Mine are rarely given bones and I'm sceptical about chicken wings as if they're from free range chicken they can splinter. Chickens reared in crates or enclosed spaces are sold for meat at a very early age when the bones are still relatively soft. These should be ok. Mine only have artificial or sterilized bones. They love Nylabones which do seem to be good for the teeth.
As someone who feeds raw, and sees fine powder poo, trust me dogs digest the raw just fine. In fact I don't give sterilized bones as so hard they can crack their teeth and I have had some very aggressive chewers. Take a flashlight and check your dog's teeth occasionally and remove hard bones if you start seeing crack lines.
Dogs eat and process far harder bones than chickenā¦ pork neck and others... Do what you feel comfortable with, but please be aware there are now masses of raw meaty bone feeders and the dogs are healthy and fine.
I personally don't do any soaking but I do ensure that mine have a good drink after their meals - I do this by using juices from their meat mixed with water and any vegetable juice available and with a drop of milk to colour it. (They each have about 6 ozs). In that way I ensure that they do have some liquid as they seldom drink unless they have a temperature. I always feel that unsoaked biscuit is better for them to crunch.
Thanks, i have already used your tip of giving her vegetable water, she loves it and it certainly encourages her to drink.
Normaly even after a good run she doesn't tend to drink a lot, i think we don't get enough hot weather 
Pat's point about Basenji's water intake and health makes me think it's certainly worth encouraging them to drink, it can certainly do no harm.
Sorry we have gone slightly off topic here but in a way it all ties in.
Yes, I agree, might seem to be off topic, however water is important to good teeth/gum health, IMOā¦..
Pat I respect what you say but I haven't had too many health problems even though mine drink very little and certainly not kidney or liver issues but then as I say I do supplement their feed with liquid.
It must make life much simpler when they do drink so much?! Mine have plenty of exercise too but even in hot (for us) weather they don't take up much water voluntarily.
Do you think the driniing (plenty or little) could be a genetic issue?
Yes slightly off topic but drinking does affect teeth too.
Debra - it's not because of the hardness of chicken legs but because they can splinter. I must admit that I do watch mine with sterilized bones and take them away if they start to break up. I feed raw without bones but know that Basenjis can thrive on raw meaty bones.
Ordered plaqueoff product from Amazon. We keep everyone posted about the progress.
LOLā¦ my girls drink all the time (of course they run and play hard... so therefore are ready to drink) and have wonderful intact of water... I have often wondered if a Basenjis lack of water intake has anything to do with health concerns later in life.... I have found that my Basenjis that from an early age have a good water intake do better later in life and found that it really does... Not that the old "you can lead a Horse to Water" doesn't hold true.. but I have found that better health for both liver and kidneys with those that have had good water intake habits early in life, has paid off later in life... this is just my opinion.....
My girls drink all the time too - when they are through eating they usually get a drink, when they play hard they stop and drink, and when they go out to pee, they usually drink when they come back in (to replace what just went out?) I've heard that Basenjis don't drink often enough, but that has not been the case with mine.
My vet is recommending a no-anesthesia cleaning for Ziggy's teeth (says he has grade 3 tartar). He's never had his teeth cleaned, that I know of, and I've never brushed his teeth. The vet has said that teeth can get infected and cause all kinds of terrible illnessesāis this really true?
The vet has said that teeth can get infected and cause all kinds of terrible illnessesāis this really true?
Yes! Infections from bad teeth can have a huge impact on overall health. You can improve the tartar situation by providing bones to chew, and/or by scaling his teeth yourself. I do this all the time with my guy.
My vet is recommending a no-anesthesia cleaning for Ziggy's teeth (says he has grade 3 tartar). He's never had his teeth cleaned, that I know of, and I've never brushed his teeth. The vet has said that teeth can get infected and cause all kinds of terrible illnessesāis this really true?
Yes, dogs like people can get very sick because that bacteria starts traveling through the system. Keep the dogs teeth clean! I brush Buddy's teeth daily with a soft tooth brush and water. He's almost 3 and his teeth are white.
I just made an appointment for his teeth cleaning. 
PLEASE DO NOT!!! The AMVA and the dental veterinary society says RUN from ANY VET advertising no anesthesia cleaning. PLEASE, find a vet who knows what they are doing! The teeth may LOOK cleaner, but the MEDICAL issue is below the gums!
http://www.avdc.org/dentalscaling.html
However, performing NPDS on an unanesthetized pet is inappropriate for the following reasons:
1. Dental tartar is firmly adhered to the surface of the teeth. Scaling to remove tartar is accomplished using ultrasonic and sonic power scalers, plus hand instruments that must have a sharp working edge to be used effectively. Even slight head movement by the patient could result in injury to the oral tissues of the patient, and the operator may be bitten when the patient reacts.
2. Professional dental scaling includes scaling the surfaces of the teeth both above and below the gingival margin (gum line), followed by dental polishing. The most critical part of a dental scaling procedure is scaling the tooth surfaces that are within the gingival pocket (the subgingival space between the gum and the root), where periodontal disease is active. Because the patient cooperates, dental scaling of human teeth performed by a professional trained in the procedures can be completed successfully without anesthesia. However, access to the subgingival area of every tooth is impossible in an unanesthetized canine or feline patient. Removal of dental tartar on the visible surfaces of the teeth has little effect on a pet's health, and provides a false sense of accomplishment. The effect is purely cosmetic.
3. Inhalation anesthesia using a cuffed endotracheal tube provides three important advantagesā¦ the cooperation of the patient with a procedure it does not understand, elimination of pain resulting from examination and treatment of affected dental tissues during the procedure, and protection of the airway and lungs from accidental aspiration.
4. A complete oral examination, which is an important part of a professional dental scaling procedure, is not possible in an unanesthetized patient. The surfaces of the teeth facing the tongue cannot be examined, and areas of disease and discomfort are likely to be missed.
Safe use of an anesthetic or sedative in a dog or cat requires evaluation of the general health and size of the patient to determine the appropriate drug and dose, and continual monitoring of the patient.
) Periodontal problems affect more than 80 percent of dogs over the age of four, according to Hometown Animal Hospital and Dental Clinic veterinarian Jan Bellows.
Need for Anesthesia and Frequency of Professional Dental Cleanings
Need for AnesthesiaIn order to perform a thorough periodontal examination, dental radiography, scaling and polishing, gingival curettage and root planing, the pet must be under general anesthesia. Anesthetic gas and oxygen are delivered through an endotracheal tube, thus ensuring pain-free procedures and also protecting the airways from aspirating fluids or debris. Owners of pets naturally are concerned when anesthesia is required for their pet. However, anesthesia-free dentistry performed by untrained individuals is inappropriate for several reasons, including:
Significant safety concerns for the patient and operator.
Insufficient cleaning of inaccessible tooth surfaces.
No debridement of periodontal pockets.
Oral discomfort and serious pain.
Accidental aspiration of debris that can result in pneumonia and death.Furthermore, it is illegal for anybody but licensed veterinarians or supervised and trained veterinary technicians to practice veterinary medicine. Although anesthesia will never be 100% risk-free, modern anesthetic and patient evaluation techniques used in veterinary hospitals minimize the risks, and millions of dentistry and oral surgery procedures are safely performed each year. The American Veterinary Dental College adopted a position statement on companion animal dental scaling without anesthesia.
Anesthesia is essential for veterinary dental procedures, to ensure that the procedure can be completed successfully.
Fear of general anesthesia is a natural concern voiced by many owners when a dental procedure is recommended. However, the risk of chronic oral infection, for example, is far greater than the risk of an anesthetic complication.
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btwā¦ have dog with CUPS, an autoimmune issue. I have to have her teeth cleaned every 3 mos. I wish I didn't know so much about it. 
