@tanza:

No, not fecal test. Please see the links on https://www.basenji.org/joomla/index…166&Itemid=292

Link is broken!

@DebraDownSouth:

It could be chicken, but the eating then stop also can be "picky eater" issues. Try holding out and not adding things to it. Even giving an appetite stimulant is better than constantly changing foods or giving stuff in it to get to eat.

Your vet should have checked for the issues even if "she didn't suspect them"… my bet being if she has even seen ONE case I'd be surprised. If this doesn't fix it, insist.

Would those tests be done via fecal test? She did run a few tests on the samples I brought with me. She mentioned that as soon as he has the same issue on this new food, she will run a large blood panel, focusing on gastrointestinal issues and other possible problems.

Not sure if this is the correct info, but the father is "Tommy," AKC GCH Khani's Katoomba, and the mother is "Jazz," AKC GCH/UKC GCH/mBRIS Marjani Notaviva. Loki's AKC registered name is Marjani Think Different, if that helps. He is from Marjani Basenji in Purcellville, Virginia, USA. If you need different info, I can try to find his AKC papers.

@tanza:

Be sure to talk to the Vet about EPI or IPSID (read about it at https://www.basenji.org/joomla/index…166&Itemid=292). Also Giardia, testing for it doesn't always pick it up. I had a male that after more than a year of picky eating/loose/diarrhea bowels, we finally treated him for Giardia (that never showed up with testing. Finally after a course of antiboitics and two wormings with Pancur… he had normal eating habits and bowel movements.

I don't remember, but did you discuss with the breeders?

I just got back from the new vet. She said that she doesn't suspect the conditions you listed above due to the lack of symptoms, but actually suspects that Loki may have a chicken allergy. I didn't realize it until I put all of it on paper, but every food we've fed Loki the last year and a half has been "Chicken and xyz" flavor. So, she put him on Natural Balance grain free venison and sweet potato flavor, along with one capsule of Metamucil a day. She wants him on this for 6 months to see if this breaks the cycle. She also said to keep track of when he gets diarrhea again, and how long it lasts, and to call her when it happens. If he's still getting sick, then she wants to run blood panels to check for IBD or anything more serious, as well as putting him on an elimination diet. She did stool tests and a thorough physical exam, and said everything looked healthy. So, I guess here we go again!

And yep, I asked the breeder and she said that none of the other owners have reported this in their pups. She's also the one who feeds Purina Pro Plan.

I am 90% sure there is no obstruction, as his first poop of the morning is usually mostly formed. But I managed to get a 3pm today with a new vet, so I'll be sure to bring that up, too.

I'm calling around today to see if there's another local vet who could listen to the history and give me another opinion. I've seen dehydrated food before - is there a specific brand that everyone prefers?

Hi all, not sure if you'll all see this since it's an old thread, but I figured I'd keep the story together. It's been about two months since this original post, and we're basically in the same spot. We went along and fed Loki the Iams Vet stuff for about 4 weeks, and it actually did help. His stools went back to normal, so we were prepared to suck it up and just keep him on that food.

That is, until he stopped eating it. It got to the point where he would go a full day without eating (so stubborn). The only way he'd eat is if we mixed it with a tiny bit of peanut butter. Knowing that wasn't a permanent solution, we went out about two weeks ago and picked up a bag of Nature's Variety "Prairie" chicken and brown rice flavor. It's high in fiber, so we had been told by other pet owners to give it a shot. Two days ago, Loki stopped eating this new food again. So, again we're mixing peanut butter into it to at least get something in his system.

He is still struggling with bowl movements. On any given walk, he'll have one bout of diarrhea, followed by squatting and pushing so hard, I can see how red and enflamed his rectum is. I feel so bad. We're at the beginning of week 2 with this. Tomorrow, I call the vet. Again. This is getting so frustrating, and I feel so bad for my pup!

So, I guess this brings me to another question: At what point do you argue with her about the ingredients in the prescription food she's giving you? I don't want to come off as thinking I know better than her.

Hi everyone! Apologies in advance for the wall of text.

Our year and a half-old boy, Loki, has always had tummy troubles. Sometimes it's from stress, other times from a bug, but he seems to be a very sensitive boy. When we got him at 8 weeks, our breeder had him on Purina Pro Plan. I promptly switched him to Natural Balance grain-free, wanting him on less processed stuff, and also because I had read that so many owners found that grain free worked well for their Bs.

However, Loki intermittently will have problems. He'll vomit occasionally (foamy bile, we've been told it's from an empty stomach), and about once every 6 weeks, he'll have a combination of diarrhea and inability to pass any stool. We've changed him to 2 feedings a day to combat the vomiting, and whenever he has the intestinal problems, I make him boiled chicken and rice per the vet's instruction.

Today marks a week that Loki's been having bathroom issues again. Now, I know there are other factors. We moved down the street to a new house about a month ago (although he has adjusted nicely, save for the 3 angry Yorkie-Poos next door). In addition, we're getting married out of state in a month, so he has been at his "grandparents'" house most weekends while we are traveling for prep appointments. Their place is like a second home for Loki, and he has never had any issues there.

The vet looked at his chart today, and said that she suspects that Loki may be part of the small percentage of dogs that get intestinal problems from a grain-free diet, and gave us a bag of Iams Veterinary Intestinal Plus/Low Residue dry food to try for a week.

Has anyone had this issue with their B? Does anyone have experience with this food? I'm happy to keep him on it if it keeps him healthy. Any thoughts appreciated!
+M

P.S. Including a picture of him laying above me as I type this.

Just as a quick aside, if you're still looking for a local breeder, check out Marjani Basenji in Purcellville. Julie (the breeder) should only be about 40 min away from you if you're in Fairfax. She was great with us. I was also worried about my allergies, so she had us come spend an hour with one of her house dogs to make sure I didn't have a reaction. She's fully AKC, etc. Our Loki does shed a tiny bit, but it doesn't affect me at all. Everyone's allergy tolerances are different. Let me know if you want more info about Marjani!