A link with some info:
http://www.gopetsamerica.com/dog-health/cystinuria.aspx

From another chat list:
For a dog that forms cystine crystals or stones, some important things to consider are:

1. The more water they drink, the better.
2. The more access to potty breaks they have (not having to "hold it" for long periods of time) the better.
3. The more fluid in their diets the better (this is the REAL advantage of a raw diet for dogs w/ cystinuria - more fluid!)
4. Cystine stones (unlike many other types) tend to form when urine pH is abnormally acidic. Monitoring pH and altering diet to maintain
a slightly more alkeline-than-normal pH can help some cystine stone formers.
5. Avoid feeding too much cooked or processed poultry
6. For males, neutering may help prevent reoccurances (although not true for all breeds - there are some numbers out there for Mastiffs,
I believe, that show a GREATER incidence of cystine stone formation
in neutered males).

If raw is not an option, I would contact the likes of The Honest Kitchen and see which of their foods they would recommend, with the addition of ground raw sirloin as the meat base. The added benefits of The Honest Kitchen is you have to reconstitute with water which would increase the water content.

Another way to increase water content is their product Ice Pups or similar. Mix with water and freeze into ice cubes the dogs like to eat.

Good luck.

In thinking this through a bit more today, and studying Johnny's picture and seeing stripes (my opinion of course) vs. banding of red hairs or bleed through, as well as pictures of Boston Terriers that look black/white but are in fact brindle, with very little red coming through, one possibility we have not considered is that Johnny could in fact be a very heavily brindled basenji and not black/white as originally thought. Will be even more interesting now to see what he produces in this breeding. Keep the group posted please, Arlene. Thank you.

Note: the papilloma virus is VERY contagious to other dogs. Best to avoid canine/canine contact while in its active stage(s).

My (admittedly) simple understanding:

Johnny's parents:

Buckwheat = black/white = his genes are black/red - he is not pure for dominant black since he produced a red offspring when bred to a black/white

Damisi = black/white - her genes are black/red - she is not pure for dominant black since she produced a red offspring when bred to a black/white.

We also know Damisi can not carry brindle herself.

Why?

Sire (Wili) is black/brindle (we know this b/c he produced a trindle offspring when bred to a red dam); Dam (Kimaji) is red.

Wili (sire) can only pass along one of his e-locus genes (where black and brindle hang out) either black or brindle can be passed, not both while the dam passes along her red gene.

If sire passes his brindle gene combined with dam's red gene, Damisi would be brindle in color. If sire passes his black gene, combined with dam's red gene, Damisi will be black (black is dominant to red).

To make the gene pair, only one gene can come from Wili - either black or brindle and one from Kimaji - red and we know Damisi is phenotypically a black who has produced both black and red offspring - therefore we can correctly conclude Damisi is a black/red, not a black/brindle/red.

She can not carry the brindle gene which means she does not have the brindle gene to pass on to her son, Johnny.

The end result - Johnny could be pure for black (one dominant black gene from dad, one from mom so no chance of reds.) Or Johnny could be a red factored black, getting one red gene from either mom or dad. Or Johnny could be a red AND tri factored black, getting one red from either parent and a tri gene from either parent since Buckwheat has produced a tri and Damisi has a trindle littermate.

All that said, i DO see what appears to be brindling in his coat, and knowing basenjs, perhaps they have not read the color genetic pages as we have. Far be it for me to ever say never. Only time will tell, assuming enough of a breeding sample is doen. Fascinating color options, even without the brindle in the mix. Good luck with the babes.

Is anyone in the house on female estrogen patches, creams or gels? If yes, this could be a side effect from her having contact with the hormones.

http://www.tailblazerspets.com/pdf/Article_Estrogen_Can_Hurt_Your_Dog.pdf

Eating oftentimes stimulates the bowels. I would feed him prior to going out on the evening walk. To me, 3/4 cups twice daily seems like a lot of food for a basenji; two signs of eating more than needed is large volume of stool or frequent BMs; I am not sure he is exhibiting frequent BMs in the proper sense since in truth he is not defecating the same number of times he is eating in a single day (in this case - twice daily BMs). If you feel he is in good condition (should be able to see and feel ribs easily with your fingertips without need to dig) I would perhaps feed him more of his meal in the am, less in the pm but always feed before the walk. If you feel he is in too good of condition, I would decrease his food consumption overall by 1/4 cup twice daily (to 1 cup daily) again feeding him before the evening walk to help stimulate the bowels.

A way to keep him from learning pooping equsls the end of fun, always extend the walk for another 20 minutes or so after he defecates. Only exception is if it is raining and he wants to go in, then it becomes the opposite, he is rewarded with returning home only after he produces. Also-have you put his house training on command? If not, I would start teaching that, this will help those times when he is not concentrating on his duties.

Lastly, I would tether him to you at night so that he does not continue to exhibit bad behaviors. Do you have a balcony? It yes, pee pads on the porch for those late night excursions. Or you can, for a month or two, not for life - crate him at night so he relearns to hold his bladder/bowels until a more favorable time. Once you have reprogrammed him on this, then do the tether for a few months, then try it without either and see how he does.

Good luck.

Visit:

http://www.avma.org/advocacy/state/issues/sr_animal_abuse.asp

Not all states require reporting.

probable Decker Rat terrier - which used basenjis in their creation.

Thyroid depletion can effect both liver and seizure threshhold; have his thyroid levels been checked? If not, that might be a good place to start. I personally think your veterinarian's rule outs are a bit out of the bell curve without further information.

Good luck.

Could also try a head halter/gentle leader so you can control the head better - redirecting the dogs head away from the stimulus.

Managing it is the most impportant tool you have; you should know the triggers and what to avoid and then work on redirection while the triggers go by.

A muzzle, while a good tool, can also be misconstrued by others to eqaute to an agressive dog which could back fire and have serious repercussions should someone want to remove the dog from the neighborhood. Best to work with a behaviorist so you can show the neighbors you are taking his issues seriously.

Good luck.

Look into Traumeel: www.traumeel.com/

If NSAIDs are still an option, once the liver has rested/recovered - try and find the least effective dose. If your B is on say 25mg BID, try to taper to 25mg SID, 12.5 mg SID - if not limping after a week doing normal acvtivity, taper further 12/5mg BID.

Tramadol can be a good pain reliever though it is not a anti-inflammatory. It also has sedative properties so you might have a zonked dog (perhaps that is a good thing?!) Leanr about Tramadol here: http://www.1800petmeds.com/Tramadol-prod11064.html

Good luck.

It's always better to go to a specialist if there is one available vs. waste money on the regular Joe vet to tell you to go to the specialist; best to only spend the money on an exam once.

Sounds like Oakley might have a punctuate cataract or a corneal dystrophy plaque deposit. The size of a pencil point is not large enough, IMO, to cause the dog to be clumsy and/or not see well unless there is more going on which you can not see with the naked eye.

The sire's PPM should have no bearing on Oakleys eye issue unless it too is PPM - which I doubt. I would not be overly concerned until you see what the specialist has to say, there is nothing you can control at this moment, so why fret?

Good luck. Keep the group posted.

He is more susceptible to pancreatitis once he has had an issue with it. My guess would be he is dealing with a mild case of it, which could progress to a full blown case. The worst thing we can do for our dogs who are not feeling well is to continue to feed them and/or coax them to eat by giving enticing, but fatty or unfamiliar things which further exacerbate the problem.

You need to give his stomach, pancreas, gut time to calm down - at minimum a 24 hour fast and that means NOTHING by mouth for 24 hours sans water. Then start back with a very bland diet, boiled chicken/rice - four VERY small meals during the day x three days, then slowly add his regular kibble (ditch the holistic food) to the bland diet x three days and work your way back up to his normal feeding.

Once back on track I would recommend you stick with his regular diet and NEVER switch to a new food. His pancreatitis issues make him susceptible to flare-ups; the older he gets, the more susceptible. If after 24 fast and 1 day of feeding small, frequent meals he seems to regress, get to a vet. Or if he seems worse with a continued painful belly, prior to trying the fast, get to a vet. Pancreatitis can kill and should not be taken lightly.

@CongoMama:

My rule outs would be Canine Ulcerative Paradental Syndrome "CUPS" (aka Stomatitis) or Masticatory Myositis. I would ditch the "regular joe vet" and go straight to a Internal Medicine doc and/or Internist.

Good luck.

Sorry - that should read …"go straight to a Doggie Dentist and/or Internist."

I can not really address the parent dynamics. It must have been hell for your father to go from what I assume was a vibrant man to one who can not do the simplest things. While his anger is certainly justified, his behavior is not. Hard to judge not having walked in his shoes, such a shame he did not find a more healthy outlet to deal with it.

Re: Charlie's euthanasia. Euthanasia is basically an overdose of an barbituate/anesthetic. Usually one intravenous injection is sufficient. However if the animal is in good health (relatively speaking - sounds like Charlie was in good physical health, though not good mental health) they might need more than, say an animal who is two steps from deaths door, and just needs a gentle nudge to go through the door. If the vet miscalculates the dose needed to be sufficient, they would need to give another injection; due to a severe drop in blood pressure due to the first injection, intravenous (IV) might not be a viable option for a second attempt - that leaves the vet no other choice but to inject more euthanasia solution directly into the heart, to effectively stop it. This is what it sounds like occurred.

During euthanasia, an animal can vocalize without actually feeling pain, have agonal breathes (which means the animal is gone but the body expels what air it has and gives the impression of still breathing) or quietly and silently pass with no outward signs. It is hard to know what any one animal will do. I am sorry the vet did not feel it was important to communicate with you, and your mother, what to expect and/or what they were doing every step of the way. That person/clinic really dropped the ball and you have paid a price for it.

You, however are to be commended. Despite the very real pain it caused you and your mother to stay by his side, you did so to the very end. But before that, you also did what was in Charlie's best interest, even knowing the heartbreak it would cause you both. I have no doubts Charlie is waiting for you to finally forgive yourself, though I imagine if we asked, he would say you have done nothing to need forgiveness for, and open your heart once again to another dog, where you can once again enjoy the relationship of an animal friend.

Euthanasia is probably the best gift we will ever bestow on our animal friends, while the hardest gift for us to give. If our intent is to end their suffering, be it physical, mental or a combo of the two, I have no doubts each and every member of our animal families will await us at the Rainbow Bridge, to reunite us forever more.

My rule outs would be Canine Ulcerative Paradental Syndrome "CUPS" (aka Stomatitis) or Masticatory Myositis. I would ditch the "regular joe vet" and go straight to a Internal Medicine doc and/or Internist.

Good luck.

I think the straps circling the bum would bother my crew more than the bell! How is it his feet do not get frostbite?

@vickayx:

How is it that she would make a profit when she charges less then a normal breeder though? I am not defending her in anyway I was just puzzled.:confused:

Interesting question.

Let's see. If she has three bitches which she breeds every year for a period of say, 4 years, and each bitch has on average 5 puppies, she has the potential to make:

Income potential - PM:

3 bitches x 5 pups each x 4 years = 60 pups
If she sells each for average $500 = $30,000 or $7,500 a year.

total: 7,500.00

However - we must take into account her expenses.

Expense potential:

1/Stud fee = $0 (usually owns the male(s) who is oftentimes related to the female(s))
2/Genetic health testing = $0 (usually only does this when pressed to do so)
3/Show or performance venue expenses to prove form and function of breeding stock: $0
4/ General vet care: dew claws, first exam, vaccinations, wormings: avg $50 - does not do dewclaws or a vet exam, usually buys products online and administers themselves

Now then, to compare:

Responsible breeder (RB): Caveat: A responsible breeder only breeds one, maybe two bitches a year; usually only breeds them once or twice in their lifetime, and oftentimes does not breed every year.

For the sake of comparing - we will give the RB the same number of bitches/puppies as the puppymiller.

Income - RB:
3 bitches x 5 pups each x 4 years = 60 pups
Sells each for average $1000 = $60,000 (less 1 pup from each litter which they keep since resp. breeders first breed for themselves - 12 x $1,000 - $12,000 or $48,000)

Total= $48,000 or $12,000/year

Expense:

Stud fee = cost of a puppy or $1,000 x 3 bitches = $3,000/ year

total: $3,000/year

Genetic health testing =
a/ Hips/elbows/patellas - done once, age 2 - most do it under anesthesia, avg. total for all plus OFA applications = $500 x 3 = $1,500 /4 years = $375/year

b/ Eyes - needs to be done yearly: avg $60 a year, per bitch, bitch is tested from birth through end of last breeding (age 6) = $360 per bitch x 3 bitches = $1,080 (Most RB's will continue to test until death - so in truth - we should add another 8 years on for each or another $1,440)

c/ Thyroid - needs to be done yearly: avg $180 a year, per bitch, bitch is tested from birth through end of last breeding (age 6) = $1,080. per bitch x 3 bitches = $3,240 (Most RB's will continue to test until death - so in truth - we should add another 8 years on for each or another $4,320)

d/ Fanconi - done once for the dams: $65 x 3 = $195.00 /4 years = $48.75
d1/ Fanconi - most RB's test the pups BEFORE going home so $65 x 60 pups = $3,900/4 years = 975/year
e/ Heart (should be by board cert cardiologist) - done once avg cost $100 x 3 = $300
7/ Dewclaws/Exam/vaccinations/wormings: most take to a vet for all of this - avg visit per bitch $200 x 3 = $300/year plus dewclaw visit of $300 (however most RB's do not let their pups leave until 10-12 weeks which means a second vet visit is needed 300x 2 =$600)

total: $6619 (or $12379 if you include the continued yearly testing of eyes and thyroids done on those who were bred)

Show/performance venue expenses to prove form and function of breeding stock - these are seriously deflated in today's economy:

Avg cost of dog show entry - $25 x 3 bitches = $75/show

Avg number of shows/venues (not weekends) entered each year to get various titles = 100 shows x $75 = $7500/year for all three

Avg travel expenses (gas, hotel, wear and tear on car, parking) to obtain these titles = $100/show x 100 shows = $10000

total: $17500

Net profit:

PM profit/loss: 7,450 - IN their pocket (7,500 inc less 50 exp)
RB profit/loss: <15,119> - OUT of their pocket (12,000 - 3,000 (stud fees) - 6,619. (health testing) - 17,500. = <$15,119> )

Expenses I could have added to the RB's side: time and energy spent socializing, quality vet care, high quality food, vaccine protocol adherence creating more vet visits, microchips, puppy packets, lifelong education/support of puppy buyer, etc., etc., etc.

In truth - you then have to multiply the PM profit by the number of breeds they breed (most who whelp twice a year) and well, it can be rather lucrative for some of them.

(I apologize in advance if my math is wrong - not my area of expertise), but I think one can see the general idea!;)

I disagree her silence speaks volumes. All it tells me is - she may or may not have received the email. The assumption is, she did. The truth might be, she did not. Only one way to find out, call and discuss your issues with her; until then she really should be given the benefit of the doubt that she was not in reciept of it, no?

Topical human hormones and animals was mentioned in this

thread

Hope I did this right.