Basenji Health Endowment

Marcia Wigdahl has generously provided her painting “Jungle Dogs” and GlobalDog is donating supplies and labor for a limited edition T shirt to benefit the Basenji Health Endowment. Only 60 of these shirts will be sold and every penny goes to the Endowment.

Susan Hayek, Jones and Quiz the Basenjis and Gracie the Rhodesian Ridgeback hope that you will enjoy wearing their photo “Sleeping Sound”. All profits from the sale of this shirt will be donated to the Basenji Health Endowment.

Yodelcoasters! is a new item.  Each basenji standard color, singing their hearts out on a set of 4 drink coasters.  All funds above material costs will be donated to the Endowment.

The Basenji Health Endowment is a tool for collecting money and granting it to qualified researchers who are working on basenji-related health issues. One such issue is Fanconi Syndrome, a disorder in which the kidneys do not properly reabsorb electrolytes and nutrients back into the body, but instead "spill" them in the urine. Untreated, a Basenji with Fanconi syndrome will generally die from the disorder. If caught early and put on the treatment protocol, affected Basenjis can do well.

There has been a significant breakthrough in the Fanconi Syndrome research being conducted by Dr. Gary Johnson and colleagues at the University of Missouri.  Great news! A linked marker test with about 90% accuracy is available, just in time for the 2007 breeding season.  To arrange for testing your basenji, please read the FAQ's which tell you all you need to know and have links to the Canine Phenome Project website.  Dr. Johnson is vigorously pursuing a direct gene test; we hope this will be available very soon.  Even though the linkage test is available, donations are urgently needed to sustain the research for the direct gene test and further research into other basenji health issues. 

Once there is a direct test for Fanconi, other issues (PRA, HD, IPSID, hypothyroidism, VKH etc.) will become priorities for the next study series.

To donate directly to the Basenji Health Endowment,  please visit: Network for Good.  For more information on Fanconi Syndrome and other health issues, please visit the Basenji Health Endowment.