I had a spinal injury a few years ago and the surgeon warned me of permanent nerve damage causing incontinence being a potential consequence if it got worse. It's called "cauda equina syndrome", I did a quick search and it looks like it occurs in dogs too. Essentially you lose all nerve feeling on your bowel, hence not knowing when you need to go. I'm not sure what the solution is (if any) but it could be a clue.
Microchipping
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I think microchipping is a great idea, although I've heard a lot of stories about microchips becoming "lost" on Basenjis because their skin is so loose and their fat layer is just about non-existent.
My boy came to me tattooed with his AKC reg. #. For me, that serves the purpose.
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Tattooed B's are good too… and for a long time that is all I did, until the person that tattooed ours retired... and honestly some of the people that do tatoo's are terrible...ggg
I think that the microchips become lost is pretty much old history now days... it was a problem in the past... and yes the needle is big but if puppies are being done at 9, 10 and 11 wks, can't be that much of a problem..ggg
I know when Kobey was done, he did squeal... however didn't stop him from finishing the treat they had given him...
Bottom line, which ever method, main thing is to be able to keep track of your kids. Tatoo's again are great, but not like you can really get them done at 9/10 wks... hardly any place to "write" -
I had my litter done at 8 weeks old when they recieved their first vaccinations. Zeke and Ringo both squealed but forgot immediately about it as soon as they were offered a cookie. Sophie was utterly silent for the microchip and yipped over the tiny DHPP needle.
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Abby is not chipped yet but my mixed breed Missy is and hers was done when we had her spayed. My vet says the needle to do the chip is really big and for someone as small as Abby it could hurt her, so I haven't done it yet. Too chicken to I guess.
Most breeders I know do puppies before they leave for home…so less than eight weeks old. My vet did at least two of my puppies at 9-10 weeks...
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All our pups get their chip the same day as their first vaccination (6 weeks old).
Our vet will first mark a little point on the left side of their neck with a marker (just to find the right spot again) and then she will give on that spot a local anaestesia. After this she will first vaccinate all pups and only then she will chip them. The pups never give any reaction due to the local anaestesia.
It's true that the needle is big enough for a little Basenji but with the local anaestesia, the pups don't feel a thing and so don't have a bad feeling about a visit to the vet.regards
Erik & Ingrid
www.abuluka-basenjis.be -
I also have all of my puppies microchipped before they leave for their new >>homes.
I've been told now by three different vets and one breeder that when the puppies are microchipped early the chip is more likely to move down the back. They say that they get better results if they wait until the pups are around six months old and have better muscle development in the neck/shoulder region. Their experience has been that fewer of those chips travel and are, therefore, easier/more likely for shelters to locate.
Thoughts?
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Mine are microchipped at 8 weeks old and so far I have not had any move. My vet uses Home Again microchips. I know only one dog that has a microchip that migrated. It was an Avid chip and I am not sure the exact age it was microchipped but I know it was a puppy.
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What is the difference in the particular chips that would make one more apt to move than the other?
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I know that back when microchips were first offered the Avid chips had a smooth coating whereas the Home Again chips have "microbarbs" in their coating so they are more likely to stay in place. I thought Avid changed their coating but I am not sure.
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This may seem like a dumb question, but where would one go to get a B microchipped. I don't have a new vet yet, because I just moved but would any facility, basically, be able to microchip?
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Mine are microchipped at 8 weeks old and so far I have not had any move
One more question: How do you know none of the chips have migrated? Do you or the current owners have that checked once in a while?
{Not trying to be difficult, just figuring out when's the best time for mc-ing, and which mc is the best to use}
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AKC now allows owners to register their puppies' microchips with their Companion Animal Recovery system when they register their puppies. I pay for the registration of my puppies because I want them all in AKC database so with this litter I also paid for their microchips to all be registered at the same time.
Our B was microshipped from the get go, that's how they know where the breeder is from and how far our B came before he found his perm. home. I just received the transfer papers from AKC so he's officialy transfered over to our name. Before that, his foster mom had him under her name. I love that the tag contains the 800 number to call in case anything happens and someone finds our B without his mommie or daddy.
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I do have them read periodically but I can also feel them. I am lucky and get to see my pups pretty regularly and hear from their owners on a pretty regular basis. My oldest litter is only 2 so not that old but I don't think they will move now. The one dog I know whose chip did move, moved in the first couple of months and the owner can feel it and knows where it migrated to.
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Most vets microchip now. There are also microchip clinics. Some are offered at the same time and places the vaccine clinics.
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Hmmm, I've never noticed that I can feel Jazzy's chip. Of course, I've never tried to feel for it, but I pet and massage her regularly and have never noticed anything. There's generally not a bump or anything that I don't usually notice.
I'll have to pay more attention to the specific area, LOL, and see if I can identify hers!
Thanks for the info.
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When I had Nicky microchipped the vet showed me where it was and told me since the breed has such low body fat I may feel it and not to freak out. It feels like a grain of rice and I can find them on all my dogs. Nicky jumped when they did his so it is off just a little to the side. The puppies don't seem to jump as much. Theirs are all pretty well centered.
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If you are having trouble finding it, you may want to feel around the front of their neck and chest as well. My Doberman's had migrated to his neck.
