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Hints on Feeding

Basenji Feeding
  • IMO, a premium quality food would be the best to feed any animal.

  • True, Sharron, a high quality food that has all the nutrients needed would probably have thrilled Tudor-Williams!

  • I feed Kahirah a raw meat diet: 80% meat/10% bone/ 10% organs. Her coat is so soft and teeth so white I just love it. I started with my Lab over 3 years ago with much success even my vet says my girls look great.

  • There are some of us over here who still feed as Veronica Tudor Williams advised!! (Fewer and fewer now I must admit!) I actually nowadays feed a variation but at once I rigidly kept to her advice (probably because we were usually then fostering 'of the Congo' dogs for Veronica).

    The 'biscuit' was a wholemeal type of dog biscuit (kibble, I think you call it - I stand to be corrected).

    I've never fed my Basenjis on potatoes purely because Veronica said no, all those years ago. Actually it's one of the things I never questioned (perhaps because I never eat potatoes myself!!) Actually potatoes can in certain circumstances be poisonous but I'm not sure if they are still so if cooked).

    My Basenjis have milk too but usually only at shows when they refuse anything else. I give them a milky flavoured drink too after their meals as they only drink water during the day if they are unwell or it's very hot and then only very small amounts.

    Not meaning to jump in your post, Curlytails, but while we're on food, does pumpkin freeze? This is the only time of the year that I can purchase pumpkins here so I thought I'd buy some and cook and freeze them.

  • Patty, she does present an enviable pedigree history in that book. You must be quite proud to have such a connection to Basenji breed foundation. =)

    When I say kibble, I mean pretty specifically commercially manufactured, dry crunchy dog food in little, mostly uniform pellets. Which is something most dog owners practically take for granted right now! That's why it's fascinating for me to see what was recommended before kibble was the presumed diet for most dogs. I love the DIY home-cooked approach, though the necessity of time means I can't usually offer that to my dogs.

    I think potatoes with green skins are considered poisonous (as mentioned above!). I cook plenty of sweet potato for my dogs (baked, then scraped out of the skin and mixed into meals). I read somewhere that they're qualitatively different carbohydrate sources though.

    I haven't had consistent success with my basenji and raw meat. She does well with fowl (I've given her turkey, chicken, duck with success), though she still has trouble with bone – like with drumsticks she'll give up about halfway through, though she'll pull off all the meat. She just turns her nose up at red meats like beef or lamb. I don't know if those smell too "gamey" for her or what. Haven't tried raw rabbit... Because she doesn't get raw meat on a regular basis, I haven't balanced out the proportion of meat/organ/bone. If I ever get a grinder (and more time), that's something I'll look into -- though at the same time, I've been moving towards less meat in my own diet!

  • –-Raw meat give my Keoki diarrhea, so it is a very special treat and only in very small amounts. No way I'd try to give him a raw diet! What a mess that'd be, LOL.

    And Patty -- YES, Pumpkin freezes just fine. I cook and freeze pumpkin for my own cooking purposes every year!

  • Thank you - I'll buy several now then - pumpkins are usually only popular here as the time comes up to Halloween and so difficult to obtain at other times.

    I've never had any diarrhea trouble with raw meat, in fact it seems to firm up the poo - I suppose the stomachs adapt to what they're mostly fed.

  • Raw meat should not cause diarrhea, i give puppies as young as 7 weeks raw chicken wings. :)

    The latest research isn't finding that dogs fed raw are statistically healthier than those on kibble. I think they aren't looking hard enough. :) But they also found none of the dire warnings vets issues.

    Here is the thing… it takes thousands of years for animals to change on a molecular basis that would prevent dogs from being able to use and eat raw food. Dogs ate wildlife, rats, mice, rabbits, whatever, until really less than 100 years. They are still pretty much exactly biologically like wolves.

    You want to feed high quality kibble, I don't agree with "raw only" folks you are hurting your dog. But I do think raw is wonderful and I'll continue to feed raw.

    Potatoes

    Potato poisonings among people and dogs have occurred. Solanum alkaloids can be found in green sprouts and green potato skins, which occurs when the tubers are exposed to sunlight during growth or after harvest. The relatively rare occurrence of actual poisoning is due to several factors: solanine is poorly absorbed; it is mostly hydrolyzed into less toxic solanidinel; and the metabolites are quickly eliminated. Note that cooked, mashed potatoes are fine for dogs, actually quite nutritious and digestible.

  • Patty, if you roast the pumpkins and freeze the pulp they keep, according to 'experts' approximately six months. The smaller pumpkins may be more work, but I like them better. They don't have the strings in them the large pumpkins do. And they don't turn into mush as easily. They stay a little firmer.

    My boxer could not handle the raw diet, but I tried the others on it and they did great. It's very expensive though and you really have to think out your plans if you travel or have a busy life.

  • Nom, if you buy in bulk and freeze, raw isn't really expensive. I can get chicken backs at about 29 cents a pound!

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    we still have "butchers" here in Australia. these are usually local shops, that sell meat. After they have cut up the large sides of beef, they are left with some bones. The bones you are after are the breast bone, which is usually discarded as waste, but is good for dogs. Get them to cut the bone (which is about 1 metre (about 1 yard) long), into the size that is good (mine are cut into chunks about 7.5cm (about 3 inches)) or whatever size you want. The cutting is done on a bandsaw so no effort on their behalf. The advantage is that there is no debris left for the motor mower to fling at your windows, or for insects to settle on. Even at the supermarkets there are some to be had, but find out from the meat section when they get deliveries. You will pay more at the supermarkets, but you should not pay more than necessary.
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    @basenjibratz: The only one that checks to see what's going on in the kitchen is Talker. When he hears me picking up the bowls and putting the kibble in it, he'll come into the kitchen. You're lucky - I have to comment now because it's been a few nice days lately, where the humidity is low and I have the windows open. I have been putting doggies outside when preparing their food. I try ever so slowly to open the lazy-suzan to get clean bowls, then quietly as possible to open the cupboard door and slide out the tray where the food is kept. They HEAR it!! It's amazing! Next thing that goes on is them squabbling on the deck pawing on the doorwall glass. Well, I'm glad they're not at my feet doing this. I let them in when bowls are in crates and they FLY to their places. Geesh!! They're not starving, they're very well fed with 2 meals a day and add treats…it's their thing, I guess. So young though. I hope they cool it in due time. Not hoping for them to get old, because I go along with them in time, but hoping for a little mellow.