Skip to content

Having trouble getting your basenji to eat their food?

Basenji Talk
  • First of all, not all dogs like the same food and your Nano may just not care for the food.

    On occasion Jazz will refuse to eat for a day or so. I will flavor up her food then – a little broth or egg or cottage cheese, whatever I have handy -- just a bit. I can do that for a meal or two and she'll eat okay, then I cut out the flavoring and she eats her kibble just fine.

  • @etzbseder:

    Are you sure it's a basenji? 20.1kg is too heavy for a basenji. Medjai is a light basenji (also a little short) and he only weighs about 8.1kg. I think standard for a male should be about 11.3kg.

    He will eat if he's hungry enough, just do the best you can with picking something he'll like based on what the rest like and he'll eat it in time. If the vet says that nothing's wrong, go with it. It'd help if you could post pictures.

    Yeah, that does sound HUGE….like almost double the accepted weight for a male Basenji. Must be a mix with something. Can't wait to see pictures.

  • We feed Tupper Blue Buffalo with the life sources bits. He loves it. On special nights try adding a little pumpkin to the dry food. Make sure you get real pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling and add NO MORE then a tablespoon. Anymore then that the dog with have a bathroom problem. As soon as we put the pumpkin mixed food down Tupper goes crazy, it's so cute

  • The vet told me that he is to thin.I found an absessed in his mouth, took him to see the vet and now everything is fine.He started to eat a bit more then usually but not like my other 2 dogs.There are 3 bowls for each dog but i place it far apart from each other and they eat in peace.Thenk you so much for everything.

  • Every morning and evening they will get some extra with their food but i know that Nano loves and going crazy if i pour some meat flovour soup over his pellets. He doesn't like to share his food but that's okay, i never share my food not even with my kids or husband.I put a red light in their kennel so they can sleep warm during the night in the winter because Nano easily get cold and the he doesnt want to play but i understand it's too cold outside so he would rather snuggled. Oh, i LOVE MY NANO>

  • @wizard I have tried that no luck, so left food out all day no luck. he will eat SOME food at night when I put him in it for bedtime. I hate to see him go with out food for so long. we are on our 6 food still no luck.

  • @badbasenji - Should be feeding on a schedule not free fed... NOTE that they will NOT starve themselves unless sick.... give them 10 minutes to eat and then take it away until the next feeding time. If they are hungry they will eat.

  • @tanza
    While I agree that is almost always true, it is not absolutely. You can say "must not know where the sickness is"... but I have personally know known of a dozen for whom no medical issues were found that WOULD hold out until skeletal.

  • @debradownsouth - People should always first have a health check on their pets if there is a problem..... obviously

  • Check for a cracked tooth.

Suggested Topics

  • Getting a basenji, but...

    Basenji Talk
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    3k Views
    M
    on the heat of the sun???? Basenji love the heat. If you had a fireplace, it will be within inches of the hot logs.
  • Thinking of getting a Basenji

    Basenji Talk
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    4k Views
    C
    I have a general question. Does anybody elses Basenji not like to be picked up. Ours sometimes loves it, and sometimes not. Also sometimes she runs up to dogs as quiet as can be and plays, and than other times she makes a squeeling noise, and people are afraid she is picking a fight with their dog. But I think shes just talking. She squeels at our new Whippet puppy, and loves to play with her and is as gentle as can be, considering the Whippet puppy is really rough on my poor Basenji baby girl. does anyone know what the squeeling means. The baroo I get she does that all the time. The squeeling is confusing.
  • Interested in getting a Basenji… maybe

    Basenji Talk
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    2k Views
    nomrbddgsN
    There are some breeders out your end of the Country that could probably help you out. Cheryl Myers Eggerton is a Judge and also a breeder, she is in Minto NB and has Connamore B's, Simone Guadet (Beaubri) is on PEI, Valerie Rodger (Miloki) is in Beaver Bank NS. I have two that I can leave out without issues, and two go in the crate when I am not home. It is all dependant on the dog. But, like Anne states, puppies are a lot of work and sometimes the older dogs, young adults and retired show dogs are the better ones to start with. You can find all of the above on the Basenji Club of Canada website under breeders. At least with Val, you could probably visit her since she is in NS directly. Let us know how it goes,
  • So what did your Basenji eat today?

    Basenji Talk
    13
    0 Votes
    13 Posts
    3k Views
    ComicDom1C
    @Nemo: how weird. Nemo tried to eat off his martingale collar today. He only wears it when his leash is on. Luckily it is still usable. Glad to hear Roo is well. Thanks Nemo, We strongly suspect that the Vet or Vet Tech loosened his collar when they took it off before his Neuter. When the Vet Tech put his collar back on him, they neglected to check it for proper fit and we never thought about the possiblity that hit had been loosed, so we did not bother checking the fit. We bought Roo a new Red Martingale Collar the other day and I made sure it properly adjusted. I can just get about 2 fingers inside it. It does not hang down where the leash connects so we do not see anyway he can get any part of the collar in his mouth or lower Jaw. We have been watching him the last few days and we now believe it is a non-issue. What we did learn is that when we do take him to the Vet, we need to make sure his collar is properly adjusted when we pick him up. I am sure we would be much safer taking his collar off when we are home, but from what I see if the Martingale Collar is adjusted properly it's no longer a problem or concern. So we will chalk this experience up to owner error. Most likely it was mine for overlooking and not checking the collar after we picked Roo up from the Vet. Jason
  • Considering getting a Basenji

    Basenji Talk
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    lvossL
    Yes, early socialization and positive experiences is the best way to go. I think the most important thing about puppy kindergarten is that it is positive based and focuses on socialization with both people and dogs. Some basenji don't necessarily do well with the small dogs and other love them. Sophie was always the best with the new pups of any size in her puppy class, she just had phenomenal dog language and would make herself as small as possible and go at their speed. What you want to be careful about is people who have already formed a preconceived notion of basenji behavior. My mom's first puppy class instructor always expected her boy to be aggressive even though he never showed any aggression and was always very appropriate in his interactions. I crate puppies next to the bed while housebreaking and it works fine. I have always used a large stuffed toy in the crate and this year used SnugglePuppies, they were wonderful. The pup snuggled right up to warmth and fell asleep, provided we did a good job of tiring him out for the night. I got my first basenji while I was in Grad school and lived in an apartment. It is doable as long as you are willing to make sure they get enough exercise and mental stimulation.
  • Food Stuck, Is This a Basenji Thing?

    Basenji Talk
    16
    0 Votes
    16 Posts
    6k Views
    MantisM
    Caesar started doing this around 4yrs old, or I started noticing it then….the chewing licking air after dinner for a while? I massage his jaw at the back and it loosens the food. He was officially ready for a teeth cleaning (big bucks) at age 5 and probably had that problem all of his life. Teeth were all fine. Now, after dinner, he comes to me to rub the back area of his jaw to get the food out. He must feel a real difference now that his teeth are clean. I dont ever stick my fingers inside his mouth, just rub the outside and it is good enough. I feed Caesar Innova Evo and Natural Balance Duck and Potato back and forth.