Basenji without spunk - very sick, pls read

[JoeyQ]

I am so sorry you both have to go through this! I just can't believe no one can figure out what is wrong. Beta sounds like a fighter! (You too!)
Prayers and positive thoughts go out to you today!

[Mantis]

Beta seems to be better today.

Yesterday she was throwing up with blood, having trouble breathing, having the stomach attacks, and not eating.

I stopped by the vet and picked up prednisone which is a steroid commonly used to reduce inflammation in muscles and used in asthma to aid in her breathing.

I finally figured out why she isn’t eating. I think she has severe acid reflux or some inflammation in her esophagus. I mashed rice and put chicken broth on it and she still wouldn’t touch it. She is nauseous, but the pepcid ac and pepto bismol help mask that. I think made chicken broth and chilled it until it was room temp or cold. She sucked it all down with a voracious appetite. She hasn’t eaten in 3 days and has to be hungry. So, she is on chicken broth today and is loving it.

This morning Beta was alert for the first time in 14 days. Here eyes were clear and she was walking around the kitchen this morning. I really think the prednisone helped a lot over night.

She is with me at work and has taken her other meds including her pain med for the surgery. She is sleeping comfortably and is breathing easy which is a major improvement over yesterday.

The specialist says the test info should be in on Friday, Monday or Tuesday so it was really critical to get Beta to a place of comfort while we wait. I am hoping this is just some type of ulcer and not cancer or something else.

Here are a few pics of Beta this week.

[jys1011]

Betsey no news is good news…so wait patiently for something positive to come out of this. We'll be thinking of you all weekend. It's good to hear little Beta was up & alert.

Still in our prayers.

[JoeyQ]

Beta does look a bit weak as compared to an earlier photo. After all she has been through tho, she looks like a fighter! The last photo is so sweet I just want to give her a big hug, but not too hard !

[Basenji_Boy]

Thanks for keeping us updated…......Get well soon Beta.

[seko]

What a lot of stitchies she's got. Hope everything is going to be back to normal soon for Beta and for you!

[Lenora]

Give her some smooches for us.

[red and white furever]

More hugs for you both!

[Mantis]

well, beta has been on the steroids and we have pumped her with pepto and pepcid and she is doing much better. it seems she stopped eating due to sensitivity in her throat. my theory is really bad acid reflux, which would go well with the irritated intestines, nausea and other symptoms.

she wouldnt touch the mashed rice and broth. i finally just made chicken broth and gave it to her cold and she scarfed it down. it has been two days now, and she is sucking down the pumkin pie filling, baby food (meat), boiled eggs and chicken and beef broth. she eats a little all day.

i am keeping her on all of the meds until we go next week for a check up, but it appears that the meds are resolving the issue, that is the steriods….

the biopsies came back and the specialist said there was nothing definative and to treat this as intestinal disease by putting her on a gentle diet. no rice, no corn, no fillers for the most part.

what i find funny is that she was on euk lamb and rice.

here is what i have learned. although the steroids fixed her problem, it was smart, i think, to do the surgery when the xrays, bloodwork, and urine came back clean because she was in so much pain. the doctor suggested the steroids might fix the now problem but could mask a hidden unknown that could resurface down the road.

at this point i have spend about 3500. she is getting better. i will begin researching diet and will probably get them on a diet similar to the raw diets, but cooked.

we have a lot of local basenjis that are on innova, but i will have to do more reasearch and talk with the vet about suggestions.

this could come back. i really dont know what could have caused it. her routine and diet are extremely controlled.

she still is a bit depressed and not as spunky as usual. she has done a couple of crazy dances and has started pacing again.

she has lost a ton of weight, but i am packing it on as carefully as possible.

thank you everyone for your support. i really felt like there were many days where she was in critical condition. i dont know if this is the end of this saga or not.

[Quercus]

<<what i="" find="" funny="" is="" that="" she="" was="" on="" euk="" lamb="" and="" rice="">>

I am obviously not a vet, nor a nutritionist, but if this were my dog, I would probably check labels VERY carefully….I am not sure if euk l&R would be gentle enough for her....sometimes foods that claim to be a Lamb and Rice diet actually have just a little lamb, and other stuff that you may not want your dog eating. You may end up cooking for her, and adding your own vitamins and minerals.

Good luck, and I sure am glad to hear she is eating and feeling better.</what>

[lvoss]

I agree with Andrea, there are lots of foods that say "lamb and rice formula" that have a lot more than lamb and rice in them.

Two companies that I know offer "allergy formulas" are Natural Balance and Wellness. The Wellness formulas use brown rice so probably will not work for you but the Natural Balance formulas use patato.

[tanza]

And I agree with Andrea and Lisa… you would be surprised what is in some of the foods out there....if you look at the ingredients for Euk Lamb and Rice, the 2 or 3rd listed is corn meal and the next is whole ground corn.... 99% of dry foods base is corn.... I know this cause my one bitch has a very bad corn allergy... and Lamb is not always the best either for a dog with food or digestive problems, it is quite hard to digest... There are great foods out there for digestive problems, Venison and potato, duck and potato, etc... you might also just try some canned only, I have a bitch that is in old age renal failure and she is doing fairly well eating canned Canidae.

[tanza]

Also, I saw in one of your posts that you said you were using pumpkin pie filler? Hopefully you meant, straight canned pumpkin… the filler has other stuff then straight pumpkin. You might also try yams or sweet potato, baked or cooked in the micro.

[Mantis]

yes it is straight pumpkin…..i have had vets suggest it in the past for my boy's anal glad problems ....it is helping her solidify that loose problem.

both of my basenjis have been on the same food for a while now. never had a problem with it before. but, i am going to work on putting them on something similar to the raw diet, but a cooked one, with the vitamins and oils they need. i will talk to my vet about it and let you know what she recommends.

beta is gobbling up the chicken and beef broth. loves the boiled eggs and shredded chicken. she is also eating the meat baby foods primarily along with the pumpkin. i am trying to get her weight back up. she looks like skin and bones right now. she is eating every 2 hours or whenever she is hungry.

anyone have their basenji on a raw diet?

i know corn is bad, but the specialist said no rice as well....

the specialist suggested a fish type eukanuba food, but my boy basenji hives with any type of seafood...so that is out.....

beta is still shaking and having the stomach gurgling. i will take her to the vet at the beginning of next week to have her staples removed. at that point we will readdress her diet, and meds and symptoms.

i am having a hard time determining if she is having the same symptoms or just reacting to the pain of the surgery. the steroids have really helped, but i know she shouldnt stay on those long.....she has been on the antibiotic for 2 weeks now....

[jys1011]

Oh betsey I'm so glad she's doing better. I really do pray that this is the end of her saga. It's such a relief that it could be determined as a serious acid reflux problem. Good luck to you both!!

Also just as an FYI…try the organic natural pet foods. I have discovered awful things about Eukanuba. I would also agree with the others that maybe for now it's best that you cook for her that way you know exactly what she's eating.

When Topaz was ill we did lots of baked turkey & chicken broth & sweet potatoes.

[jenwilson]

More thoughts and prayers to you and Beta! We anxiously await your update on her condition.

[Lenora]

Proof that prayer works even for little doggies! I'm glad she's better.

[JoeyQ]

Glad to hear Beta is improving! Have had her in my thoughts and prayers until I could get an update. I am starting to try to feed Joey a "rawer" diet. He hasn't had any digestive issues, I just think it is better for him. The breeder had been feeding him 1 raw egg yolk 2 times a week, raw lean hamburger meat, beef tripe, 1 tsp flaxseed oil/wk etc. along with kibble and cooked vegis plus more that I haven't started. I want to get a book about feeding a primarily raw diet. I suggest reading up on it as I am far from experienced in this subject. So far, Joey does well on a semi raw diet.
I sure hope Beta is on her way to a full recovery! (You mentioned the cost and I am glad that I have insurance for Joey even tho I haven't had to use it…yet).
Let's hope Beta starts the new year on a great foot...oops...paw!!

[Terry]

Check out Timberwolf Organics - expensive, but an excellent food with unique protein sources. They are online - I don't know the web site, but you should be able to Google them…
Another good food to check out is California Naturals.

Terry

[Mantis]

Beta had her staples removed on Friday and the vet said to treat her as if she has an intestinal disease. there are so many diseases out there that they cant diagnose which disease she has without her having the symptoms over time.

The vet said she should stay on the meds for the next two months.

3cc Pepto Bismol in syringe 2x a day
1 tab of Pepcid AC 2x a day (have changed to 1/2 tab 2x a day)
Prednisolone 5mg reduce inflamation 1/2 tab 2x a day
Flagyl 250 mg antibiotic 1 tab 2x a day
Tylan Soluble Powder antibiotic (over food) 1/8 Tsp 2x a day

I did a lot of research and BARF is not right for me with the present issues. I am feeding them a raw (no preservative) diet that is void of wheat, rice and corn fillers.

I found that the Natural Balance is carried in Feed stores and has several allergy or sensitive products for cats and dogs.

Beta is on the Duck and Potatoe wet food and eats 3 cans a day. I am trying to get her weight back. She is 17lbs right now and should be 20lbs for her to be healthy.

Caesar is eating the Duck and Potatoe dry food which Beta will be put on once she can eat textured foods.

The Natural Balance Duck and Potatoe is a no wheat, no rice, no corn, and no soy product. They have another one with fish, but Caesar's mom was allergic to salmon so i didnt want to risk it.

I also have the Duck and Potatoe hard treats whick Caesar loves.

I also found that the Innova Evo canned foods are 95% meat and void of the wheat, rice, and corn. This product is a bit more intense and I have it on order. My vet recommended venison. I will be mixing this as wet food in with their dry food when everything settles down.

I have a group of basenji owners (15 bs) that I meet with at the park on the weekends. They all have their kids on Innova dry which contains the meal. Remember Beta didnt dig the rice mashed when she was really bad which is why i am avoiding it now.

These foods are raw without being raw. I would suggest these to anyone. The kids have been on it for a week now and seem to love it. The canned food looks like corned beef and hash coming out of the can and not like nasty cheap wet food. It smells good also.

I am adding a pic of Beta and Caesar today.

Beta is still sluggish and not as perky as she used to be. She seems recovered from the surgery and has a soft belly. Now I am focusing on getting her back on her schedule.

I took Caesar and Beta to a local dog park yesterday because Caesar is so hyper with the less active lifestyle since Beta has been sick. He did his crazy dance at the park and had about 8 dogs running the crazy 8s. Beta trotted around a bit and sat with us (lap dog style) as we watched Caesar. It is good to get her out. when she is sheltered and pampered that snarfy bitchy b comes out in her personality. I think she had a good time and relaxed a bit.

Thats all for now….