• @tanza:

    FYI, regardless of Pet Shop or not, Strip testing for Fanconi testing should be done monthly over the age of 2?

    I will look at the pictures…

    My vet recommends every 6 months.


  • @tasha:

    My vet recommends every 6 months.

    Sorry, this is going to sound nasty, your Vet is wrong. Strip testing the urine should be done each and every month. By the test strips, it is not something that needs to be done by the Vet… Believe me "if" he were to develope Fanconi, the best action is to catch it as early as possible.


  • In regards to his color, I looked at the pictures and I do not see that he is even close to a Trindle… I still say you need to wait till he is completely done blowing coat. They get an undercoat and it will change the color... Many times the reds when blowing coat will change to a "straw color"... and blacks sometimes with get a funky undercoat even giving them a red "hint of color".... Once again, they do not at 3 changed into a trindle... or brindle for the matter


  • I am not trying to "be" the know it all" and/or talk down to people… however in the case of Fanconi, I will do what I need to so that people understand the important of stipping your Basenjis every single month.. and not all Vets are correct... this is not directed at one person but everyone on this list... including long time breeders that sometimes "forget" to strip every month.

    If you go to the Basenji Club of America website and read about Fanconi you will see that Dr Gonto who developed the protocol say, "strip every month".. many Vets to this day, discount his research and protocol. All Vets are not always right.


  • I have to agree with Pat. Testing should be done each and every month with strip testing the urine-not that hard to do at home. Also the onlly time the "change" to a trindle is when they are 0-5 wks. Then you start to see the colours come out. Shadow used to be pitch black-now that he looks like a Shiba Inu he is a brownish-black. Undercoats do change their hue and they will look different when blowing a coat. But they don't morph into another colour of baseni. I looked at your pics also and they are definitely tri-not trindle.


  • @tanza:

    In regards to his color, I looked at the pictures and I do not see that he is even close to a Trindle… I still say you need to wait till he is completely done blowing coat. They get an undercoat and it will change the color... Many times the reds when blowing coat will change to a "straw color"... and blacks sometimes with get a funky undercoat even giving them a red "hint of color".... Once again, they do not at 3 changed into a trindle... or brindle for the matter

    And just to clear up.. I am not saying that people (or Corky's Mom/Dad) do not look at their dogs every day.. I am just trying to say they do not change from being a base colored Tri to a Trindle as adults, or Red to Brindle… those are the colors they are born with, of course they change bunches with age and blowing coat, like getting grey, reds (deep reds too) getting all straw colored for over 2 months when blowing coat...


  • have you changed your basenji diet? sometimes different foods will change the appearance in his coat or texture?

    again, is the red hair only on the spine? or all over the back? is it even or is it just in one spot? is it on the back of the ears?

    i will check out your pics in just a minute.

    take a look at cairo and how dark he is compared to most brindles, does the hair resemble him in anyway?


  • well I looked at your pics and he does look like a tri. if he has reds in him, well just consider it a special trait.

    I think that it is great that you are noticing changes in Corky and it is clear that you pay attention to detail. I do the same, and consider myself a bit of an extremist about my boys.

    There is no reason to read tense text here and I am sure things read harsher than intended, but can we stay on topic.

    Although Fanconi is important to be aware of, I dont think it does anything to Corky's coat of many colors, LOL.:D

    Pics would be great!! I have done some searches on this site about colors of basenjis and there are a lot of colors that are not AKC approved and documented. It is pretty interesting stuff…..

    Has the weather changed in your area? Do you think it is blowing a coat? My red does that and blows reddishblonde hair which is weird....but it seems to be lighter than his regular coat when summer comes.


  • Thanks Mantis!!! Acutally I have changed his food. I gradually transitioned him and his brother from Purina One to Evo. I must say that his brother's coat is also changing. He's becoming more white than blonde. Oh, Buddy's mom was dalmation/beagle and his dad was min pin/terrier they think. I've noticed that both of them are shedding much more than they did last year. Maybe these are their new summer colors. 😃


  • Tasha,
    It is possible that Corky's color change may simply be due to coat changes or nutritional issues but when I looked at the pic of Corky standing up, something else occurred to me. There are two kinds of tri in Basenjis, "clear" and "fula". In simple terms, clear tris have clear demarcation between the three colors while "fula" has a tendency to "bleed" or "blend" the black and red areas. Corky's face definately looks like a "clear" but the "bleeding", or mixing of tan and black on the back of the legs and breeches, may indicate the presence of the "fula" gene. "Fula" is simply a color variation and there is nothing "wrong" with it. It is not connected to brindle.

    lvoss, tanza, quercus…comments or thoughts?


  • @YodelDogs:

    Tasha,
    It is possible that Corky's color change may simply be due to coat changes or nutritional issues but when I looked at the pic of Corky standing up, something else occurred to me. There are two kinds of tri in Basenjis, "clear" and "fula". In simple terms, clear tris have clear demarcation between the three colors while "fula" has a tendency to "bleed" or "blend" the black and red areas. Corky's face definately looks like a "clear" but the "bleeding", or mixing of tan and black on the back of the legs and breeches, may indicate the presence of the "fula" gene. "Fula" is simply a color variation and there is nothing "wrong" with it. It is not connected to brindle.

    lvoss, tanza, quercus…comments or thoughts?

    Thanks Yodel!!!
    That is awesome information and makes total sense because I knew there was something different about the blending of colors on his legs. I didn't think it was trindle but I wasn't sure if there was a name for it.


  • interesting!

    When I changed my guys from Natural Balance to EVO I noticed that Caesar (red)'s coat became extremely thick. He has never been a shiny dog, but his color seemed more intense and his fur felt great!


  • @Mantis:

    interesting!

    When I changed my guys from Natural Balance to EVO I noticed that Caesar (red)'s coat became extremely thick. He has never been a shiny dog, but his color seemed more intense and his fur felt great!

    That rings true with us too. The boys are softer, smoother and shinier than ever. I love it!!! They are also sleeker in build which makes them look so hansom. 🙂


  • I haven't looked at the pics yet, but yes, my first thought was bleeding of colors. Lots, and lots of tris have color bleeding, particularly around the legs…and to a lesser amount in the face. It seems to increase with each year of age...has been my experience.

    I will go check the pics....


  • @YodelDogs:

    Tasha,
    It is possible that Corky's color change may simply be due to coat changes or nutritional issues but when I looked at the pic of Corky standing up, something else occurred to me. There are two kinds of tri in Basenjis, "clear" and "fula". In simple terms, clear tris have clear demarcation between the three colors while "fula" has a tendency to "bleed" or "blend" the black and red areas. Corky's face definately looks like a "clear" but the "bleeding", or mixing of tan and black on the back of the legs and breeches, may indicate the presence of the "fula" gene. "Fula" is simply a color variation and there is nothing "wrong" with it. It is not connected to brindle.

    lvoss, tanza, quercus…comments or thoughts?

    I don't think by looking at the pictures that this is Fula either…. depending on the amount of white, you can see "bleeding also"... but again, you would see this from birth (or at least from 5wks on)... and they would not change to a Fula at 3... hearing that the food has changed.. I would again guess this is just a heavy blowing of coat and can take a month or more to shed out... and usually will start with the legs, especially the breeches...


  • Saw the pics…...I think it is just an unusual variation of tri color. With the tan extending very high. But Fula is just a variation of tri also, yes?

    I think it may be related to blowing coat...but my guess is that this dog will always have some bleeding as an adult.

    Definitely, DEFINITELY not a brindle or trindle. That ALWAYS involves stripes 🙂

    And yes...the rule of thumb for all Basenjidom is once a month, regardless of what your vet says. Even with testing once a month, a dog can spill sugar on the day of testing in, say, October, and then be clear on the day of testing in November, and then spilling again on testing day in December...so some people test several days in a row each month. The longer you delay the discovery,the more damage can be done to the kidneys.


  • @Quercus:

    I haven't looked at the pics yet, but yes, my first thought was bleeding of colors. Lots, and lots of tris have color bleeding, particularly around the legs…and to a lesser amount in the face. It seems to increase with each year of age...has been my experience.

    I will go check the pics....

    Agreed Andrea…. and not link to a Fula.... and so much more noticeable with blowing coat.. I know that my Mickii (tri) does that... long stringy different colored hairs on her hind legs... LOL... she runs when she sees me coming with the stripping knife!


  • @Quercus:

    Saw the pics…...I think it is just an unusual variation of tri color. With the tan extending very high. But Fula is just a variation of tri also, yes?

    I think it may be related to blowing coat...but my guess is that this dog will always have some bleeding as an adult.

    Definitely, DEFINITELY not a brindle or trindle. That ALWAYS involves stripes 🙂

    And yes...the rule of thumb for all Basenjidom is once a month, regardless of what your vet says. Even with testing once a month, a dog can spill sugar on the day of testing in, say, October, and then be clear on the day of testing in November, and then spilling again on testing day in December...so some people test several days in a row each month. The longer you delay the discovery,the more damage can be done to the kidneys.

    I know that when Parry discovered Jaadii spilling he was stripping 3 and 4 days in a row, because he just started, one day, nothing, next it showed spilling… Same with Eunice with Tiger Pete... and he started spilling at 2 1/2

    And also you are always welcome to email or call Dr. Gonto... as is your Vet.. in fact he encourages it...


  • "Fula" tri puppies normally do not show any, or very minimal, blending of red and black hairs. The blending or "bleeding" progresses as the dog ages. Some "fulas" have minimal blending (noticable only on very close inspection) and others can end up "salt and pepper" like a Schnauzer. Corky lacks the black cheek bar which would be a definative indicator of the "fula" gene though so I'm leaning towards him not being one. Puzzling to be sure.


  • OK, here he is. It's not a great shot. I probably should have taken it outside. But, you all know how hard it is to get a basenji to strike a pose outside. 😉 This isn't even much of a pose. He was in the middle of showing me his belly. 🙂

Suggested Topics

  • 8
  • 2
  • 4
  • 5
  • 8
  • 7