Change in eating habits in senior b

[PhocoenaGirl]

Hi forum folks,

I have a 12 1/2 year old basenji Beegin who now seems to be hungrier than he used to be. He's fanconi negative and hasn't really every had any previous health problems. Lately, he has been begging for a 3rd meal when he previously was good with and sometimes didn't even finish 2 a day. He's even taken to trying to get into the plastic container where I keep the food which he never used to do. And when a B is determined to do something, as you all know, he won't give up.

I give him a full 1/2 cup of grain free 4 health kibble twice a day topped with something extra (a spoon of plain yogurt, a hardboiled egg etc). I've fed this for several years now. He's about 26 lbs right now. I also haven't seen any change in his water intake or peeing either.

My question is if anyone has experience with an older dog suddenly changing eating habits like this. Or a possible disease condition?

There's two main things different we've recently changed is I switched the brand of CBD Oil for my other dog who had arthritis in his hips. This new brand has made a dramatic change for my beagle in reducing his pain and difficulty with stairs. I also found out about the risks of Trifexis so I have switched the guys back to Heartguard and an essential oil based flea and tick repellent.

I would love anybody's input.

[tanza]

The first suggestion would be to see a Vet and have a full blood workup done.

[DebraDownSouth]

When a dog is suddenly hungry, I suspect cancer. It usually isn't, but that's my fear factor. Get a vet check and full panel, including thyroid.

CBD Oil... most of what is sold is junk. Do some research on brands.

Essential oils are poisoning many dogs. Please look at the ingredients and check online for RESEARCH sites... not folks who sell and push it. I don't see any with side effects of hunger, but ask your vet.

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/essential-oil-and-liquid-potpourri-poisoning-in-dogs

[Dagodingo]

@phocoenagirl I agree that you need a blood panel, my first B developed diabetes. The first sign of which was excessive thirst. We took him straight for bloodwork and they diagnosed it.

Anything out of the ordinary, with an older Basenji especially, could easily be the first sign of a health problem. Getting to the vet and diagnosing the problem is very likely to help.

[dmcarty]

after a vet check conspider Canine Senility. add Bright minds as a food OR add a source of Medium Chain Triglycerides like coconut oil.

[Kembe]

My Kembe is 13 and her eating habits have changed in the past 6 months. I use to give her 3/4 dry kibble and 1/4 wet food - it is now reversed. I mentioned this to her vet in February @ her visit and he stated that the change was actually good because as she ages her kidneys need more water. I also use to have to feed her with a PUZZLE BOWL - which took her longer to eat - I no longer have to use the PUZZLE BOWL - she eats slow enough now. She still eats twice a day @ the same time and I measure her food. However she does get several snacks during the course of the day. But she maintains her weight of approximately 22-23 lbs. She is walked 3-5 miles per day - weather permitting.

[Nora Mayfield]

Check the calorie count on the kibble bag. It's not uncommon for a manufacturer to reduce the calories in a product without publicizing the change.

[wiggle]

Watch their vision. Our last dog got SARDS & that was the first sign we missed, more than normal hunger & thirst. I don’t believe that Basenji’s are prone to getting SARDS but our Pomeranian unfortunately was.

[Zande]

I've never had to vary the diet in older dogs - and over the years have had many, often several at one time - only change is they've tended to drink more which has sent me running for the vet 'in case'.

So I agree to get full bloods done, read the labels on all the cans and dry food you are giving.

The amount you are giving him seems slim. I am trying to visualise half a cup of kibble. Grain free is good and feeding twice a day is good too. I've always done it. For one thing it helps control their weight and as pets breaks up the day and gives them something to look forward to !

My current old people share five big handfuls of kibble and half a can of Pedigree Chum for breakfast between the two of them and then a lighter supper of the rest of the can of chum and 3 - 4 handfuls of grain-free. He gets the lion's portion. They get a Meradog biscuit (hard tack !) when they come in from their run in the woods and occasionally a vegetable or two if I've cooked too much. If your half cup sounds less than this, maybe you should increase quantities but ask the Vet and have bloods done.

[PhocoenaGirl]

@nora-mayfield I never thought of that! Thanks so much will do.

[PhocoenaGirl]

@dmcarty Thanks. I forgot to mention that as one of the "something extras" that I give with his food. I just haven't been doing it every day. I can increase how often I add that. Any idea about how much he should have in his diet? I usually just put a glob about the size of a quarter when I have added it to the food.

[PhocoenaGirl]

@debradownsouth Thanks I did just that in order to get to the one we've got now which has made the huge difference for my beagle! The other two brands I had gotten did basically nothing so you are right to suggest people look deeply into it.

I mean Brady went from not being able to jump up on the sofa and having to use his doggie steps to get on/off the bed to now, he often dashes past me on the house stairs and up into the bed beating me even into the room. I will have to post the brand later cuz it's with their food and I can't remember the brand name at the moment.

I will do some additional work on the essential oil stuff though. I'm just a little stymied though if this essential oil product is bad too. Trifexis is has caused many owners problems and my previous vet in Michigan switched us to that from Frontline because she said fleas were getting immune to it reducing it's efficacy. What's left? We're in humid N. Carolina and they just can't go without. It's parasite heaven here.

[PhocoenaGirl]

Thanks everybody for the input!

[wizard]

My "aging" dogs are fed TasteOfTheWild kibble topped with a bit of wet food (variety of good brands) or a raw medallion (duck or pheasant) and with a fair amount of water so its kind of soupy (vet suggestion). Their weight hasn't changed and my vet is very happy with their condition. He also does a CBC every year on them for monitoring purposes, which I'm happy about.

I'm real skittish now with essential oil usage. A couple of friends who are into that got me started using them on my dogs but mine started having bad reactions (Teddy's allergies went berserk and he scratched off a lot of fur before I got it under control again). I do use a botanical flea/tick spray but even there one has to be very careful - I tried one that had cedar and cinnamon oil in it and it caused weird shedding and scratching.