Yes, I already have a message in with my vet's office, but I figured I would have more of a chance to find a basenji-crazed sitter in the forums!
@sharronhurlbut:

Have you called your vet and asked for a pet referal re this service? That would be the first place I would ask.

I may be going on vacation for a couple weeks at the end of October and am looking for a good dog walker/sitter to come in for about an hour during the weekdays. My husband will be around, but he works a long day, and we don't have a dog door.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions! Thanks!

Hi,

I just wanted to post a follow-up in case anyone was interested! I took Deedle in for her teeth cleaning on Friday. They kept her very well hydrated to make sure her kidneys didn't suffer, and she did really well. They wanted to keep her an extra couple of hours so they could keep pumping fluids through her, but I had to go get her a bit early because, ahem, she was making "basenji noises" and indicated she wanted to come home! I got to the vet's office, and I could hear her CRYING and yipping and making all sorts of noises. Oh, boy.

A couple of days later, and she seems pretty much back to herself. The doctor had to extract two teeth (one fell out while they were cleaning!). She said there was an abscess, so now Deedle should be much happier and more comfortable. I am going to start brushing her teeth in a couple weeks, plus I got the PlaqueOff stuff (such a tiny little bottle! I thought it was going to be a huge tub).

Thanks for all your suggestions and help. I appreciated every word!

Thanks for all your responses! We're going to go through with the cleaning. Our vet is very cautious and careful and will monitor Deedle's blood pressure throughout the procedure, so I think she will be okay. Also, I will invest in some PlaqueOff, and I vow to brush Deedle's teeth (how many times have I made that vow? Can't one of you come over and threaten me?).

Hi, everyone! I would like some opinions, suggestions, etc. about teeth cleaning for an elderly basenji. I just took my 15-year-old basenji in for her senior wellness exam, and all her lab results came back great. That was a big relief as she was diagnosed with kidney insufficiency last year, and it has been a bit of a struggle to get her on the correct dosage of calcitriol and phosphorus and everything. Anyway, she is doing great and acting like a naughty puppy again.

BUT, she has some gum disease and a significant amount of tartar buildup, especially on her back teeth. She has always had teeth issues, and we have had to have a number of them extracted. We've had her teeth cleaned several times, and she has done fine each time. That said, I hesitate to take her for another teeth cleaning. The doctor even said there is a chance the procedure could cause some kidney damage (something to do with the anesthesia and the possibility of her blood pressure dropping).

Do any of you know of any other effective procedures that would NOT involve putting her under? I dug out the PetzLife gels and have vowed to rub that on her teeth, but to be honest I don't know how well that will work, as she does NOT like to hold still for that. Also, there may be too much tartar buildup to have much of an effect. I am not opposed to going through with the teeth cleaning, since I do trust our vet and all, but I would hate for her to suffer any side effects or setbacks because of it. What would you do?

Any thoughts or advice any of you might have would be much appreciated!

Very nice! I love seeing these kinds of photos! This past weekend I was running with a friend, and we happened to be running right where they were holding a race. The race was called the Race for Congo Women or something, and I was joking that they needed a bunch of basenjis there.

Hi! I hope this is the right place for this thread! Our Deedle is still a spry gal, but she is getting on in years (she's 14), and she has some arthritis in her hips. I am thinking about getting her an orthopedic dog bed (one with memory foam) and am curious about people's thoughts and experiences.

Thanks!

I growl when toddlers jump on me, too!

Tally looks darling. That picture of her sitting with her legs sticking out is hilarious. I need to stop looking at these photos; otherwise, I am going to want a houseful of basenjis.

Good luck!!

She had a full checkup earlier this year, and we'll take her again in September. No problems with her thyroid. The teeth were let go so long because we are bad parents! She has had teeth problems ever since we got her at age 4.

Since her teeth cleaning earlier this year we have been using PetzLife spray and brush her teeth (but not daily. She writhes around, and it's difficult to get to the few teeth she has left, but I try). We have also been using DentaTreat for a couple years, but I guess that hasn't done much good. I just can't imagine that more teeth have rotted in three months?

We feed her dry food with pumpkin twice a day. For her morning meal I also add Nupro (the glucosamine blend), DentaTreat, and fish oil (recommended by the vet).

Hi everyone! I have been feeding our basenji Canidae Platinum for about 10 years now, and we have never had a problem. I just learned, though, that Canidae changed their formulations a year ago and that MANY dogs have been having serious GI issues as a result.

Deedle hasn't had any bloody exploding diarrhea (sorry for the visual) or anything, but this winter she did start throwing up pretty much every morning. This improved after a teeth cleaning (I think her rotten teeth were upsetting her stomach), but several months later she has started throwing up a bit in the mornings, probably a couple times a week, AND I just opened a new bag of Canidae a couple weeks ago.

Has anyone else had issues with Canidae? I want to keep Deedle on dry food but am now considering switching to another brand. She doesn't seem to be getting super sick from the Canidae, and it hasn't affected her energy levels, etc., but she has seemed to age a bit in the past half year (well, she IS 14), plus nobody wants to throw up all the time! I would, obviously, like to keep her healthy and happy for as long as possible.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

@khanis:

What I'd really like to know… is WHERE did you take Deedle to begin with??
There is NO reason anesthesia, cleaning and any extractions should come to half of hat you quoted.

Where is the new vet you are considering?
What part of town are you in?

I could give you numerous recommedations that have a multitude of basenji experience without raping your wallet.

In response to Kathy's comments, the first vet we went to was Hollywood Pet Hospital. Their prices seemed a little higher than others, I figured because they are an AAHA accredited hospital. The new vet is Mt. Tabor Veterinary Care on Belmont St in SE Portland. It's close to our house, and they were very attentive and very nice. It still cost us a pretty penny, but it included full X-rays of her mouth, X-rays of her abdomen, anesthesia for 3 hours, and 7 extractions!

Deedle seems back to her old self now, but we're feeding her soft food for 5 days, and it seems to be giving her horrible gas! I am choosing to be amused by it, but she is stinking up the whole house!

Hello all. I'm glad to see my initial post got so many people talking! I am definitely going to get some of these PetzLife products. Anyway, I just wanted to post a follow-up. We took Deedle to the new vet and really like the place. Today she went in for her teeth cleaning, and, ahem, remember how I was saying I wanted to go to the new vet because I thought it might be a little cheaper than the other place? Well, forget that!

Deedle is 13 now and starting to show it. We had them do some X-rays on her abdomen because she has been throwing up every morning for the past month, and then they moved on to the teeth. They had to extract SEVEN teeth! I felt like a terrible basenji mom, but really, she has had teeth problems for a long time. I just didn't realize how bad they were. The vet called me numerous times to check in and explain everything to me. When we went to pick her up, they showed us all the X-rays and gave us additional information. It ended up costing almost $1,500. She was under anesthesia for nearly 3 hours! So, what can you do. I just want Deedle to be healthy and comfortable.

Thanks for all the feedback! There's a new vet down the street, and I could actually WALK Deedle there. It looks like a nice place, and I liked what I read about the vet. Maybe I will look into alternatives, but I'm not sure. Deedle has had teeth issues for a long time (we got her when she was 4. Before that she was chained up for weekends in a backyard with just a big bowl of food! So, she tried to chew through the chain and fractured some teeth. Poor thing), so I want to make sure she gets very thorough and good care. Her breath could scare away an army, though, I tell you!

Really happy I discovered this forum.

Hello! Just joined the forums, and this is my first post! Our basenji is going on 13 years. I've had her teeth cleaned before, but the last time we had this done (2 years ago), it cost almost $900. Our vet is great and is AAHA approved. They use human-grade anesthesia, put her on an EKG and an IV drip, all of that. But, $900 is a lot of money. Just wanted to check to see if that is the norm? I would hate to cheap out and take her elsewhere and have something go wrong, you know? I think it is definitely time for a teeth cleaning, though. Her breath is so bad I can hardly stand to be near her. Brushing her teeth and giving her Denta Treat powder daily doesn't seem to help.

Thanks!