Lynn B.
@njdeb You purchase cans of pure pumpkin at the supermarket. If you live in the USA, since it is so close to Thanksgiving, you can purchase a case of canned pumpkin at Costco for a good discount.
At least Basenjis aren't too heavy. You can carry them around your neck and they won't protest, at least none of mine have.
Most difficult thing I have ever done in my life was to set my beloved tri Ella free at age 14.5. I am so very sorry for your loss.
@reneemay I am an American but for two years I lived in Geraldton, Western Australia, about 450 km north of Perth. Not much between the two places - a road house and dead kangaroos. I understand the challenges of living in (relatively) large but fairly isolated communities. Interesting times.
@reneemay Castration is likely to have little to no effect on your boy's behavior. Do not count on it helping you. Have you contacted the nearest Basenji club to you for help and advice? Not knowing which state you live in makes it difficult to to give you more information specific. There is the Basenji Club of Victoria - http://www.basenjiclubvic.org.au/ , the Basenji Club of NSW - http://www.basenjiclubnsw.org/ , the Victorian Basenji Breed Association - http://www.vba.org.au/ . These organizations could be useful in helping you find the best professionals to help you with your Basenji boy's issues.
Good luck.
AS DonC says,"the question of whether they WANT to...". I had one that after about a mile would lay down on his side and refuse to move. More than once did I have to carry that pain the butt Basenji, on my shoulders native style, home.
@malti35 Have your vet send the blood draw to Dr. Dodds at Hemopet. Very few, if any, veterinary labs run a complete analysis especially for thyroid issues. Dr. Dodds has been tracking certain breeds health issues for years, Basenjis being one of them. You will find the forms and other information at: http://www.hemopet.org/
I changed vets because, even though his in-house lab did not have the capabilities to run a complete thyroid analysis, he refused to allow me to send a blood draw to Dr. Dodds. Good luck.
I am sure that you are praising him but probably not in a way that gets his attention. I had to house train a 6.5 year old Basenji. It only took 2-3 weeks but I had to make a complete fool of myself praising him loudly and effusively. My neighbors were a little concerned about my seemingly erratic and lunatic like behavior while walking Valentino BUT he was trained quickly and completely. During those 3 weeks there were accidents in the house but I just ignored him, cleaned it up, then took him on a walk and behaved like a lunatic with compliments when he peed.
Good luck!