1/2 years old and has been acting wierd lately. Yesterday, however, in the middle of the night, Buddy wet the bed while sleeping. After my Fiancee and I realized that it wasnt either of us(thank god), we could not understand why he did it? It was alot too!! This happened around 2am. We switched beds, went back to sleep after cleaning up and right after waking up around 6am Buddy made it down the stairs and pee'd LOTS again on the floor. Told him no but he couldnt stop(he looked embarassed). He usually can hold it during the night and during the day while we are both at work but the past couple of days have been different. He can't hold it anymore.

We also recently had to change his food cuz he will not eat his regular food.......I have tried almost every brand of dry dog food and he hates it. My trainers said that he will eat it eventually but that is incorrect......Buddy is stubborn(what Basenji isn't).....He would literally starve himself or eat a couple of mouthfuls and then vomit it up......he's quite skinny now and i'm getting worried......I figured maybe it's an allergy to chicken because when he was a pup he loved everything chicken but now being older it makes him vomit. I switched over to "Taste Of The Wild" Salmon flavour and he doesn't like the dry food but he loves the chunky wet version of it. The vomitting has stopped with the wet food....He wants more and he never wants more food which is a good thing right? His bed wetting/eliminating in the house problems started occuring a couple of days after we swtiched his foods. I hope it's not the food that's doing this because we've finally found something that he will eat and not vomit up within 30mins of eating.

My vet has no background on basenji's and looks to me like i should know. After explaining the eating issue to her she broke out this Giant symptom book and could not narrow it down the slightest......she did however give me a long pricey list of what she could do....guaranteeing nothing, more like an expensive process of elimination procedure.

Buddy has also been sleeping more than normal the past couple of days but his personality hasnt changed much....

I need help in narrowing this down......Does anyone know what this might be??

I should also inform everyone that we got our Buddy from "PAWS R US Kennels", which im pretty sure was the biggest bust of a backyard breeder in canadian history....over 500 dogs of various breeds.....I dont want to get into it cuz it just makes my blood boil about the treatment of their dogs but the problem might have come from the breeder......I'm throwing everything out there just in case...

I've got him booked into the vets later this week but I know she wont be able to help that much, prolly just another expensive quote.

PLEASE HELP!!!

[Basenji_noob]

Thank you for the concern. I will take him to the vet asap and keep everyone posted.

[lvoss]

I would start with a urinalysis and blood panel to rule out UTI and check organ function.

Your trainer is right when they say No HEALTHY dog will starve itself but if there is an underlying health issue so that it was associated eating with feeling ill then that is a whole different matter. I would be seriously concerned if every time the dog eats, it is throwing up. Is it possible that you dog has eaten something it should not have and has a blockage or partial blockage? This would require an ultrasound to see what is going on, on the plus side they would also be able to see if his abdominal organs look normal.

[Kipawa]

Taste of the Wild was on the recall list. At least the kibble was - I'm not sure of the wet canned variety. Had you opened a newer bag of the TOTW kibble recently and started feeding it to your basenji? It may have been some of the food contaminated with salmonella. I had noticed a very very strong smell and the kibble actually looked bigger, a little puffed up.

Kipawa only ate once from the bag that was recalled. After about 3 minutes of eating his food, he threw it all up. I then researched and found that Kipawa's TOTW had been contaminated. Make sure you mention about the recalled food. Your vet could find some clues there.

Wishing the best outcome,

[MacPack]

Don't forget diabetes: vomiting, loss of weight, uncontrollable urination. We all leap to Fanconi but diabetes has very similar symptoms (blood sugar will be high,not just urine sugar.

And a bad UTI can cause nausea and the urination too, you have many possibilities, some simple to treat, some more complicated, but any good vet should do basic blood panel and urinalysis for starters.

My old vets advice for nauseated dog who won't eat: cook rice with finely chopped up carrots and green beans, in partial chicken broth, with chicken pieces (or add later.) and give a half cup at a time, several times a day. I never had one turn up their nose to that. Not a long term diet bot good for when they are not feeling good.

Please let us know how Buddy is doing!

[Buddys Pal]

My friend's dog recently was diagnosed with an esophageal disease where she would throw up solid food because of the lack of peristalsis but the wet food was able to make it to the stomach. I don't remember the word for the diagnosis off hand, but it was confirmed via an x-ray with contrast…..hope you don't have to deal with this, but do discuss it with your vet as well.

[dcmclcm4]

Are you sure about his age since he came from a puppymill bust or was that just an estimate? I would have a complete urine and blood test done and go from there. I had a young rescue that had urinary crystals with infection. She would have to go immediately and frequently.

I have a 5 year old that has an esophagus problem-motility issue. He does not have any urine problems though. He would regurgitate little pieces of food. He is on intestinal prescription food, medication, and has to eat his food level. I put his food bowl on a table so he eats standing up. Thank goodness he does not have Megaesophagus as those dogs have to eat in a special chair-Bailey chair-sitting up and usually kept in that position 30 minutes after eating. He was diagnosed as an older pup and had a Fluroscope-swallowing test done. Vascular ring anomaly can cause this also.

Jennifer

[Patty M]

Please keep us posted about the vet's visit… I hope all is well?
Hugs and Roos-

[bumzhabum]

My basenji is 9 months and recently started showing the exact same symptoms… it started when he started taking medication from the vet for a sinus infection but lingered even now when he's off the meds. I haven't brought him back to the vet yet to have his urine checked... did you discover anything from your vet??

[bumzhabum]

My basenji is 10 months and exhibiting the same behavior… what did you discover?