has anyone had issues where their dog will only eat sparingly? he'll eat treats no problem, but dog food forget it. I have tried everything, grain free EVO, Iams, nutro, petsmarts brand, he'll eat table food no problem. I don't know what his deal is?
I have to crush up treats and mix them with his food and then he'll eat but not as much as he should.
The vet is the next step.
Have you talked with Baron's breeder about his eating habits?
Sometimes we create picky eaters by catering to them. What is meal time routine for Baron? Does he have fixed mealtimes? What happens if he hasn't finished his meal after 15 minutes? Do you give between meal snacks of treats?
As long as nothing is wrong health-wise, then it may be time to establish better eating habits with a more strict routine. Decide what you are going to feed him and at meal time put down his food, if after 15 minutes he has not eaten then the food goes away until the next mealtime. If he won't eat his regular meal, don't give him treats. At the next mealtime, put down his food and he gets another 15 minutes and then pick up the food again. They may skip several meals before they get the idea that mealtimes are a fixed thing. I have one that even doing this would still leave some of his food and often was a bit skinny, that changed the day we got the second basenji who is a chow hound through and through. Even though they eat separately, he cleans his bowl every meal now.
has anyone had issues where their dog will only eat sparingly? he'll eat treats no problem, but dog food forget it. I have tried everything, grain free EVO, Iams, nutro, petsmarts brand, he'll eat table food no problem. I don't know what his deal is?
I have to crush up treats and mix them with his food and then he'll eat but not as much as he should.
The vet is the next step.
Just curious, How much activity does Baron get?
How old is Baron and when was the last time he was checked at the vet and has he had a dental check? One thing that comes to mind is teeth - perhaps he has a bad tooth…
I also agree with lvoss - about creating picky eaters by not having structure. I do controlled feeding the way that she describes.
As the previous post my first thought was Buddy's teeth. Do get him checked for that. Sometimes a Basenji is picky because he has a digestive problem and is not being fussy - I would also get that checked. What is his poo like, texture etc.?
Have you tried him on raw meat?
Sometimes we create picky eaters by catering to them. What is meal time routine for Baron? Does he have fixed mealtimes? What happens if he hasn't finished his meal after 15 minutes? Do you give between meal snacks of treats?
He is a grazer, and a messy one at that. food everywhere, he'll pick up a mouthful and drop it down and then eat the pieces he wants.
Just curious, How much activity does Baron get?
he could get more, I was involved in a car accident and have a messed up back that prevents me from doing a lot of walking so 3-4 10min walks a day. He usually gets to go to the dog park, but weather dictating. I make sure he does the B500 in the house at least twice a day.
As the previous post my first thought was Buddy's teeth. Do get him checked for that. Sometimes a Basenji is picky because he has a digestive problem and is not being fussy - I would also get that checked. What is his poo like, texture etc.?
Have you tried him on raw meat?
He's not due for the vet till May, but he's gonna go in a couple weeks if this keeps up.
Haven't tried raw meat yet.
poo is solid, no blood, could be more of it I suppose. Don't get me wrong he eats, but it's definitely not the amount he used to.
I don't get it.
maybe he not getting enough exercise and not requiring that many calories.
The fact that you let him be a "grazer" is the first clue, IMO… have set meal times... feed him and give him "X" number of minutes to eat... He eats or he doesn't... if he doesn't, you take it away till the next time to feed them. Unless they are sick.... they will not starve themselves.....
My OJ until he was 4 had horrible eating habits... sometimes he would eat, sometimes not... but I never varied in my approach... here is your meal.. you eat or wait till the next time... and I tried most of the time to never add things to try and get him to eat... you eat what everyone else eats... When he turned 4, whatever the reason.. he turned into a chow hound... before that he was always on the thin side.. but he was healthy
The fact that you let him be a "grazer" is the first clue, IMO… have set meal times... feed him and give him "X" number of minutes to eat... He eats or he doesn't... if he doesn't, you take it away till the next time to feed them. Unless they are sick.... they will not starve themselves.....
My OJ until he was 4 had horrible eating habits... sometimes he would eat, sometimes not... but I never varied in my approach... here is your meal.. you eat or wait till the next time... and I tried most of the time to never add things to try and get him to eat... you eat what everyone else eats... When he turned 4, whatever the reason.. he turned into a chow hound... before that he was always on the thin side.. but he was healthy
He's definitely healthy no doubt, I guess I'm just over concerned. We started to remove his dish and we're going to give him set feeding times. It's just weird, never had an issue till now. He just seems very dis-interested in dog food.
Unamused
Is he neutered? If not, sometimes if there is an inseason girl, the boys will go off their food. Otherwise it sounds like he's just holding out for better stuff. (In other words, he's doing a fine job of training you.)
Is he neutered? If not, sometimes if there is an inseason girl, the boys will go off their food. Otherwise it sounds like he's just holding out for better stuff. (In other words, he's doing a fine job of training you.)
He is Royalty :p that's probably what it is.
He is neutered 
He would have made some beautiful fur babies :p
Keep ya'll posted
Thanks for all the quick replies!
Mr. Skin and Bones
Can't add anything to the above except get a full vet check. If all is well, and you do the behavior things suggested, I would ask the vet for cyproheptadine. It is an antihistimine that works miracles. Sayblee was always casual about eating. She might suck something down one day, not care the next. But she got very thing finally and I reached the point of actually spoon feeding her and rubbing her throat. A friend suggested the cypro, vet said fine.. it was incredible. From the first dose, she suddenly had an appetite. About 2 yrs later when she got cancer, it was what kept her with us as long as she did because even with chemo she ate.
^^ Sorry for your loss, if you don't mind me asking what kind of cancer did Sayblee have?
double post
Do you mind if I ask what his current kibble is? Aside from EVO, the other brands you mentioned aren't generally well-rated brands – sorry if that makes me sound like a dog food snob! laugh But really, Baron may benefit from a brand with more higher quality ingredients and less filler.
I agree about structured eating time. And even if you have good kibble right now, you may want to continue shopping around for other brands of pet food, maybe try a different protein source (and transition gently so the change doesn't wreak havoc on Baron's digestive system). If you find the right one, it really can make a difference. I like Taste of the Wild, Natural Balance, and Canidae for good mid-price kibbles. Orijen, Acana, Before Grain, etc. are some more expensive (but not bank-breaking) brands you can look into. However, I don't think these are generally available in the chain stores like PetCo, PetSmart. In my area, I've been so pleasantly surprised by what I've found at the locally-owned pet stores (including prices!), that I almost never shop at chain petstores anymore.
And I also support the option of raw, if you want to run with it. We've done really well with Primal Raw, a pre-made frozen option, and other grocery store-purchased meats here and there.
Our B came to us eating a really low quality brand of kibble, and only grazed lightly, sometimes not finishing her food. Her previous owner said she was always like that... and part of her slowness may have been due to the transition process. But we didn't take long to transition her to better food, and we've had zero problem with her appetite since. 
Also check out:
Dog Food Advisor, Dog Food Chat, and Dog Food Analysis for some good info on choosing a good kibble.
I do have some foods you can fix to help your basenji put on weight.
But the free feeding is probably part of the problem.
^^ Sorry for your loss, if you don't mind me asking what kind of cancer did Sayblee have?
Sayblee had lymphoma. However, she had some auto immune issue before that we treated for over a year and 3 surgeries. We did every chemo protocol, she crashed on all of them, even just steroids (4 different types). But we gave it our all for 5 mos.
Do you mind if I ask what his current kibble is? Aside from EVO, the other brands you mentioned aren't generally well-rated brands – sorry if that makes me sound like a dog food snob! laugh But really, Baron may benefit from a brand with more higher quality ingredients and less filler.
I agree about structured eating time. And even if you have good kibble right now, you may want to continue shopping around for other brands of pet food, maybe try a different protein source (and transition gently so the change doesn't wreak havoc on Baron's digestive system). If you find the right one, it really can make a difference. I like Taste of the Wild, Natural Balance, and Canidae for good mid-price kibbles. Orijen, Acana, Before Grain, etc. are some more expensive (but not bank-breaking) brands you can look into. However, I don't think these are generally available in the chain stores like PetCo, PetSmart. In my area, I've been so pleasantly surprised by what I've found at the locally-owned pet stores (including prices!), that I almost never shop at chain petstores anymore.
And I also support the option of raw, if you want to run with it. We've done really well with Primal Raw, a pre-made frozen option, and other grocery store-purchased meats here and there.
Our B came to us eating a really low quality brand of kibble, and only grazed lightly, sometimes not finishing her food. Her previous owner said she was always like that... and part of her slowness may have been due to the transition process. But we didn't take long to transition her to better food, and we've had zero problem with her appetite since.
Also check out:
Dog Food Advisor, Dog Food Chat, and Dog Food Analysis for some good info on choosing a good kibble.
I'm learning about all the different foods available, he never had a problem up until about three weeks ago, now he just seems very dis-interested in his food??
He's been picky from the get go with his dog food preference.
I have rotated and mixed 3 different foods to give him a little bit of variety, he has an appetite because he'll eat treats and people food, so I guess I just need to get him on a schedule, which I have started.
I do have some foods you can fix to help your basenji put on weight.
But the free feeding is probably part of the problem.
Sure what foods do you recommend?
Sayblee had lymphoma. However, she had some auto immune issue before that we treated for over a year and 3 surgeries. We did every chemo protocol, she crashed on all of them, even just steroids (4 different types).
That sucks, sorry for your loss. She definitely sounds like she didn't give up without a fight!
I have rotated and mixed 3 different foods to give him a little bit of variety, he has an appetite because he'll eat treats and people food, so I guess I just need to get him on a schedule, which I have started.
Hopefully this will help improve his appetite. And if the change is a more recent, noticeable development, it'll be worth ruling out some of the other medical conditions other folks have mentioned. Best wishes and let us know how it goes!
