Health Concerns in Basenjis

The Basenji breed does have some health issues that
anyone considering this breed should be aware of before purchasing one.
Fanconi Syndrome, Progressive Retinal Atrophy and Hip Dysplasia.
Below is a brief description of each.

FANCONI SYNDROME (Renal Tublar Dysfunction)
Fanconi first surfaced in the mid-70's. Unfortunatlry, it is still affecting the breed today. Fanconi is a disorder that causes a dog's kidneys to not function properly. A normal kidney takes the nutrients back into the body and voids the waste. Fanconi causes the kidneys to void the nutrients along with the waste.
Symptoms of Fanconi include increased drinking, increased urination and weight loss. A dog in the late stages of Fanconi can not make it through the night without urinating and many urinate in their sleep.

The unfortunate problem for our breed, besides the disorder itself, is that it is "late onset" which means that it doesn't manifest until the dogs are older, typically 4 to 8 years old.

BREAKING NEWS ABOUT FANCONI
In 2007 the University of Missouri developed a Linked Marker Test for Fanconi.
Although Linked Marker Tests are not 100% accurate, any Basenji that is to used in a breeding program should be tested with this test first.
Of course any Basenji can be tested with the Linked Marker Test - but owners should be aware that the test is not 100% accurate and once the actual gene is located all dogs should be re-tested with the direct gene test.

More information about the Linked Marker Test for Fanconi can be found on the Basenji Club of America's website:
http://www.basenji.org/?q=node/63


Fanconi used to be very fatal. Thanks to the hard work of many people, if caught early, Fanconi is now a managable problem.
However, Fanconi is still a health problem and ethical breeders do their very best to breed away from it.

PROGRESSIVE RETINAL ATROPHY (PRA)
PRA is another problem that seems to plague Basenjis. In a PRA afflicted dog, the retinas slowly atrophy and
the dog eventually goes blind. Like Fanconi, PRA is a late onset health problem in Basenjis. First signs usually appear after 4 years of age, and can be detected by an eye specialist.
PRA seems to be a simple recessive in Basenjis, so if a dog is afflicted, both of his/her parents would be carriers and any of his/her offspring would also carriers.
Breeding stock should be checked annually for PRA (from age 3 or 4 through at least age 10 or 11) by a board certified Opthamologist.
When looking into buying a Basenji, ask the breeder if he/she checks eyes annually. Always ask for proof - an honest breeder won't mind the question.

PRA Today

HIP DYSPLASIA
In the first 720 Basenji hip x-rays sent to the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) for evaluation, 3.1% were found to be dysplastic. This may not seem like a signifcant number, however the number becomes more significant with the realization that most veternarians can determine that a dog is dysplastic by looking at the x-ray, so most x-rays on dysplastic dogs are NOT sent to the OFA.
Another thing to consider is that in the last 10 years 1371 Basenjis have had their hips graded by the OFA.
Of those Basenjis, 90 have be graded as "Fair" - that's over 6% - and "Fair" is just a step above displastic. If a Basenji is graded "Fair" at less then 3 years of age, they should be x-rayed again in about a year. Often the second x-ray shows hip dysplasia.

We suggest that you should deal with a breeder who x-rays all of their breeding stock and gives a guarantee against hip dysplasia. Don't be afraid to ask for proof - the OFA issues a certificate for each dog they evaluate.

And don't just ask about the parents of your potential puppy - ask about the grandparents too. There have been several cases where a dog has passed OFA's evaluation, but his mother and/or father are dysplastic and he has produced dysplastic children. Also, be concerned about dogs that were graded "fair", especially at a young age.

You can also check the OFA website (www.offa.org) for further information. They list all dogs that been submitted and have passed the evaluation. They also list abnormal results if the owner has granted permission for the information to be made public.

The Basenji Health Endowment collects money that is used to fund researchers who are looking for tests and/or cures for our various health problems. All donations are tax-deduxtable.

For more information, click the link: Basenji Health Endowment