Basenjis And Coloboma Issues

Over recent years the Basenji has become a popular breed to own as a pet outside of their native Africa which is hardly surprising because they boast really sweet, kind natures. In general, the breed is known to be pretty healthy, although they are prone to suffer from a condition that affects their eyes known as Coloboma.


Coloboma is a genetic health disorder that affects a dog's eyes and in particular the iris, lenses, retinas, optic nerves and eyelids which do not develop as they should. Puppies inherit the condition from their parents although just how they inherit the disorder is not yet fully understood. The Basenji is more prone to develop the condition although the good news is that it if they do, the condition does not get any worse as dogs get older.


Assessing Puppies Eyes


Vets recommend that Basenji puppies have their eyes assessed when they are 9 weeks old to establish whether or not they have inherited the condition from their parents. However, it can prove quite challenging for vets to make a correct diagnosis because of the unique shape of a Basenji's eye. All too often test results come back as false positive which can confuse the issue. As such if a vet suspects a dog does have Coloboma, they would recommend having a second examination carried out by a veterinary ophthalmologist who is familiar with the shape of a Basenji’s eyes and the condition.


A Brief Description of Coloboma


When a Coloboma develops on a dog's eyelid, it looks very much a notch has been taken out of the lid. This results in a dog's eye twitching and very often they water a lot.


Colobomas when they develop on a dog's iris on the other hand, result in the iris being a strange shape and this tends to make dogs very sensitive to any sort of bright light although it does not generally affect their vision in any way at all.


Basenjis and herding dogs like the Australian Sheepdog and Collie are more prone to suffer from the condition than other breeds,