So I think I need to get my Basenji a microchip. When outside, I always keep him on a long lead in our yard without a problem. Well I brought him to a father's day picnic with the lead. The party was outside and everything was fine until I went into the house and my family followed me. Within the five minutes my B was alone, in an unfamiliar yard, he chewed through his 1" thick collar, ran up the stairs, and frantically started scratching at the back door. I'm sooo lucky he didn't take this as an opportunity to run off. :eek: He has had some issues with separation anxiety in the past, but nothing like this. I was pretty freaked out. Without his licence or information, and not to mention how fast he can run, I fear I would never have found him.

I need to know what the best microchip brand is? What have you had success with? I've heard that some are hard for vets to read and some are not universal? I also want to make sure it can be read nationwide.

Can there be any negative side affects to the microchip?

Thanks for the input!

So I was very excited to follow everyones advice and was convinced to start adding fruits and vegetables in my Basenji's diet. Unfortunately, my B did not share my enthusiasm. The first day I scooped a bit of pumpkin onto his food. He ate around it leaving only the scoop. The next day I mixed the pumpkin in with some dry food and raw meat, he only touched the raw meat. So then I "stuffed" meat with pumpkin, like little raviolis. I got one in him before he caught on. Next came the green beans and sweet potatoes. I mushed them up and mixed them with his food. He managed to pick out every piece of vegetable pulp and politely set it in a pile next to his dish and ate all the dog food. I also tried some lettuce and was convinced he ate it until I went to vacuum and found a small pile of shredded lettuce under my couch!! I haven't given up on the idea, just need to convince the pup.

Great article and advice!! Thank you everyone. Now looks like I need a food processor and we can get started.

I want to slowly add vegetables and fruits into my Basenji's diet. However I'm not sure which ones are good for a dog and which ones to avoid? I know dogs aren't supposed to have onions. I have been told to avoid tomatoes.

Also what about concerns with allergies? I've heard dogs can be allergic to corn? Is there anything else I should watch out for?

Thanks for your help!

Barley shocked us all when we were visiting my boyfriend and he was getting an in home hair cut. Barley started eating all the hair off the ground!!! I couldn't imagine this being nutritious for him so I made him stop. It was a fight as I tried to hold him and he WANTED to eat the hair!!! Not sure what this craving was about??

Yeah. I think I have done everything to Basenji proof the house, but he always seems to come up with something I never thought of. I guess that's how you learn. Luckily he wasn't hurt… well maybe just his ego.

Oh the mini blinds are always open. I only close them on really cold winter nights. I think he got stuck on the string that hangs from them and pulled the whole thing off the window.

My B is always good when I leave him home alone. He is free to run around the whole apartment and we never have an issue. Until now. I came home and couldn't get my front door open. Something was in the way. So with a little shove I got in and found the mini blinds from my bedroom on the ground blocking the door to my kitchen. I was super confused. As I walked down the hall there was a path of destruction: shelves were knocked over, pictures were on the ground, knickknacks every wheres but there was no Basenji.

I was still a little confused and slightly worried. I called and called but no B. I started rushing through the house panicking. I finally found my B downstairs under my living room couch. He absolutely refused to come out. He was shaking and all the hairs on his back was standing on end. After much coaxing I got him to come out and he jumped right into my arms and wanted to be held. :p

The best theory I can come up with is that B was looking out the window watching the cats walk through the woods behind my apartment. (A typical way he spends his time) Somehow he must have got stuck in the string of the mini blinds. Pulled them off the window and freaked out as he tried to get them off of him knocking over everything in his path. I don't think he got out of his tangle until he reached the kitchen. Then freaked out from freight and hid downstairs until it was safe.

Mini blinds: 1 Basenji: 0

Barley sleeps in my bed. He sits on my pillow and paws at the blankets until I lift them up for him. Then he crawls under and sleeps at me feet. Not quite sure how he breathes under there?? Any time I move in the night he makes sure to scoot over so we are still touching.

Thanks Guys. Hiding it in a piece of beef is working today. I did the three pieces sneaking it in the middle one technique. We will see how long it takes him to catch on.

Help. My Basenji is on the 8th day of a 10 day antibiotic and he has completely given up the idea of taking his pills. The first 5 days went smoothly. I would put it in his throat and rub his neck till he swallowed. Now he clams up and wont let me open his mouth. He's never tried to bite me but keeps his mouth locked shut. Then I mixed the pill into some beef, thought I was being sneaky, but he picked it out and left it on the ground. So next I broke open the pill and mixed it into his favorite yogurt. That worked for a day but now he smells the yogurt first and won't touch it if he can smell the pill. (They smell is pretty strong). He is outsmarting me and I know the importance of fully finishing an antibiotic. We only have 2 more days, but I'm running out of ideas. Anyone found any tricks to get your B to take medicine?

My Bungwa is definitely a non-chewer but he is a jumper and climber and will fetch things down for Spring and Gbala to chew!!

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Sounds like my B. He likes to climb and jump on furniture when i'm not looking. Then he finds something he knows he shouldn't have and brings it to my boyfriend's Boston terrior/bulldog mix for her to destroy. Then he comes and paws at me to get my attention and to let me know she is destroying something. Almost seems like he tries to get her in trouble then rats her out for it. :rolleyes:

My B went through a brief period of separation anxiety when we moved. He manged to do quit a bit of damage in the first two weeks of the move. The first time I left was the worst. It took some time and patience but we made it through. He was not left alone for the first week and then I slowly left for short periods of time. I found that he seemed more stressed if I stood outside and he could hear where I was but not get to me. My landlord would listen to hear him when I left. She reported he would whimper and pace but would calm down within five minutes. My only concern still is that he will not eat unless I am home. Good luck!

Got to love the quirks!! They wouldn't be the same without it. B-Man lets me know when he needs water. He brings me the water dish and sets it on my lap, then hits me until he gets attention. I've even woken up with the dish on top of me. =)

My Basenji and I have has the same issues. Some times his separation anxiety can get pretty bad. I found the best thing is just to figure out what makes the dog feel comfortable. I tried keeping him in a crate but he would flip the crate till the lock came undone. When I locked the crate with a pad lock I came home to a bloody dog. I gave up the crate and he was fine being left alone in the house. I thought our troubles were over until I moved into a new place. Then we had two weeks of full fledge anxiety again. I came home to shredded carpets and drapes. =( He finally became comfortable with his new surroundings and we haven't had issues since. Hopefully I won't have to move any time soon!

Thanks Guys! I made a post in the feeding section with Barley's eating behaviors. Everyone has been really helpful. I'm glad I joined!

Thanks guys. This is all very helpful. Barley drinks a lot of water, and if his water dish ever gets empty he brings it to me and plops it on my lap. =) I just started adding water to his food to help too.

What kind of vegetables should I be giving him? Like carrots and potatoes? I was feeding bacon to help him gain weight, but now he is back where I like him to be. I was giving him cheese to help with calcium because I heard that calcium needed to be supplemented with Taste of the Wild dog food.

Barley doesn’t have a crate. We tried it for awhile but he tends to freak out in small spaces or when he gets stuck in a room. I just let him roam during the day and he is content and doesn’t do anything wrong.

Does anyone use the Purina FortiFlora Probotic with your dogs? Do you think it helps?

Also I thought it was recommended that you wait to test for Fanconi until the dog was 3 years old? Barley won’t be three till November. Should I get him tested sooner? I was told it was late onset so not to test him as a puppy.

My Basenji is a male named Barley. He is almost three years old. B has had digestive issues his whole life. It took about two months to switch him from puppy food to an adult formula. We have had numerous issues with diarrhea and/or his stool being to hard. I have been to different vets and they seem to vary in their knowledge of the breed and the problems he is having. I am getting conflicting information and I'm just interested in getting my dog healthy to the point where we don't have so many problems.

I first took Barley to the vet with concerns about his frequent diarrhea. When we would walk his first stool seemed fine and then after that the diarrhea would start. The vet seemed knowledgeable, ran a series of test and recommended I put him on a half a packet of Purina FortiFlora Probotic a day.
This helped clear up our diarrhea issues.

Now six months have gone by and he is having trouble with his stool being to hard. He pushes too hard and this week he prolapsed part of his rectum. I was out of town, and the vet this time did not seem to know the breed at all. She shunned the fact that I give him raw meat. She did not know about Fanconi or any disease related to the breed. She told me to get him off raw meat and put him on a Rx dog food.

I currently feed Barley twice a day. He gets raw meat in the morning in the form of beef, steak, or bacon. He gets Taste Of The Wild at night with yogurt and his Probotic on it. I have also added in a tablespoon of pumpkin this week to help soften his stool. He also eats a slice of American cheese a day for his treat after walks.

This is my first dog and I want to give him the best I can. I'm just not sure I'm doing it right. And answers seem to be varying. I would truly appreciate any help you can give.

Hi,

I am a first time Basenji owner. My pup is named Barley and he is almost three years old. He is a cutie pie, but has had minor issues with his digestive system. I feel like I keep getting mixed information on what to feed him and what is best for him. Not all vets seems to know about Basenji's and I am getting frustrated. I just want whats best for him so I'm joining forums to get advice from those who have had the same experiences. I also love seeing everyones pictures of other Basenji. =)

Amy