Longtime member, not active. Had a basenji with the same diagnosis back in 2004. He took a tremendous amount of bicarb each day, his Fanconi was being well managed, but he started having seizures at night. Our vet gave us something to stop the seizure that we'd administer rectally. We kept track of the number of seizures and they started becoming more frequent, to about twice a week, if I recall. The final seizure he had he went temporarily blind and howled and howled and we knew that was it was time. I just sat on the floor with him and cried. A couple months later we looked at photos we had taken of him right before and he looked very, very tired. Very much the hardest thing we had ever done was to let him go across the Bridge, but after looking at those photos, we had done the right thing. Our vet had told us that it was possible he would have a seizure and not come out of it, and we certainly didn't want that.
Testing for Fanconi - degree of color change
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Need clarification on reading the Diastix. "Normal" color (no sugar in urine) is bluish green. How much does color of strip change if Fanconi is indicated? The range of colors goes from slightly greenish (hard to tell from "normal" color!!) to brown. Also, does color go back to normal if Fanconi is being treated properly with diet and pills?
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Any change in color should be followed up with a visit to the vet. In the early stages the dog may spill only small amounts of sugar or spill intermittenly.
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Lisa is correct that dogs in the early stages of Fanconi Syndrome spill intermittently. Spilling sugar is spilling sugar. If they are not spillng this week but were last week.. does NOT mean they are no longer afflicted.
It is imperative that your vet listen to you and not tell you that the intermittent spilling of sugar is NOT consistent with Fanconi Syndrome. Spilling sugar is NOT normal for a dog.
Any deviation from the test-strip should be considered as spilling sugar. An appointment with the vet should be scheduled and tests need to be run: Venus Blood Gas panel, CBC, Urinalysis.
Download the current protocol to give to your vet from the BCOA website (www.basenji.org).
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When our bitch started we saw high protein and a ph high and low on the urinstix we used. After a half year she also had sugar and we follow the program from USA veteriner. She was ill in Fanconi almost 2½ years and we say goodby to her 2002. Lucky to live close to (5 minutes by car) a very big animal hospital and they take care of her from the beginning to the end.
We test our basenji for sugar 4 times each year…....Sugar = Fanconi
Inga-Karin Sundquist / Abrinkens Sweden
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Really you should test at least monthly for Fanconi starting at age 3… but that is not to say that they can't start spilling sugar earlier.. And really in the beginning it is possible that if you are only doing it once a month and only one day, you might miss it all together.. I know a couple of Basenjis that only showed spilling sugar 1 out of 4 days in the beginning, so really best to do a few days in a row every month. Since the strips do not last long, no use is wasting them.
