4 month old basenji makes single high intensity squeak/shriek


  • Hi- She has done this once every day or so lately. We thought maybe it was as a result of a dream, but just now it happened when she was awake as well. It sounds much like when you test a smoke detector and with the same intensity, or a ULTRA-loud squeaky toy's single squeak, and she shows no physical response or reaction upon making it. We want to comfort her immediately but she doesn't seemed bothered by it at all - as if it didn't happen. Has anyone else experienced this or have an explanation?


  • What is she doing when this happens? And I would suggest you try to tape it and take to the Vet.... and have you spoken to your breeder about this?


  • My 9 month old has always done this. It sometimes happens if she suddenly gets under someone's feet and they accidentally kick her and other times for no apparent reason, but we assume she may have been startled by something. She doesn't have any health issues that we know of.


  • @jkent - Understandable if someone kicked her or startled her... you need to try and figure out what is happening prior to her doing that... And only a Vet would know if it was health related


  • @tanza thanks, will bear that in mind. It doesn't happen often enough with no obvious reason that we've been concerned, but will keep an eye on it. We wondered at one point whether she was getting bitten by something but skin looks normal and she's not overly scratching.


  • You know, when you said that, I remembered. When ever our dogs got bit, like even a mosquito, we'd get the one loud shriek.
    Ok, another gross story: My daughter had long hair, and once in awhile, the dogs would eat one. (we tried our best to prevent this from happening) When they had to poop, sometimes out would come 'poop on a hair chain. At times like this, and the mosquito bite, I think the shriek was more in surprise than pain, but we still tried to prevent the hair eating.

    @jkent said in 4 month old basenji makes single high intensity squeak/shriek:

    @tanza thanks, will bear that in mind. It doesn't happen often enough with no obvious reason that we've been concerned, but will keep an eye on it. We wondered at one point whether she was getting bitten by something but skin looks normal and she's not overly scratching.


  • She is resting when this happens. No physical contact with anybody. Just doing nothing really. As I said, sleeping or napping mostly.


  • We have one Basenji who screams if she is startled, a regular prima donna. She sometimes wakes up at night and howls like a wolf until she is consoled. Her mother is very calm about everything.

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