Skip to content

How to stop my Basenji scratching her stitches

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • My six year old Basenji has had a lump removed from her neck today, it was just below where her collar sits. There are four stitches, and I am wondering how we can stop her from scratching these in the days ahead. The vet nurse suggested putting socks on her back paws, but I'm not optimistic this will work. Suggestions gratefully received. Thank you.

  • socks... lol, they would be off (or shredded) the first time you turned your back. What about winter booties? Or half a Tramadol (to keep her calm) for a day or two?

  • Thank you, have tried the socks already, they lasted about thirty seconds. Am thinking maybe scarf?

  • This is going to be hard to decribe but worked for us. A very large stretchy sock. Slide it over her head and mark where her legs would go. Cut ,Just slits will do. Poke her legs through . Roll it back to a collar, fold it back to make a collar. Cut it off at about the third nipple and if you can make sense of what i just said you should be good to go. Needless to say, it is a 24/7 job. You could also use a light weight sweater sleeve to do the same job.

  • How about a neck tube?
    Maybe cut the foot off a tight-ish tube sock and put that over her neck.
    -Joanne

  • Panty hose. Tights in some countries. Very versatile, cut into appropriate pieces you use either the legs or the body or a combination. Its amazing what you can contrive as a body stocking to cover that part of the Basenji which needs protecting.

  • I saw someone do something similar with an old beanie (hat). They cut leg and head holes... it ikind of resembled a doggie sweater, but modifications could be made... Naturally, keeping her from scratching the area (covered or not) is still an "issue". Take pics for us!! ;)

  • I kept my basenji girl from scratching at her stitches by dressing her in a very small child's T-shirt. It worked well. Sometimes covering up a wound is all that's needed. Unfortunately, sometimes not.
    Naomi had a little T-shirt that boasted the lettering "Dirt is my favorite color." It was not of course; she was a very tidy girl.

Suggested Topics

  • Basenji Dandruff

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    939 Views
    senjisillyS
    My Valentino had terrible dandruff. His vet said it was due to dry skin. She had me add Goat's milk and coconut oil to his diet. His dandruff lessened dramatically after about a month. The amount of coconut oil (solid or liquid) per day should be no more than 1 teaspoon per 10lbs of body weight. Valentino is about 27 lbs. so I give him about 2.5-3 teaspoons a day. I divide the amount in half and add it too his meals. I feed goat milk rarely because it is so high in calories.
  • Age of your basenji?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    42
    2 Votes
    42 Posts
    10k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    Yeah you told me about that before and I'm clueless, but I'll try it if I need to, lol. could be the noise of occasional thump, could be they can hear it even tho we can't. My chow would be drooling buckets before we got a mile away. I just had to keep towels down and take off and bag along the trip. But I took her for a 7 hr trip to atlanta and she threw up and threw up, then stopped. Never threw up again. :( on your back. I had been getting radiofrequency ablations in the US, and they really helped. But doctors here will only do them once or twice. I have had at least 6 on one side, 3 on the other. :( But it's miraculous pain relief when it is done right. Maybe your dog acupuncturists knows of a human one they'd recommend?
  • Carsick Basenji

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    eeeefarmE
    My first girl got carsick. I used Dramamine (Gravol) for her. Luckily she outgrew the problem, because every time I had to pill her the neighbours thought I was killing her. She screamed her head off! (and of course spit out the pill). She did best riding loose in the back seat. That was in the '60s, and we didn't worry about such things…...
  • Sick Basenji

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    4k Views
    O
    Yes, Spencer is much better now, but he is still very thin. He lost six pounds. Even strong antibiotics cannot fight a severe abscess. I'm sure your vet found and resolved the problem under anesthesia, so that should put Egyn over the hump. SubQs and a few weeks of antiobiotics will hopefully get him back on the road to health. I had to feed Spencer critical care dog food through a syringe for several days after the surgery, then make him special soft food– the aforementioned meatballs-- for weeks after that. Good luck to you-- and positive thoughts to Egyn!
  • Is this a Basenji?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    26
    0 Votes
    26 Posts
    20k Views
    ShannaniganS
    So many of those poses and positions are the same things I see Paco do. I'm also no expert, and Paco's my first dog that's mine-all-mine for me to watch all the time, but I feel like Tag's face is very Basenji-like…and if he yodels as well... if he doesn't have Basenji in him, I'd at least say you could describe him to others as a Basenji-like dog.
  • Is it a Basenji???

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    13
    0 Votes
    13 Posts
    7k Views
    MandyM
    I have gotten the comment of min doberman. lol…. could have been her spiked Harley collar.