I know some people on this forum report picky eaters, but personally I have never had a healthy Basenji that didn't scarf down their food in a couple of minutes. I second @elbrant's comments. Is the pup otherwise normal and active? Putting out too much food at one time can be off putting for some, and "free feeding" is a bad idea. Dry food can be unpalatable and if you do feed it, water needs to be always available. O.K. I just read your post. Put out less than she will eat at one time.
"In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"
@eeeefarm lucky you for not having picky eaters. I certainly have never experienced it before this. It might be trial and error to find right food for her but, in the meantime, I do not want her to lose more weight.
I hear your concern about her weight. I would add a feeding rather than give more at one time, and I would also consider having a vet look at her to see if anything is amiss. It's odd that she didn't like the food you were given, presumably what she was eating before. Have you discussed the problem with her breeder? It shouldn't be so difficult to find a food she likes. Oh, and at 12 weeks she is not too young to go for short walks.
"In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"
@eeeefarm I'll try adding a feeding. I have a vet appointment - several weeks out! Vets are swamped here and I was told by this vet (the 4th vet I called) that it's because 6 vet offices in my area are shut down and in 14 day quarantine due to covid. My usual vet said she "lost 4 of her vets to covid". I had no idea what that meant but now I'm guessing they have had to quarantine. So, unless it's an emergency, vet appointments are at least 2 weeks out. My usual vet is end of April.
I am not walking her yet because I have not started leash training with her (aka loose leash walking).
Any safe ingredients to add to food? Vegetable oil is high calorie but might also cause diarrhea. ?
Also, my guess is that when there's a litter of puppies there's "competition" for food making it far more interesting.
The reason I suggest adding a feeding is that perhaps for whatever reason she doesn't feel well if her stomach is too full. With a picky eater, I always think less at a time is better. Leave them a bit hungry, they might be more interested at the next opportunity. You are right about competition. It can help. My Border Collie was a very fussy eater, but if he thought someone else wanted his food he was more inclined to gobble it up.
"In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"
@eeeefarm I'll give it a try. thank you.
@beth314 - I use kibble (high quality) mixed with a spoon of wet... no one wants to eat dry food all the time.... give pup a certain amount of time to eat (10 minutes) and then take it away till the next feeding. Free feeding will only promote poor eating habits. Make your own treats, get a dehydrator and do chicken, I use tenders and pound thin and then in the dehydrator for 12 to 14 hours. Break into small pieces. You really do not need "high" calorie food per say... I use Fromm's Surf and Turf small bites... and remember baby puppies have puppy teeth that they will start to loose so many will go off their food at times. For treats I give lots of veggies, steamed and raw. Most times at first they will play with it... but they will develop a taste for it. DO NOT BABY them to eat, give the food, take away after 10 min tops.
@beth314 - Keep in mind that many Vets are not that educated in feeding or foods, they recommend what sales people sell them to carry in their practice.
I mixed the kibble brand recommended by breeder with wet food breeder recommended (and they gave me plenty to start her off). I never, ever free feed. Not even when I had cats. 
I do make my own chicken treats by slicing chicken breast thin, 200F oven for 2-4 hours to dry. Or shorter bake for more moist treats. I don't have a dehydrator though as an avid backpacker would be great for me and pup!
So tomorrow I'll try 4 smaller, shorter time feeds and see how it goes. FWIW, she walks away from her meal long before 10 minutes; more like 2-3 minutes? Then I pull the food up.
Tonight I've soaked some of her kibble in chicken broth and will try that too.
@tanza said in High calorie food suggestions:
@beth314 - I use kibble (high quality) mixed with a spoon of wet... no one wants to eat dry food all the time.... give pup a certain amount of time to eat (10 minutes) and then take it away till the next feeding. Free feeding will only promote poor eating habits. Make your own treats, get a dehydrator and do chicken, I use tenders and pound thin and then in the dehydrator for 12 to 14 hours. Break into small pieces. You really do not need "high" calorie food per say... I use Fromm's Surf and Turf small bites... and remember baby puppies have puppy teeth that they will start to loose so many will go off their food at times. For treats I give lots of veggies, steamed and raw. Most times at first they will play with it... but they will develop a taste for it. DO NOT BABY them to eat, give the food, take away after 10 min tops.
When we brought our puppy home she often left her food, but after a few weeks she started eating it within 2 minutes!
I serve kibble sprinkled onto wet food for texture and flavour and sometimes one of her meals is replaced with one of ours if suitable e.g. chicken and vegetables (nothing processed) to improve nutrition and to add freshness and variety.
Jane
@jkent Did your puppy get kinda thin during this period? That's what's making me nervous. My dogs were always healthy thin as adults but this puppy went from chubby to thin in the week she's been with me.
@beth314 no but I left the food out until she ate it, which was always before the next meal time. I know that isn't what most people here recommend, but after a few weeks I didn't need to do it. Is your puppy pooing and weeing normally? If you are worried you could consult with your vet.
@beth314 leaving food out just for one day might tell you whether it's an issue with appetite, or just that your puppy prefers little and often, in which case you could then offer an extra meal until weight improves.
@beth314 said in High calorie food suggestions:
She is thin. I think too thin for a puppy.
FWIW, when my son was growing I began noticing that he would get a bit pudgy, then become taller and thin out. Repeatedly. It was just part of growing. It could be that your pup is looking a bit thin to you because they are growing. You may not notice that their overall size has increased right away, but it is a process and not something to worry so much about.
Notes:
The scales are probably a more accurate measure of her weight than your eye. As @elbrant says, she could be growing. Maybe make a point of weighing her so you know whether she actually is losing or gaining? If there is significant weight loss at that age, a trip to the vet sooner than later is indicated.
Note also that pup weight and body will change as they grow. One minute they look too thin, next to fat... But agree with eeeefarm about weighing her....
@beth314 Hey Beth, the people giving you advice and reassurance so far have much more experience raising puppies than me. I'd defer to them. BTW, we weigh both of our dogs weekly and keep a log.
Something else to consider; although, it may be comparing apples and oranges. Logan was almost two when I brought him home. At first his appetite was veracious. He didn't eat, he inhaled food. Then, after about 6 to 8 weeks his appetite changed. He started getting picky and took forever to finish breakfast. I experimented by eliminating one ingredient at a time to see if something had gone bad or if he simply didn't like it anymore. Nothing really made any difference. Not long after we sprinted south to gather Sparkle up and bring her home. Once she was here at home... Logan's appetite exploded again. Back to inhaling meals regardless what was in it. In his case... I have to wonder if he just got lonely and was maybe a bit depressed.
If we hadn't gotten Sparkle, I'm not certain we'd have figured that out.
Hi, well u have a lot of responses but here is mine. My boy has ALWAYS been a picky eater but my 1st girl B was not.
My boy also got car sick in the beginning. He is 13 now!
I found a great dry lamb food by Open Farms ( chicken messes with his tummy even though he loves it) then I buy ground Bison and sorta stir fry it in pan with Bone Broth, I add the 3 together and hooray no more tummy issues
Try adding some Espilac (cans are easy). Puppies love it and it carries a lot of calories.
FYI I suspect she's just testing. If that's the case the picky eater phase should disappear.
@jengosmonkey said in High calorie food suggestions:
If we hadn't gotten Sparkle, I'm not certain we'd have figured that out.
My interpretation would be you introduced some competition and he wasn't about to lose out. You could be right though.
