Back To Puppy Health. By Susan Paretts Aug 10, 4 Minutes. Aug 10, 4 Minutes. Key Points. Puppy Nutrition Your puppy's lifelong health and happiness begins with you. Get it right from the start. This e-book provides valuable information on how good and sound nutrition habits will set your puppy on the right path. AKC Privacy Policy. Progressive Retinal Atrophy PRA is an inherited disease in which the eyes are genetically programmed to go blind.
Unfortunately, Basenjis are a bit more likely than other dogs to have this condition. PRA is not painful, but also not curable. In dogs with the bad gene, early symptoms such as night blindness or dilated pupils generally begin around three to five years of age.
A genetic test is available for this condition. The cornea is the clear outer layer at the front of the eye. Corneal dystrophy is an inherited condition in Basenjis that causes small white crystal deposits to form in one of the layers of the cornea. There is no known effective medical treatment to remove the deposits. In severe cases surgery may be considered, but unfortunately, the crystals may return. Sometimes small strands of tissue that were meant to disappear soon after birth remain attached to the iris.
Cataracts are a common cause of blindness in older Basenjis. Many dogs adjust well to losing their vision and get along just fine. Surgery to remove cataracts and restore sight may also be an option. A relatively rare blood disorder called Pelger-Huet Anomaly can occur in your Basenji. If he is a carrier of the disease, his infection fighting white blood cells will look abnormal microscopically, but operate normally.
Puppies that inherit a copy of this abnormal gene from both parents, however, usually die before or shortly after birth. This is a genetic disease that causes the red blood cells to be abnormal. Affected Basenjis will be anemic, with pale gums, exercise intolerance, and liver and spleen enlargement. Sadly, there is no cure and most dogs with this disease die by four years of age. There is a DNA test available to identify the disease in young puppies or for those pet parents interested in breeding.
Each time a female goes through her heat cycle, her hormones cause a growth of nourishing cells to line the walls of the uterus.
This becomes a lush environment for the development of a raging bacterial infection that can progress rapidly into a critical emergency that may require surgery. Pyometra can happen to any female dog, but it seems to be more common in Basenjis. Much of what you can do to keep your dog happy and healthy is common sense, just like it is for people. Be sure to adhere to the schedule of examinations and vaccinations that we recommend for her. Another very important step in caring for your pet is signing up for pet health insurance.
There will certainly be medical tests and procedures she will need throughout her life and pet health insurance will help you cover those costs. Build her routine care into your schedule to help your African Barkless Dog live longer, stay healthier, and be happier during her lifetime.
We cannot overemphasize the importance of a proper diet and exercise routine. Any abnormal symptom could be a sign of serious disease, or it could just be a minor or temporary problem. The important thing is to be able to tell when to seek veterinary help, and how urgently. Many diseases cause dogs to have a characteristic combination of symptoms, which together can be a clear signal that your Basenji needs help. DNA testing is a rapidly advancing field with new tests constantly emerging to help in the diagnosis of inherited diseases before they can become a problem for your friend.
For the most up-to-date information on DNA and other screening tests available for your pal, visit www. Your Basenji counts on you to take good care of her, and we look forward to working with you to ensure that she lives a long and healthy life. Please contact us when you have questions or concerns.
Chances are that you chose her because you like African Barkless Dogs and you expected her to have certain traits that would fit your lifestyle: An affectionate companion and family dog Highly intelligent, playful, and energetic Confident, steady, and fearless Alert, curious, and busy Quirky, entertaining personality Loving and loyal to her owners However, no dog is perfect!
You may have also noticed these characteristics: Needs a lot of activity and mental stimulation to avoid boredom vices Strong prey drive—will chase and grab things that run, including cats and children Not easily trained Can be independent and strong-willed Suspicious of strangers Easily bored and may find trouble Is it all worth it? Maybe "technically" the grow plates may not close until 12 months in intact animals, but with total knowledge, my Maggii's growth plate was closed at 5 months….
Thank you - both for the technical info and personal experience. Both are useful. He was not the runt of the litter, and his parents were both taller, so we shall see.
In Basenjis, we rarely have "runts" in a litter, in my experience. That is because usually are litters are not that bit… runts that I have seen come from dogs that usually whelp a number of puppies, not like a Basenji that usually has 4 to 6. Actually Pat the technicallis was 14 months, not And while Maggii might have stopped growing at 5 months, that does not mean her growth plates were closed at 5 months, certainly not all of them.
Congrats Quizbasenii on your recent show successes - seems he is maturing as well as he should. I would not be unduly worried at this stage of the game. I didn't say that she stopped growing, I said her growth plates closed, I have the xrays to prove it. So just saying that while maybe "not till 14 months" per your comments they can and do close as early as 5 months. Runts have little to do with litter size.
They may not be a common issue with basenjis, but runts have to do typically with both genetic problems and failure to thrive in the uterus.
Although I did a search for basenji runts and find a lot of people saying they got the runt… sadly people call the smallest a runt when really it should be reserved for a puppy significantly smaller, not just the smallest one. Runts occur sometimes due to position in uterus, problems with placenta implant, etc causing failure to thrive in the uterus.
Many of these puppies will simply be smaller but often catch up. But it can also be genetic issues and those puppies do not catch up, some are fading pups that die in first several days, etc. Hence, they are often used by major large dog food manufacturers to make up the weight of dog food whilst keeping the prices of the dog food low. This is the main reason why pets all over the United States are getting obese.
And, ironically, this became the driving forces behind the rise of these healthy pet food startups , as their founders seek to provide their own proper and much healthier alternatives.
One other way to get your dog feeling full and not run the risk of overeating it is to get them high fiber dog foods. The high fiber content will make your dogs feel content faster and thus eat less. And since fiber does not get stored in the body like carbs do, it can be promising measure to keep your pooch's weight under control. Mathematically, eating less will reduce weight gain.
However, it can easily lead to malnourishment if your dog is not given the proper nutrition. We are talking about nutrients beyond the common proteins and carbohydrates. They include omega fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, amino acids and many more! That requires a deep understanding and a wide study in the field of pet nutrition to truly determine it; so much that it warrants a university degree.
To get the most balanced, holistic and healthiest dog foods , it is often better to leave it to the experts. Scheduling your dog's meal time will tune their stomach to become hungry only at their meal times. Combining this with the right amount of dog food given to them, it will keep your dogs from becoming hungry out of meal hours.
0コメント