Shedding in January?

[tanza]

Some bloodlines shed more then others… and yes, that is the biggest mis-information given about Basenjis, that they do not shed.... because they do. As noted usually only once a year but can take as long a 3 months is they were not in the best condition to begin with. How long have you had him? Depending on his condition when you got him or how long he was with brat and/or foster, could be that he just needs some good food and care.

[jonny b.]

We got him Jan. 9, 2009. He had great care at foster mom's home. He was an outside dog for 6 months at a home that found him on the highway. He has pretty thick hair around his neck. The black is pretty thin now.His hair is much longer than my brother's r/w pup. He is inside with us except when we have him out for walks or play. He LOVES the rain, water puddles are great. He likes his shower(it is easier than a bath since it has doors). I just need to get the stuff he has dropped cleaned up!! It seems to multiply whenever I turn my back!

[tanza]

I think that you are in for a few months of shedding while he gets healthly from the inside out. The white will be longer/thicker then the base color. He will shed that too… I think that once you get past this part, it will not be as bad.....

[tanza]

@jonny:

We got him Jan. 9, 2009. He had great care at foster mom's home. He was an outside dog for 6 months at a home that found him on the highway. He has pretty thick hair around his neck. The black is pretty thin now.His hair is much longer than my brother's r/w pup. He is inside with us except when we have him out for walks or play. He LOVES the rain, water puddles are great. He likes his shower(it is easier than a bath since it has doors). I just need to get the stuff he has dropped cleaned up!! It seems to multiply whenever I turn my back!

By the way, were did your brother get his pup?

[jonny b.]

I sure hope so. Yuck.
Hank is from Megan Sorhus in Missouri.

[tanza]

@jonny:

I sure hope so. Yuck.
Hank is from Megan Sorhus in Missouri.

Hopefully Hank or his sire and dam have been DNA tested for Fanconi. Also that is something that you should consider for your boy, since you really have no idea about his sire and dam, as BRAT doesn't do the DNA Fanconi test. DNA cheek swab for Fanconi. Learn about Fanconi at www.basenjihealth.org Cost of the test is 60.00

[jonny b.]

Yes we will. We are doing the strip test now every month. and hank has been tested already. thanks!!

[Pam]

I was just going to comment on the fact that I have had our B for four years now and yes once a year he does a major shedding of his winter coat ( over here in B.C Canada it gets quite cold and damp) But this is the first year that Our Besenji has lost his under coat as well and like you said it is bristley and there on his chest the spots on his skin are visible for the first time as well as on the sides of his neck. This concerns me . as well as he tends to favor the area around his genitals and has licked it raw and its very red. I have also noticed that there is no hair there at all.The vet doesn't seem to be very concerned. I do make his dog food but am wonering if there is something more that he needs or is he getting to much of one thing.His coat used to be beautiful with an awesome shean to it and very slick and smooth but now there is no shine at all and his coat is rough and dull , very bristly . can anyone help me with this ? Please. I am very concerned.

[tanza]

@Pam:

I was just going to comment on the fact that I have had our B for four years now and yes once a year he does a major shedding of his winter coat ( over here in B.C Canada it gets quite cold and damp) But this is the first year that Our Besenji has lost his under coat as well and like you said it is bristley and there on his chest the spots on his skin are visible for the first time as well as on the sides of his neck. This concerns me . as well as he tends to favor the area around his genitals and has licked it raw and its very red. I have also noticed that there is no hair there at all.The vet doesn't seem to be very concerned. I do make his dog food but am wonering if there is something more that he needs or is he getting to much of one thing.His coat used to be beautiful with an awesome shean to it and very slick and smooth but now there is no shine at all and his coat is rough and dull , very bristly . can anyone help me with this ? Please. I am very concerned.

I have found that every few years they shed a ton and will tend to go "bald" in places… way different then regular years... and that sounds like what your boy is doing. And until he is done "Molting" (that is what I call it, like a bird that molts) That said I would be concern with his licking, as that sounds like a yeast infection. Yogert will help... with giving him so good bacteria or put him on probotics. It is very difficult to clear up... my boy, Kobey just went through that a few months ago. You can also wash the area with a good anti bacterial soap
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probiotic

[Pam]

Thank you for your input. We have always added a teaspoon of plain yogurt to his dry food in the a.m. Do you think maybe this should be increased to twice a day with his p.m meal as well and maybe increase it to 1 1/2 teaspoons each a.m and p.m. I make his wet food myself always have , which I add to his p.m. dry food every evening. it is about 2 lg. table spoons of wet to4 to 5 oz. of dry food.Where can I find this soap?and for his doggie treats which he only get before bed in the evening are frozen chicken PC weiner slices very thin slices he get around three or four slices.And is it normal that there have been occations where he will refuse to go outside to pee or poop for almost 24hrs. usually if it is really cold out side or raining and cold.My boy is afraid of the darkoutside too. But if there is a noise he's on it. My Silly Boy . He has chased 3 racoons up a tree and caught his first squirrel in Feb of this year .OOOOOOHHH whata mess that was.I am wondering when we will get to experience SKUNK. anyways stay tuned.
Pam

[tanza]

Any human antibacterial soap is OK… and you might just want to go to a Probiotic or try increasing to a tablespoon.... I think that I would insist, if I were you, that the Vet does something... there is medication that will help also... however the main thing is to clear from the inside out.

[JasmineRose]

This thread has been very helpful and reassuring to me. I rescued my sweet Jasmine Rose when she was three years old and lost her last October. She was r&w with a very short coarse coat and she never did shed much - that was my only basenji experience. In November, our sweet Ivy came to live with us - a six year old b&w girl with a soft thick coat. What a difference! Then, in February, she started to shed, and shed, and shed - it was like cat hair all over the place. I didn't mind dealing with it, but I was worried about her. She has a heart condition and she's on two medications and prescription food, and since I had never seen such shedding I was worried that something was wrong with her. Maybe an allergic reaction… No redness or itching or any other symptoms but I was worried enough to take her to the vet to have her checked out. Long story short - I was told to wait and see. Now I know she's not the only one to go through this and that blowing out most of her coat isn't unheard of. The shedding has stabilized now and she's all set for summer! The one strange thing is that the underside of her curly tail is just about bare, so when it curls up on her back it looks like there's a channel there - the rest of her tail is still pretty full!

Anyway, just wanted to thank all of you for posting about your experience and giving me some reassurance.

[Shaye's Mom]

@FortheLoveofStella:

Quick on the subject - any hints in bathing them without having them scratch up your legs?

Where are you washing them? I kneel outside the bathtub and wash her in there with a spray hose attached to the faucet for wetting and then rinsing - the old fashioned kind. I keep my left hand holding her butt down so she's sitting most of the time, then sort of press her back down when I stand her for rinsing off. She doesn't like it a whole lot, but she is not bad by the time the rinsing starts and nothing gets scratched on me.

[Tayda_Lenny]

When I wash Tayda and Lenny I stand in the bathtub and position them between my legs so I can keep them from flailing around. seems to work well…

[tanza]

@Tayda_Lenny:

When I wash Tayda and Lenny I stand in the bathtub and position them between my legs so I can keep them from flailing around. seems to work well…

That is what I do, but we have shower doors, so I close them also, preventing them escaping…

[Kananga]

I have it easy. Kananga stands in the tub while I scrub him. I've never needed to be with him while he gets his bath. He just likes to lick my hand while I rinse him off. He's extremely tolerant of baths. I noticed this helped when he was blowing his coat earlier in the year. I remember all of the hair that would come off of him.