I agree. Feed'em raw! Meat and bones!
Kibble recommendations?
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Hi all! I've got a nearly 16 week old puppy who isn't all that keen on eating her kibble. She came with Simply Nourish Puppy, we gradually switched her to Wellness Puppy, and have tried Stella and Chewy's too. She hasn't really liked any of them. Can anyone recommend a food that their dog can't resist?
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You need to teach her to eat what is given to her. (or any puppy/adult for that matter), you give them their food, they have 10 minutes to eat or you take it away till the next feeding time... and twice a day is recommended. Of course using treats for training are used in between. I mix up kibble all the time different ones every four weeks or so. And for morning I give a table spoon of wet mixed with the kibble (who wants to eat dry food all the time?) For the evening meal I mix veggies (steamed or raw) with a meat source, again steamed or raw like ground turkey/chicken, unless you want to go to raw diet... but in the end, unless they are ill, they will eat if they are hungry, period and if not, time to wait till the next usual feeding time and if not well like human kids you eat now or wait till the next time. It is important IMO that get a good appetite as then when they do not eat you know there is something wrong when they have a good appetite. I use Fromm's kibble and mix with a different assortment of other kibble like Natural Balance limited ingredients, small bites. For a noon time treat they get a helping teaspoon of yogurt off the spoon... LOL, yes my Basenjis have always been taught to eat off a spoon or fork for that matter. Note also by changing up the food every few weeks, you never have to worry about changing foods that might upset their tummy.... and if a place is out of the food you wanted to use you can change up with no issues. I have done this for 35+ years in the breed and how I have raised my litters too.
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@tanza Okay I'll try the 10 minutes thing and see if that works. We added the Stella and Chewy's food just for that reason--to mix it up--and she couldn't have cared less. We've been adding about a tablespoon of wet food morning and evening. She'll suck it off the kibbles and spit them back out. She also gets a spoonful of homemade yogurt or cottage cheese each morning which she loves. She gets little fruit scraps in the morning and veggies from our dinner preparation at night. I like your method of changing the food regularly. I'll try the 10 minute method and report back in a day or two. Thank you!
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@milena - If she doesn't eat, don't stress over it, if she is not ill (and doesn't sound like she is) just pick up the food till the next feeding time... I do like using small bites instead of the larger kibble. And I like and have used for years Fromm's small bites and same for Natural Balance or any that has small bites. How much are you feeding her? Maybe consider reducing the amount of kibble? Sounds to me like she is getting too much for a 4 month old...
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I'm personally not a fan of kibble. If you must use it, then moisten it or mix with wet food. I fed dehydrated for a long time. Once re hydrated it is like "real" food, and it keeps well, like kibble. That said, I agree with Tanza. If she doesn't eat, pick it up until the next feeding. Dogs are like kids. When they realize there will be no "short order" cooking, they learn to eat what is offered if the alternative is nothing. (children who grow up poor are seldom picky eaters!)
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In the "wild":
- eating is part of their socialization,
- the boss eats before the young,
- they seldom eat the same thing as the day before,
- they don't eat at the same time every day, and
- they don't get the same portion size (some days are a feast, some days are a fast).
Let your pup watch you eat a cracker (or whatever you want to eat). Then put their bowl down.
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I have been giving my dogs “Gentle Giants” for the last couple of years. They have never had any issues with digestion or diarrhea. I also give them some non flavored yogurt and will mix sweet potato into it and they love it.
It has gotten really good reviews.
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@elbrant - Disagree with that, mine has always in 35+ years for they most part eat at the same time every day, give or take a bit and as said I change up the kibble every couple of weeks. And yes the get the same every day, evening might have different veggies or a meat source but the same amount.. and if you feed in crates you have NO boss... so I go back to feeding twice a day and if they don't eat it, it is gone till the next feeding. That is how I have always raised our litters... and our Basenji are not in the wild, they adapt to feeding schedules that us humans give them... you need to feed them separate and NOT free feed so you know exactly what and how much they are eating
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I wrote on here a long time ago about my izzy having eating problems, he looked like a starved dog, the vet recommended wet food in morning and at night. The morning food would just sit in the bowl all day and get nasty looking. So I would have to throw it away. I didn't want him to go hungry so I started doing away with the morning wet food and sat a small bowl of kibbles out, then at night I put the wet food on the kibbles that way he always has a snack during the day, but come evening he eats the wet food and most of the kibbles. That is what worked for us anyway.
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I have never had a Basenji that was a fussy eater. I put the food down, it was gone in two or three minutes. If not, I knew I had a problem. The only time any of my dogs didn't gobble their food was when they weren't feeling well. My Border Collie, OTOH, would only eat if there were zero distractions. Forget about treat training him, he wouldn't take a treat if there was anything at all going on that interested him. Different dogs indeed!
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@eeeefarm I can totally understand wanting to avoid using kibble, but why do you recommend moistening it? I thought that eating kibble that was not mushy was good for their teeth (sort of like brushing them). My last dog died at 18.5 with every tooth intact, white, and sharp and I attributed that to his hard kibble (and veg, of course!) diet. Thanks for your thoughts!
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@tanza Yes, she's perfectly healthy I'm not worried that anything is wrong. I haven't had a puppy before and I expected a little more enthusiasm about eating since she's playing and growing so much. I'll check out Fromm's and Natural Balance small bites. She's been getting 1/3 - 1/2 cup dry kibble for each meal, but has never eaten it all in one go so I wasn't too concerned about her getting too much. Often times her breakfast is her snack and ends up being part of her dinner too...
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@elbrant It's funny that you say that--she won't touch her dinner until my family sits down at the table to eat our dinner. Then she starts picking though her dish. We try to mix up the fresh fruits and veggies or treats that she gets daily.
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@kittenishkat Thank you! I'll check and see if my local feed store carries that brand too! She does love plain yogurt but isn't so keen on sweet potato. Trying to expose her to many flavors so I'll definitely give it to her again
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@isabob Thank you! I'll keep that in mind!
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I would never give just dry kibble of any brand. Mix it with a portion of a good canned dog food and a very little water. Mine get a good quality grain free kibble mixed with the meat and have done for years. No point in naming them, different brands in different countries.
Puppies get whatever the breeder gave, I would expect you to have been given a supply for the first couple of days. Then a gradual changeover to the food of your choice. Or to a more adult menu.
It can be a mistake to continue with puppy food for too long. By 16 weeks mine have all been on the two meals a day routine which continues all their lives and on an adult diet
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Our 8 month old is still fed 4 x per day, which I time with our family meals. She prefers tinned and I either mix in a little kibble or save it for training sessions in between. I sometimes replace a meal with something we are eating if it's suitable for her to have i.e. a whole food without any additives or salt. To discourage begging we never give left overs directly from the table or kitchen.
Jane
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@jkent That is too often ! A dog is not like a human in its food requirements or its digestive system.
Many people feed their dogs just once a day. Not that many years ago it was the norm. I have always fed twice because then it is easier to control their weight.
I would worry that you are over feeding your 8 month old, and are heading towards a very over weight Basenji. Which on its own will cause problems for the animal.
Give him time to digest between meals and let his stomach rest. At 8 months old he should only be on 2 meals, probably 8 am and 6 pm or whatever suits you, but remember, he is a dog, not a human.
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@milena said in Kibble recommendations?:
@eeeefarm I can totally understand wanting to avoid using kibble, but why do you recommend moistening it? I thought that eating kibble that was not mushy was good for their teeth (sort of like brushing them). My last dog died at 18.5 with every tooth intact, white, and sharp and I attributed that to his hard kibble (and veg, of course!) diet. Thanks for your thoughts!
That's a fallacy as far as kibble being good for teeth. Bones, OTOH, will keep their teeth clean but the downside is that vigorous chewers can crack or break teeth on them. Your dog with the excellent teeth may well have benefitted from genetics. My niece had a cat with bad teeth. Fed exactly the same as her other cats, this one had perpetual problems.
Fresh food is best for their teeth, and of course these days we brush our dog's teeth. Interestingly, my two that lived the longest never saw a tooth brush and never had any extractions or mouth problems, despite having tartar build up. The ones I fussed over had whiter teeth but shorter lives. Go figure....
"In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"
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@eeeefarm Kibble is a generic term, meaning dry food for dogs, as I understand it. All kinds of different shapes, sizes, hardness etc. All called kibble.
Mixing kibble with meat already gives it a bit of gravy and therefore flavour and will soften it, but kibble with just water ?? surely not.
You are absolutely right there is nothing in kibble for the teeth - But a good brushing can help.
Mine get fresh beef bones every Friday from the butcher and the Vets never stop remarking on how pristine their teeth are. Gums are fresh and healthy right up to the end.
