Know you are not alone. Some Basenjis are fine in a crate. Some aren't. And some are on some days and not others. There is a lot written about crate training. You might want to look at that if you haven't. We've had success putting some food in the crate. If you do that she might view the crate more positively. Agree it's better to start early. You may have done that, and, in any event, that ship has sailed.
I suspect with a little more time she'll adjust. Sometimes a room as opposed to a crate works and they're fine. And sometimes they stay unhappy and destroy things. Just have to experiment.
Many thanks for posting. No doubt it will help others.
So sorry Elliot is having this health problem. He's lived a long and doubtless full life but that doesn't make this type of health issue easier for him or you. No doubt most on this forum can empathize. Worst part of having a dog or other animal.
I can understand your regret at not having an MRI, but it's not an easy decision to go with a procedure that he might not have tolerated well. Just as a note, where we are pets and inmates use the MRI machine before the human patients show up. So early in the morning your dog gets to sit next to some guy in handcuffs.
Not sure of your weather, but could it just be foam from heat that he's coughing up? It's usually more stringy than bile but not necessarily foamy. Should be noticeable around his mouth.
Having gotten puppies and very young adults and adult dogs, in addition to a puppy and young dog, I'd also consider an adult from a reputable breeder. Sometimes they get dogs that come back for reasons relating to the owners (for example divorce) or the owners's health. The good thing is the breeder can really tell you what to expect and not be far off. It's also a much easier process. The only downside is that medical expenses will likely show up quicker, though that isn't necessarily the case.
I agree that a relationship you form with a puppy is different than the relationship you'd form with an adult dog. However, different isn't necessarily better. LOL
I see a very sweet dog who likely has a lot of love to give. No doubt he'll need some time to adjust. It's likely he'll never be super outgoing but that's not a huge deal. We had a girl once who was timid around people (fearless with other dogs). I'd joke by telling people she had just met, and was very wary of, that she had been abused as a puppy. When they'd ask what happened, I'd tell them that as a puppy she had gotten chicken rather than beef -- which was actually the truth. The point being that some dogs are naturally less outgoing than others.
Really was never a problem. Unless you're showing, your dog doesn't need to be uber tolerant of being handled by strangers. You might want to think about using a crate. Might help keep him calm and spare you some chewing or mistakes during the adaptation period.
He looks like a handful! But very sweet and fun.
I would guess there is some Chihuahua and a short legged breed, but guessing is notoriously inaccurate. Doesn't exactly matter, and it's fun to speculate. If you really want to know a DNA test would be the best route.
Enjoy!
I think this is going to be a decision based on your personal situation rather than health concerns. We (royal we) do it when they start to stink or have gotten too dirty. That works out to be maybe six or eight times a year. Obviously what is stinky or dirty is subjective. I've never personally heard of any health issues caused by bathing too frequently. On the other hand, I've known Basenji owners with a lot of dogs who rarely bathe them. So bathe him when you think he needs a bath -- and this is going "to depend".
Just avoid harsh soap. Lots of products on the market now made especially for dogs.
Pepper sounds great and it really doesn't matter what she is. On the matter of guessing the breed from a pic or pics: Happened to see this article in the NY Times about how accurate professionals and dog lovers were in guessing breeds. Turns out not very --https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/16/science/dogs-mutts-breeds-heredity.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
Overall everyone was under 30%, which suggests that you likely need a pedigree. 
However, one dog lover got most of the dogs right.
@donc - Yes there are sites.... considered... I get my heartworm meds from Canada or Australia as I only want the heartworm med, not meds for other worms... not necessary. Just saying that in the US typically a RX from the Vet is required.
Definitely not an expert but I believe Amazon sells Drontal from Bayer without a prescription. I know that you can get Merck Panacur from Amazon without a prescription because I've done that. No idea what the situation is or how the regulations work. Maybe the prescription meds add something which triggers the requirement?
I think meds are a significant revenue driver for vets. I'm fine with that, and most of the time I just get the meds from the vet. No doubt it's more expensive than Costco but it's also more convenient. This is why I'm surprised the OP is having trouble getting a prescription. Usually the meds are freely forthcoming.
@jalex - Drontal in the US is typically only available with a RX from the Vet.
You can get it from this website which only carries non-prescription meds.
https://www.vetshopmax.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=praziquantel+dogs
There are other options with the same active ingredient.