• @Mantis:

    Well a friend finally got Betty to respond. It sounds like the brindle girl newly named "Savanah" (Sahara just wasnt working) was abandoned by her daughter.

    I'm confused. Whose daughter abandoned the dog?


  • Betty (the breeder) said her daughter abandoned the girl. I am guessing the daughter either was the pregnant woman who had her for 3 weeks or gave the basenji to the pregnant woman who had her for 3 weeks.

    Either way, she is mine for now and no offer was made to take her back. So, we will just move forward. This would be a good time to point out that all breeders are not alike and it is important to build a relationship in the adoption process if possible.

    I would like to thank Beano for assisting with the vet bills and some supplies for little Savanah. That was very thoughtful.

    Last night we had a good friend come over that wanted to adopt Savanah. He has been around our boy basenji and loves them to death.

    She will still be staying with us until she is the proper weight, spayed and used to a routine of home living. This will give him more time to spend with her to make sure he is sure. She gave him lots of kisses and he usually is at our home once a week and could bring her to play with the boys.

    Hopefully he will be the right match. 🙂

    So this morning as Savanah was in her crazy hard core play that knows no level, I finally decided to soft muzzle her.:eek: All three basenjis settled down to a lower level of play. It was great! They even relaxed before work and chewed on toys.

    She was snuggling in my lap and I was able to massage her again. In the process I found about 6 cyst like spots that appear to be old ant bites? I have begun to massage them and will work them out over time. It appears that during her kennel time she may have had an ant attack. That bald spot in an earlier pic of her leg is from an ant bite I think.

    I also did a full body spray of the perscription meds for her bald ears and coat which she screamed about. The medicine is cool because it absorbs into the skin immediately and doesnt sit on it to be licked off. No petro in the med.

    She has had diahreah all yesterday so I am going back to the wet food. I dont think she can handle the dry yet. She even threw it up this morning. She loves it wet and it is the same food.

    She does not like the pumpkin.

    Any suggestions for weight gaining foods?


  • <>
    I just want to be really clear here. Because it is important in the world of breeders...even though the dog is clearly your responsibility at this point. Did you ask this woman if she would take the dog back, and she refused?
    Because this is a really clear distinction between people who are breeding responsibly and those who aren't. Now, if you said 'hey I have a dog here that I think you bred..can I get some info on her?' she might not have realized she should offer to take her back...I mean, if you gave the impression you were going to keep her, or place her. I can even understand why she wouldn't want to forward on the AKC number, reg and info if someone suddenly ended up with an intact bitch of her breeding.
    I am not trying to defend this breeder necessarily...I just don't want someone's name to be smeared when I don't totally understand the situation.
    I understand that it doesn't seem like that big of a deal to a lot of people here..but from a breeder's point of view it IS a big deal.
    And, as far as the food...I think you are changing too much too fast. She doesn't have to gain weight immediately..just keep her stable..find a food she can tolerate, and once things settle down she will gain weight.


  • I agree with Andrea. I have one dog here who is hard to keep weight on. She burns a lot of calories, her great uncle Nicky was the same way at this age. What I have found works best for her is not to increase the amount of food she eats too rapidly. She is right now up to a 1/2 cup of dry in the morning and a full can of Merricks at night. She has been maintaining her weight and slowly gaining, though if she is really active it seems like we go nowhere.


  • I just want to be really clear here. Because it is important in the world of breeders…even though the dog is clearly your responsibility at this point. Did you ask this woman if she would take the dog back, and she refused?

    I have personally sent her 2 emails and left a voice mail message on her listed phone number. She has not responded to any of my inquiries and I have approached her in a manner for open communication.

    My understanding is that her response was that her daughter was responsible. My understanding is based on an email she sent to a friend of mine.

    I have no intention of ill will and have no opinion about the breeder since I dont know when Savanah's ill health happened. From what I have found, she is not breeding anymore.


  • She is right now up to a 1/2 cup of dry in the morning and a full can of Merricks at night. She has been maintaining her weight and slowly gaining, though if she is really active it seems like we go nowhere.

    Thanks for the tips!


  • <_>

    Got it….but, to your knowledge, did anyone say "Betty, there is a dog of yours that has been abandoned by the owners, can you take it back or provide some support?"

    IMO, this is what rescue groups need to do, to make sure there is no miscommunication between rescuer and breeder. Ask point blank...I have this dog, you bred it, can you take it back, or help me rehome it? At the very, very least the breeder should offer to pay for any expenses involved in you rehoming this girl.

    <_>

    I understand that you have no ill will...but it can be damaging to a breeder to even imply that they are not being responsible taking back puppies they have produced when the placement fails.

    Before I form my own opinion about someone as a breeder, I want to know whether or not they were given the option to reclaim a dog, and whether they were willing to do it.__


  • I tried to get her to call me back about the dog and discuss it. I received no response through email and then tried her home phone. I still received no response. Quercus, I wish they could all be as active as you. You are the type of breeder that I would want because there is a commitment to the life of all basenjis from your pack. 🙂


  • @Mantis:

    Any suggestions for weight gaining foods?

    Satin Balls work great (for weight gaining and as random treats):

    5 pounds ground meat
    5 cups Total whole grain cereal
    5 cups oats (slow cooking type)
    2½ cups raw wheat germ
    ¾ cup oil
    ¾ cup molasses
    6 egg yolks
    5 packets gelatin
    2 ½ tablespoons Solid Gold Seameal supplement
    Mix all ingredients together thoroughly like you would a meatloaf.
    Roll into balls no larger than 1 inch diameter.
    Divide into at least 6 separate containers or bags. Freeze. Thaw as needed for feeding

    here's a link that describes them
    http://www.holisticdog.org/Nutrition/Satinballs/satinballs.html

    and a link for different variations of Satin Ball Receipies
    http://www.holisticdog.org/Nutrition/Satinballs/satinballs2.html


  • wow, that looks pretty interesting, not sure about the oats but can try anything once she is used to regular food. Have you actually made these?


  • I made them for my boxer, when he ruptured his ACL and had reconstructive surgery on it he lost weight really fast. He loved them and it helped him gain the weight back to a decent level, I didn't want to have him gain fast because of his surgery but he got bony so I gave them to him as an addition, he got 2 in the morning and 2 at night. Then when he was no longer as bony I cut them out so he didn't add extra stress to the healing knee

    Also wanted to add again it is good of you to take this girl in, I would love to adopt her, but alas I am on the other side of the ocean right now, lol, and feel I should met a dog/pup first before picking it up at an airport or such.


  • Just out of curiosity, why are you not sure about the oats?

    and I just thought if she has been used to a raw diet she'd probably love them


  • I had a basenji female who was diagnosed with IPSID and Metrier's disease. One of the first things they did when she had issues with sensitive digestive track was to cut out grains because they were not eaten in the wild.

    On the flipside, I have had vets tell me to use rice when upset.


  • Have you tried something as simple as puppy food? Or puppy growth products? Sometimes the simplest things evade you in time of need.


  • She is on super food, gentle formula good from puppy to adulthood. I changed from the wet to the hard version and I dont think her stomach could take it. It just may take more wet food time…..


  • Watch the fat content-it could help or hurt the process. I've used a high fat content food with both good results and bad results. The wet could have a different fat content in it.


  • Well, I went back to the feed store at lunch and picked up more cans of the Natural Balance wet. She ate 2 cans worth yesterday spread out over the day and held her poop all day! There is such a night and day difference with her and the dry vs. wet. The dry gave her the runs all day.

    I bought 24 cans! Hopefully that will last:p She loves it!

    She is now not peeing every hour. It was fantastic last night. I was more concerned about her poop shoot than she was. She is also beginning to fill in. You can still see her butt bones and ribs, but she is filling in!


  • I e-mailed this breeder and said that I heard she was out of business and had basenjis to place, I wondered if she had homes for them or needed help with them. She e-mailed me that she had placed the basenji her daughter had abandoned, but she was not placing any others at this time. I e-mailed her back and let her know that the dog had been given to a friend (Mantis) and asked if she could take it back, or help. It has been a couple of days and she has not answered me either, so I think it's safe to say she does not want , or is not able, to be involved.
    I have offered to get Mantis a triple-leash like mine, but she is still talking about placing her! Didn't anyone tell her they are like potato chips, you just want more and more?

    MacPack
    Topper, Nicky and Fast Eddie too


  • ha ha, thanks anne. she has been eating 2 cans of food a day! and she is beginning to fill in. She is gorgeous!

    I am beginning to get her and Cairo confused when she sneaks into my lap for cuddles! LOL.

    I will be on vacation all next week, so I will post update pics when I get back.


  • Bless you…she is a lucky little girl to have you...good luck and I hope all works out well for her...

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