Help!!!!!

[janet]

Hello,

My Name Is Janet And My Sister Owns A Basenji That In The Past Has Had Some Issues With Losing Hair. The Vet Took A Thyroid Test And It Came Back Neg. Last Night She Came Home To A Very Sick Dog He Had Very Loose Stools And Was Vomiting. She Took Him To A Emergency Clinic Who Was Second Guessing Saying That It Be One Thing Or Another And Then For An Overnight Stay Wanted To Charge Her $700. It Cost Her $225 And The Next Day She Took Him To Her Regular Vet, She Gave Him A Shot And Some Pills, But Nobody Could Give Her A Reason. My Question Is Can Somebody Recommend A Good Vet In The Maryland Area, Preferably In The Carroll County Area That Knows Basenji,s. Oh, By The Way He's Only Around 2 1/2 Or 3 Years Of Age. Please Any Help Would Be Appreciated.

[JazzysMom]

I can't help with the vet question, but did she look around the area and check the possibility that the dog got into something and has been poisoned?

We nearly lost our golden a few years ago to accidental {we hope} poisoning, and the symptoms were the same. But whatever it turns out to be, I think she has to expect some decent sized vet bills.

[tanza]

Did they do blood work? To me that is the most important clue to a problem… it will tell all kinds of things, or rule out all kinds of things... I don't have anything done without blood work first...... While I would give pills (maybe), I would still have blood work done (a full blood panel)... And just another question, was the thyroid panel a full panel, or just the T4

[janet]

Tanza,

All I Know Is That She Had The Vet Check For A Thyroid Condition Some Time Last Year. So It Probably Was Not A Full Panel Blood Work. Her Vet Contributed The Loss Of Hair To Diet And She Now Feeds Him A Special Food From The Vet. About Two Weeks Ago She Called Me And Said That He Was Not Eating And He Was Acting Real Tired. The Next Day He Was Fine. Then This Bout Of Very Loose Stools And Throwing Up. He Is An Apartment Dog And Goes Out About 7-8 Times A Day, But He's Always Leashed. I Have Been Telling Her That I Think Her Vet Is Second Guessing And Not Really Listening To What My Sister Is Telling Her. If She Could Find Another Vet I Think She Would Get To The Bottom Of This Problem. I Worked For An Emergency Clinic, And That Particuliar Clinic The Doctors Seemed Like They Were Just Interested In The Money And Not The Animal Well Being.

[tanza]

Again, I would insist that a full blood workup be done, immediatley… even if she doesn't like the VET, she is the client and can insist on this.... And I would agree that sounds like second guessing.... Along with a full blood workup, the thyroid panel needs to be sent out to an approved lab for the full work up, separate from regular blood work...
I will send you a private email with some contacts of BCOA members that she can try contacting...

[janet]

Thanks Tanza I'm Calling Her This Morning And Letting Her Know What You Told Me. I'm Also Going To Tell Her About This Sight So If She Has Any More Questions She Can Ask Herself. I Find Sights Like This One Are Very Good When It Comes To Problems With Your Dog. I Found Alot Out About My Boston Terrier Breed From A Board With Great Members Like Yourself.

[tanza]

Good luck and hope that she will join us!

[dmcarty]

There are several things that come to mind -
1 - FOOD - many good quality foods are in the recall and causing symptoms like what you have mentioned. You can do a basic cooked diet for a while and see if the symptoms go away. 1 lb cheap hamburger and brown rice and stewed or whole tomatoes (the stuff around the seeds in the tomatoe are pectin and are binding) cook it until it is mush and you can't tell that the rice is rice. Gradually introduce regular food.

2 - For a dog that has been suffereing from digestive issues you want to replace electrolytes. Pedialyte is a good option. add a little to water or to whatever food you can get the dog to eat.

As far as diagnostically - Pat gave you very good advice - good solid blood work. Full thyroid panel is a must. Food allergy tests could be in order but switching to the diet above and adding things a little of a time could also at least rule out some things. Skin scrapings for Mites would be in order AND have you considered a Flea Allergy. Having lived in a state with a lot of fleas and now in MN where at least it is cold enough so they fleas sort of die off in the winter - less of a problem - I forget how irritating they can be unless I'm traveling out east or south.

There is one other thing that I've noticed a lot lately with some animals that are from less than stellar breeders - a large increase in what is being dianosed as Irritable Bowel which looks a little bit like Malabsorbtion to me.

Hope that helps a little - tell her good luck.

[tanza]

Diana…. I totally agree that we seem to be seeing IBD alot more in our breed again........

And Janet, you should also point her to the Basenji Club of America site
www.basenji.org and then she can go to the health section …. read more about health concerns in Basenjis