Health & Wellbeing

The following correspondence has been received from Dr Aine Seavers in relation to testing Basenjis for Thyroid dysfunction. A guide and best practice for testing thyroid is attached. It is suggested that owners provide this guide to their vet prior to any thyroid diagnostics.

I have had a recent run of cases being diagnosed as Hypothyroid on the basis of a low TT4. You would think after all the blood, sweat, tears and money we all poured into alerting owners and ...

Basenjis over diagnosed for hypothyroidism  – Update on Basenji Thyroid Research – Dr Aine Seavers

In 2006 research began which encompassed testing 113 Basenjis of various ages and sex including de-sexed individuals. The research concluded that Basenjis have a similar reference range for serum Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) to other dog breeds but considerably lower Thyroxine (TT4). That taken alone, TT4 levels have limited benefit in determining thyroid function. That it is essential to review the TT4 along with the TSH ...

Email from Dr Aine Seavers,

Hi All, 
It has  come to my attention from clients in general that the internet is currently pushing coconut oil as a treatment – topical and oral – for so many ailments.

This oil must not be fed to Basenjis of any age but especially the old and especially in cold weather when we are most at risk of the dogs throwing ‘strokes’ or CVAs.

Coconut oil has always been associated with hardening of the arteries and clots ...

Research recently conducted by Dr Aine Seavers on the levels of male testosterone pre and post Easter (for Basenjis in the Southern Hemisphere) has found evidence that Basenji males do have a ‘male season’ around Easter time. Of course Basenji breeders have long realised this but now there is physical blood evidence to support the theory.

The issue is that if a male is tested outside a fairly narrow range of time around the Equinox those dogs might be classified as ...

Dr Aine Seavers writes: Basenjis suffer cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) or for want of a better word to describe it “stroke-like” symptoms as they age and especially in cold weather but they recover from them. My concern is how many of these Basenjis with this condition just get put to sleep as vets think they look so bad they can’t recover. Most other breeds look like a mild drunk when they get it, Basenji look like a newborn Bambi ...