Updated 24.04.2010
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Basenji Health Information
Basenjis usually live long and healthy lives. Diseases that occur in other breeds affect also basenjis and are treated similarly. In Finland the most common cause of death in young and middle-aged basenjis is fatal trauma due to a car accident (30%). Allergic diseases, especially food allergy dermatitis, are becoming more and more common in dogs, also in basenjis. The reason for it is still unknown. Basenjis are vaccinated according to normal recommended vaccination protocols, and all the vaccines marketed in Finland can be used. Some vaccines may cause reactions at the vaccination site, but these localized swellings are usually clinically insignificant and disappear in a few weeks. Some basenjis, as other breeds, may develop a generalized reaction following vaccination, the most serious one being an anaphylactic shock. This type of reaction is dependent on the dog's own constitution. In order to avoid serious consequences it is recommended to wait eg.15 minutes after the vaccination before leaving the clinic, so that first aid, an adrenal injection, can be rapidly given if symptoms appear. Adrenalin does not impair the development of vaccine protection. No more than one vaccine/vaccine product should be given at a time to ensure good protection. The vaccination history of the dam affects the protection the puppies receive via maternal antibodies. This should be taken into account during epidemics of canine distemper or parvoviral enteritis, since puppies may need to be vaccinated earlier and more often. In Finland the incidence of parvoviral enteritis has been fairly constant from year to year, which means that there is a constant risk for a puppy to contract the disease, and thus it is very important to ensure a good protection via vaccination. Nearly all the dogs that have died of a parvoviral enteritis in Finland have been inadequately vaccinated and less than 1-year-old dogs. Basenjis also have hereditary diseases. These diseases are not typical only for basenji. Some of them are fairly common in basenjis, such as PPM and umbilical hernia, and some are rare, eg. coloboma. Short description of the hereditary forms of twelve different diseases is followed. PPM (persistent prepupillary membrane) is a fairly common, but usually clinically insignificant disorder. In PPM the atrophy of the sheet of mesenchyme, that during organogenesis streches across the face of the lens and future iris, is delayed and persistent remnants may be seen as threads across the iris or pupil. These threads may insert elsewhere on the iris or contact lens or cornea. Nowadays it is thought that the membrane is dysplastic resulting in incomplete or delayed atrophy. PPM can be diagnosed by ophtalmoscopy at a very early age eg. when puppies are 7 weeks old. Later, only cases with persistent strands, not those with delayed atrophy, can be correctly diagnosed as PPM. Rarely does PPM achieve clinical significance due to obstructed vision by high number of strands,or corneal and lens opacities. The Finnish Basenji Club does not recommend breeding when both parents are affected with PPM. Umbilical hernia is a very common developmental disorder in basenji. It develops if the umbilical ring does not close normally after birth. The hernial sac is formed by peritoneum and skin, and may contain eg. portion of omentum or a freely mobile portion of the intestine depending on the size of the ring. In basenjis it is usually small and contains only fatty tissue. Rarely is surgical correction required. PRA (progressive retinal atrophy) is another inherited ocular disease in basenjis. The exact cause and mode of inheritance is still unknown. The disease develops later in life and often obvious clinical signs, impaired vision etc., are found only in middle-aged dogs. Rods, that are for dark-adapted vision, degenerate first resulting in impaired vision in the dark. Later, also cones degenerate and also bright-light vision is impaired. Blindness can follow. PRA can be diagnosed by ophtalmoscopy, but only after the onset of the disease. Yearly examination eg. after 4-6 years of age by an ophtalmologist is required, if a certainty that a particular dog does not have PRA is to be obtained. The diagnosis can be confirmed by an electroretinogram by an experienced ophtalmologist with state-of-the art equipment. Basenjis can also have benign forms of retinal pigmentation that may be confused with PRA. Fanconi syndrome is a disease in which the reabsorption of certain nutrients such as glucose, amino acids, vitamins, phosphorus and kalium in addition to bicarbonate is impaired in kidney. Without proper treatment a metabolic imbalance and kidney damage leading to rapid impairment in general condition of the animal ensues. The first signs of polydipsia, polyuria and weight loss appear usually at the age of 4-8 years. Before the onset of clinical signs the presence of glucose in the urine can be monitored with glucose test strips. If the increase in glucose is not matched with corresponding increase in blood glucose, further tests are required to rule out or diagnose the Fanconi syndrome. The mode of inheritance is unknown but the disease is likely to be polygenic and multifactorial. Nowadays the prognosis is much better than before, since there are good protocols for managing the disease in affected dogs using itamin- mineral- and sodiumbicarbonate supplements and food with high level of good quality protein. Haemolytic anemia is a disease of red blood cells. The first signs appear at about and before 1 year of age and death follows within year or two. Typical clinical signs are loss of condition and lethargy. It is a recessive autosomal disease, in which the essential enzyme puryvate kinase is deficient resulting in impaired energy metabolism of red blood cells and their lysis. Nowadays it isa fairly rare disease all around the world. The disease can be diagnosed by analyzing the puryvate kinase enzyme activity in the blood. A DNA test that can be used to detect the carriers of the defective gene. Chronic immunoproloferative enteropathy (IPSID) is a chronic intestinal disorder that results in malabsorption, chronic severe diarrhea and loss of condition. The exact cause and mode of inheritance of this disease is unknown, and it is nowadays fairly rare all around the world. This disease, as many other inflammatory diseases, is likely to be polygenetic and multifactorial. It must be kept in mind that basenjis have also other chronic inflammatory bowel diseases that may also be influenced by the genetic background. Examination of an intestinal biopsy is required for diagnosis. The symptoms are controlled with anti-inflammatory medication ,and antibiotics for treatment of the episodes of bacterial overgrowth. Hip dysplasia is occasionally found in basenjis. In the USA the hips of basenjis used for breeding are usually X-rayed. Hip dysplasia is a polygenic and multifactorial disease, in which nutrition and growth rate are significant predisposing factors. In this developmental disorder the femoral head is imperfectly formed and the acetabulum is shallow resulting in looseness of the hip joint. A severe cripling osteoarthritis can follow. Typical clinical signs are unwillingness to exercise, lameness, stiffness of the hip joints and later, a wasting away of the hip muscles. Radiography is required for correct diagnosis. Coloboma is a congenital developmental disorder of the eye that is considered to be hereditary in basenjis. The mode of inheritance has been studied only in the Charolais cattle in which it is inherited as a dominant trait with incomplete penetrance. Thus an offspring may develop coloboma if either one of its parents carries the mutated gene. The parent may, however, not show coloboma. Basenjis have s.k. optic nerve coloboma characterized by bulging of the posterior globe. Coloboma can usually be diagnosed by ophtalmoscopy at a very early age eg. when puppies are 7 weeks old. Corneal dystrophy consists of three different types with different clinical significance. The most common type in basenjis is the epithelial/stromal corneal dystrophy characterized by gray-white opacities in the middle layer of the cornea, that are often called cholesterol crystals. The stromal dystrophy may be evident only later in life in basenjis. The opacities may progress but usually do not significantly impair vision. The other types are epithelial erosive and endothelial/posterior corneal dystrophy. The endothelial type has been described in basenjis but is farely rare in this breed. The endothelial type is often the most serious one, since breaks in the inner layer result in corneal oedema and blindness. All types of corneal dystrophy can be detected by ophtalmoscopy. Hypothyroidism is thought to be more common in basenjis than in the average dog population. The most common symptoms include weight gain, poor coat quality and reduced level of activity. The cause may be autoimmune thyroiditis. The diagnosis is based on blood tests. Cataract is an opacity of the lens that may result in blurred vision. There are many types of cataracts, some of which are hereditary. A congenital inherited cataract has been described in basenjis. It can be diagnosed by ophtalmoscopy at a very early age eg. when puppies are 7 weeks old. Epilepsy is caused by functional disturbance in brain, and it is found also in basenji. The disease is characterized by fits between which the dog is completely normal. There are many kinds of fits some with seizures, and their lenght is varies from a few seconds to minutes. Epilepsy is considered a hereditary disease in many breeds, however the mode of inheritance has proved to be difficult to determine in many breeds. The first signs of epilepsy are usually seen before the dog is five years old. The diagnosis is usually made by excluding other diseases that may cause fits. |
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