Posts made by k.rass

I wanted to let everyone know that I helped my boy cross over the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. My heart is broken but I know my sweet Gombo is not suffering. I miss him already. Thanks for your support and words of kindness.

Sadly I got the bad news today. My B Boy has lymphoma of the GI tract - T cells, the worst to have. Vet thinks he will be with me one to two months and he already may have "used up" one while we were diagnosing him. The best now is palliative care. I am heartbroken, poor guy. Not fair to a truly sweet boy.

Thanks for the input Pat. I brought the article to the vet who was very happy to have this information. Endoscope results are not on yet, but all symptoms looked like this disease. They will probably start prednisone today as he is deteriorating rapidly. I wish vets would research breed specific diseases especially with Basenjis. Would have saved critical time. I guess it's up to us to educate them.
Thank you!!

Hello All
My newly adopted 7 year old rescue Basenji (puppy mill baby and we are his second family) has come down with a terrible GI problem. Severe ulceration of the small intestine, high white blood cell count (42000), anemia, extreme weight loss and muscle tissue degradation. He started with bloody vomit and bloody diarrhea over three months ago that cleared up after antibiotics, but over the last two months started to eat less and less. His mood was good and he still acted pretty normal (except for poor eating) but we finally brought him into the vet after he lost so much weight and completely stopped eating. We found it much worse than we thought. Doctors think it may be lymphocytic-plasmacytic enterocolitis. I did some research and found that Basenji's are a breed with which this disease occurs with more frequency. What about Crohn's Diease? Can anyone share their experiences?
Thank you, we are desperate to save him.

I'm sorry for your loss. Rest in peace little girl…

My heart goes out to you Pat. Rest in peace Kristii…

I'm so sorry about Rocky. My heart sank when I read the post. You're in my thoughts.

Great news about Rosie! I was very happy to read this positive report this morning!

Welcome to the Forum! I 'm curious to know how your two get along since I always thought Shibu's were basically Basenji's with more fur (or the other way around ) These two are my favorite breeds and I've often thought about sharing my home with a few of each.

Keep the pictures coming! I just lost my Max and enjoy very much seeing everyone else's B's and hearing good stories about them.

I tried to read through all the posts but couldn't seem to find if Rocky has anemia. That could explain his lethargy and grumpyness. Max, a few years back was having that trouble and they gave him some iron supplementation which helped. Also did they test him for tickborn illness?

Welcome to the forum! Whats your baby B's name? And please post a picture or two! Hello to Paco as well!

Welcome to the forum Shari and Boyd!

Welcome to the Forum! I love Basenji's and will always have one (or two or maybe three!!) in my life. But I have to say, as wonderful as they are, they are not the dog for everyone. Be sure you will have enough time for a Basenji because they need a lot of exercise and stimulation and they get bored very easily - as a busy young person you may want to seriously consider this. I think it's great that you are doing the research and learning more about them at the dog show. If you find a Basenji to be a good match for you, be prepared for a lifelong love affair!

I'm so glad to hear Rosie is eating! Great news. I'm sorry I wrote such a scary post previously, but I feel if I had any hints from others with experience, I could have possibly saved Max.
Best wishes for Rosie for a continued hearty appetite!

Has Rosie has an ultrasound of her liver and spleen? My Max had suddenly become anemic and was starting to refuse food - only eating little bits at a time of pure protein (normally he would eat rice, veggies, along with the meat and anything else that came his way). He'd act ravenous when he did eat. His stools were either really runny or sometimes mixed. Sadly, he ended up having an enlarged spleen and liver with tumors in the spleen. They had suggested a splinectomy, but it was too late and since he was a senior -13yrs old- he was possibly having autoimmune problems. If I had known earlier, I may have been able to save him.

Tell your friend that I am very sorry for her loss. It's the most difficult but most kind decision she can ever make. Sukani will be in a better place, remembering with happiness her wonderful life with her human companion and patiently waiting for them to meet again.

Many many thanks to everyone for your kind words and support. It is so difficult to accept after 13 years with Max that he will no longer be by my side. I'm glad there are others that understand the depth of my grief. Thank you.

My beloved best friend and companion Max passed over the rainbow bridge last night. I put him to sleep after it was clear that he was dying from cancer of the liver and spleen and there was no hope for survival. He had it ruff the last 6 weeks due to a back injury of which he was recovering and starting to feel good, but then suddenly the cancer agressively set in. It was a difficult decision and it broke my heart into a million pieces, but I knew it was the best for him.
He was a great dog, who will be missed forever. Rest in peace my best friend.

It breaks my heart to hear this news. I'm so sorry Rocky is not doing well. I've been facing the same issues with medical costs and untreatable illness and I've had to let nature take it's course with Max as well. It's been hard to watch but the best I can do is keep him as pain free and comfortable as I can. My thoughts will be with you and Rocky.

My Max has been having liver issues for a few years now. He had ultrasound and biopsy but nothing specific was found just some "mottling" of the tissues. We've found Denamarin to be very effective but it is important when you give it to them. I even called Nutramax (manufacturer) to verify that an overnight fast is most effective. So, two hours after a meal, right before bed, I give Max one pill and he doesn't eat until the next morning. They said the dog can take up to 4oz of food and the pill will be effective, but I just give it to him with a spoonful of sour cream. I tried the pill at other times but his numbers were not as good. Definitely before bed is the absolute best.

Also a low protein diet is effective. Hills L/D canned food was prescribed and it has only 4.5% crude protein. He hates it so I just give him a little Wysong Senior (14% protein), a tiny taste of meat and tons of veggies and brown rice.

Also, my vet has been hesitant to put Max on any steroids since it's so bad for the liver. Is the steroid your vet suggests safe? I need a safer alternative than Deramaxx (steroid) I'm using now.

I hope your B gets better soon.