First, ty Pat.. totally agree. Someone splitting hairs about food or contaminated food simply feels a need to be right. While the acquired Fanconi disease is NOT the same as the actual disease, the symptoms are the same.
One note on the irradiationā this article makes me concerned that killing bacteria might be a benefit, but the levels used can cause serious other issues.... now I have to start reading up on that. 
And btw, nope, not from WIKIPEDIA:
http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=13936
An outbreak in dogs of acquired proximal renal tubulopathy, also known as Fanconi-like syndrome, appears to have ended in Australia since two different kinds of dog chews and treats were pulled from the market.
The kidney conditions, sometimes fatal, were associated with the feeding of chicken jerky treats made by KraMar and grain-based dental chews made by Virbac. Analysis of both products revealed no contaminants or toxicants, however.
KraMar pulled two products ā Supa Naturals Chicken Breast Strips 150G and 110G ā in December 2008, after receiving more than a dozen reports of dogs having eaten the chicken snacks falling ill with Fanconi-like syndrome.
The illness is so called because it resembles Fanconi, a usually inherited condition in which the kidneys lose electrolytes and nutrients in urine rather than resorbing them properly into the body. Symptoms include excessive drinking and urination (polydipsia and polyuria, PUPD) and glucose in urine (glucosuria). Lethargy, loss of appetite and vomiting also are common.Dr. Linda Fleeman, a senior lecturer in small animal medicine at the University of Sydney who treated some of the dogs and has tried to track down the cause, reported that 99 dogs that were fed the Supa Naturals Chicken Breast Strips had confirmed cases. They acquired the disease between August 2007 and January 2008. Five of the dogs died (some through euthanasia). For the survivors, recovery took anywhere from less than two weeks to six months.
Once the chicken jerky products were withdrawn from the market, incidence of the disease declined significantly, Fleeman said, although a few new cases this year came up, associated with KraMarās Supa Naturals Chicken Breast Bites, which retailers sold at a discount because the line was discontinued.
Then in May, several more new cases of acquired proximal renal tubulopathy surfaced that were associated not with dried chicken treats but with VeggieDents, a corn-, soy- and rice-based dental chew that had been introduced in March by Virbac through veterinarians. Virbac pulled the product from the market in Australia on June 1.
Fleeman told the VIN News Service by e-mail that she is aware of only one new case since the Virbac recall, and that was associated with a KraMar product.
Although Virbacās laboratory analysis of VeggieDents could identify no link to the disease, the company is keeping the product out of the country for the time being, said Stephane Wojtkowiak, a spokesman in Virbac headquarters in France. āThey have not scheduled yet the return of products to the shelves as Virbac Australia is willing to work closely with the local authorities to better understand the reason of Fanconi-like syndrome,ā he told VIN News Service by e-mail.
No cases of Fanconi-like syndrome have been associated with VeggieDents outside of Australia, so the product is still available in Europe, Asia and the United States.
The chews are made in Vietnam. Virbac has said that the product in Australia, unlike those sold elsewhere, is irradiated as required by the Australia Quarantine and Inspection Service.
Pet food irradiation at the levels used in Australia has been linked to neurological disease, including ataxia and tetraplegia, in cats; dogs are not known to be affected. The Australian government in late May banned irradiation of cat food because of compelling scientific evidence that the sterilization process may harm cats. How irradiation may induce toxicity is unknown.
Outside of Australia, cases of Fanconi-like syndrome occurred in the United States in 2007 among dogs that ate various brands of chicken jerky that, like the KraMar products, were made in China. Authorities were unable to identify a cause.<<<<
Second, no the issue of acquired Fanconi-like disorder doesn't in any way have any know genetic components, happens to all breeds so it does not, imnsho, have anything to do with Basenjis and fanconi DNA testing. Two very different issues. It is like the difference between someone who has red hair and someone who dyes their hair red. Looks the same but it isn't. 
Third, the FDA has stated there is no company connected. Newspapers blew the stats out of the water pointing out 3 companies with the major amt of suspected related major affected dogsā but failed to know they have a MASSIVE hold of the market. Without looking at the percentages it made it seem those 3 companies have a much higher rate when in reality, without those sales to problem stats, those numbers given are meaningless. Sensationalism and bad reporting.
Fourth, most vets who reported issues also stated there could be other causes INCLUDING simply over-feeding of the treats. NO CONTAMINATION OR CAUSES have yet been found, period.
So yeah, I do think there is an issue or that the likelihood is high enough that I have not fed China made food since last year. But there is a difference between suspecting a problem and proving it. Some of the dogs with issues may in fact be allergic to chicken or something else going on. But I'll continue to buy USA made til we know. Because while there isn't always fire where there's smoke, there generally is. And like the Australia cited above.. they never found the cause either.
