This is my "little man" Buddy:

And my beautiful angel girl, Sally:

I'll have to get some better pictures loaded of Daisy…

Forgive me folks…I think I'm hypersensitive and over stressed about all this.

To give you some additional background, as I mentioned in my OP, I've had basenji's in my life for over 20 years. Things they do that are 'unique' or 'special' have become commonplace to me. Which is kinda sad.

When I met my now husband, it was hysterical watching him learn about 'senjis. One of his first experiences was the escape artist....Buddy. My husband spent hours building a very functional (but not exactly attractive) kennel for the three dogs. It had to be big enough to comfortably fit Daisy (the golden mix) and I wanted separate spaces for each of them. But they needed to be able to see each other (I knew Buddy had separation issues). I also warned him about the Houdini quality that every senji has.

He planned, he built...he was diligent. And it was sturdy (if not downright industrial)!

It took Buddy about an hour to get out of it. He chewed through a 2x4.

I laughed.

My husband was determined to out-smart Buddy. So he fixed and fiddled and proclaimed that the new kennel was Buddy-proof. I smiled.

It took Buddy about 30 minutes to get out. He managed to bend the steel wire stuff.

I laughed.

Still determined, my husband tried again. This time he used 1/4" lexan panels for the doors on Buddy's section. He assured me this was going to work. I smiled again.

It actually took Buddy about an hour to get out of that. He escaped into Daisy's section and bent the wire to get out HER door. Daisy was still in the kennel.

I laughed.

My husband discovered a new appreciation for basenjis!

After adopting Buddy and Sally, I served as a BRAT volunter/adoption coordinator for about two years. I did a couple of home visits and helped a couple of dogs find permanent homes and foster homes. I think one of the folks I visited is still fostering in my area.

I have also served as a moderator on a dog related message board and that was quite a learning experience!

Anyway, right now my primary concern is getting Buddy in as good health as I can get him. I've been lurking around some of the other boards here and there is so much information. I hope that I can contribute something of value here!

And tanza...do I have to actually cook fish for that diet?!?!?!:eek: ewwww! LOL

I do appreciate all the warm thoughts and ideas and opinions. We all know that senjis are not just a unique breed...they really are very much individuals. What works for one may not work for another, but it might!

Your posts and ideas are very much appreciated!

Perhaps I misunderstood her intent, but she was clear on the 'no chicken' thing.

Of course, I was pretty upset when I talked with her (having just gone through losing Sally in August and now facing the possibility of losing Buddy too) so it's entirely possible that I didn't catch everything she said.

I don't like the quality of Hills' foods but at this point I'm much too scared to try to figure it all out on my own just yet. I'm afraid somehow I'll make a wrong choice and forever wonder if I've killed my dogs.

Thank you very much for posting that information. I will talk again with my vet when we see him next week.

LOL!!!

That is funny!

My husband and I always laugh when Buddy gives us the cold shoulder.

His highness doesn't like being rebuffed!

Hope is one pretty little girl!

That was cool!!! LOL!

Our Sally, poor thing, was never really much for playing. I think someone 'trained' it out of her or something

Anyway, when she did try to play, she made some pretty funny little moves!

Those are great!!!

Your little boy is adorable!

@tanza:

I was just wondering because of them both having diabetes…. while we do see it in Basenjis, it has not been all the common, but seems we are hearing about it more and more.

I understand that feeling. And at this point, I'm seriously having a guilt complex as though I may have done something to bring this on them both…or that Buddy somehow managed to catch it from Sally! (I know that's not possible.)

Sometimes I wonder if the increased occurences of diabetes in dogs is mirroring the increase in (type 2) diabetes in people. Seems as we humans gain weight sometimes so do our canine companions. There might be a bit of a link there, but who knows.

@DebraDownSouth:

I cannot recommend a raw or predominately protein diet strongly enough for diabetic dogs. My friends who switched to raw or mostly protein have had the best luck with controlling and managing their dog's diabetes. Sadly it is more and more common in Rottweilers so I know quite a few with it.

Right at this moment, because of Buddy's elevated liver numbers, protein is not recommended. (Since he's been so picky lately, I asked the vet if I could feed him boiled chicken and rice and her response was "please don't ask his liver to work any harder than it is right now" )

Once we get the liver and glucose numbers settled (and this $$$$ bag of prescription food is gone), we will re-evaluate things. My husband hates when I do that. Our vet said that with picky eaters who are also diabetic, sometimes it's better to eat some of the "wrong" stuff than none of the "right" stuff.

I'm a huge proponent of quality food, but I'm also living more or less paycheck to paycheck.

Our other dog, Daisy, has typical golden skin problems so we've been feeding her a grain free diet.

I guess all that is to say, I'm not really sold on the raw diets (sorry). Generally I stick with foods that are more or less human grade, and I try to make sure they have never been on a recall list (Wellness, Merrick, Innova, Nature's Variety, Canidae).

I DO appreciate the recommendation though, I know you all only have the best in mind for us! I too have heard many folks (I also belong to a K9 diabetes forum) have success with more "personalized" diets.

And LindaH…that's interesting about the vaccinations! I'd never heard about that connection before. I'll have to see if I can find that book at our library!

@tanza:

Dr Gonto will always respond…. to owners, vets, anyone..... There are other things in the protocol, like the bi-carb that you would not want to give a dog with diabetes... so yes, please review with your Vet.

Was he checked for sugar in the urine? A fanconi dog will have sugar in the urnine, but not in the blood, so sounds like it is diabetes.

Just wondering, do you know if the two were related?

LOL! The bi-carb part of the protocol was one of the things I was not comfortable in doing myself anyway and the biggest reason I wanted to get my vet's input.

Initially, we had bloodwork done on Buddy last Thursday. His liver values were what needed immediate attention, but I noticed his blood glucose was high as well. At our follow up yesterday, they tested his urine.

I don't believe they were related. Aside from the 2 year age difference (which obviously isn't necessarily a guarantee), I think Buddy was from the Carolinas and I think Sally was originally from Texas. BRAT's records weren't that clear on them…and that was more than eight years ago.

Thanks for the welcome everyone!

Buddy is about 10 (don't know his exact age) and while my vet and I are both aware of fanconi, Buddy has not been tested.

When Sally was diagnosed I got in touch with Dr. Gonto and was amazed that he actually RESPONDED!!! LOL. He's a very nice man and very concerned about the breed.

Because of Buddy's age and his blood glucose being high, we're pretty sure it's diabetes.

Thanks for that link nobarkus, I may go ahead and get Buddy screened anyway. I'll see about ordering the kit when I get home tonight.

We just switched Buddy's food (abruptly because we were so concerned about his liver elevations) to Royal Canin Hepatic L/S (dry) and Hills l/d (canned). Buddy is an extremely picky eater and he likes variety. What he ate for breakfast he may not eat for dinner. And what he ate for dinner he may not eat for breakfast next morning. He seems to tolerate the liver diet well so we're not messing with it until we have to.

We started insulin at 5units last night. He'll start at 5units twice a day.

We still had all the stuff from Sally. And both Buddy and Daisy still eat on the schedule we set up to manage Sally's diabetes. So the adjustment most folks have to deal with, we've already been used to.

Buddy will go in next week for the glucose curve to begin to get him regulated on the insulin.

In addition, because Dr. Gonto's protocol seemed to me to be mostly vitamins and supplements, I want to take it in to my vet. I see no reason Buddy can't do that even if he doesn't have fanconi, and it should have no effect on the diabetes I would think. We'll see what the vet thinks.

It's hard to always find a vet that is knowledgeable about the breed. Sometimes you have to find a vet you have trust in and who seems to have the best interests of your pet in mind. Our vet is an "extended" friend (his wife and I scrap-book together sometimes) so I am very comfortable with him. He tried so hard to help our Sally.