Skip to content

Picky eater

Basenji Feeding
  • Tuneysmom- My Topaz went through a no or little eating episode right after her spay surgery. The Vet put her on a prescription diet of can food and that helped. Only now she wouldn't eat any kibble..very frustrating.

    So I have tried every combination possible. I got her some good can food that is organic & uses fresh meats/veggies Merrills is very good. I would probably eat it MYSELF ha :D but she likes it very much. I add in some kibble & soak it well & top it off with some Parmesan Cheese she seems to like it!

    Then of course she gets tired of it…then I switch to coating the kibble with plain yogurt also a big hit!

    She will also eat some of my home made turkey (white meat only no bones) in some home made gravy.

    Yes, this dog has me prepping her personal meals LOL!!

  • my dog got "picky" when I was trying to find a kibble that agreed w/ him. Once I found one, I also started putting a tablespoon or so of Merrick canned food mixed in w/ the kibble… he inhaled it. Merrick is great dog food, IMO. In fact, when my bf first opened a can of their "Grammies Pot Pie" he was tempted to try it himself - it looks and smells like people food. It's full of fruits, veggies, and meats.

  • In fact, when my bf first opened a can of their "Grammies Pot Pie" he was tempted to try it himself - it looks and smells like people food.

    ROFL :D this is hysterical!! I did the same thing!! I smelled & smelled but I really wanted to taste it. It's really human grade stuff. My mom actually thought that I cooked for my pooches…I'm not THAT dedicated :)

    IMO Merricks is great stuff better than the mush that most wet food is. And we also feed our B's their kibble Thanksgiving Dinner is my fav..um I mean my B's fav :)

  • Stormie and Nikki go wild for Merrick's canned food, too - their favorite is Cowboy Cookout and Wild Buffalo Grill. They scarf it up! I also cook for them 3 or 4 times a week to add in with their kibble -usually steak or scrambled eggs or ground turkey or boneless chicken thighs. I mix a dollop of nonfat yogurt in w/ their breakfast kibble and add in a can of Merrick's or cooked food w/ some cottage cheese for their dinner.

  • Where can you get Merrick's?

  • I know of two places here in Virginia Beach, Care-A-Lot Pets which also has an online store and Pet's Supply Plus. That probably doesn't help anyone who doesn't live here out.

    Here is the link for Merrick's

    http://www.merrickpetcare.com/

  • I didn't see anyone mention how long the food is left out. I have read that if you leave it out for only 10 minutes, the dog "gets it" and gobbles up everything. Joey was starting to get picky so I did this and now he eats up his breakfast in no time. He went one day without much food. I guess the natural way of a dog's food consumption is to gorge as they would in nature. Never know when the next meal will come around. I also add a raw egg yolk 2x/wk to the kibble and some cooked vegis left over from our meals. I again read that in nature the dog would get vegis from eating animals that had already digested the vegi. Anyone follow me? I am trying to feed Joey as raw a diet as possible. I still have lots to learn though. Oh and I give him raw ground sirloin when we have hamburgers.

  • I only give mine a certain amount of time to eat…. 10/15 minutes tops, however they are all done in under 2 minutes... :-).... with the exception of my oldest girl... since she is in old age renal failure, it is a struggle to get her to eat some days and takes her longer to "get" interested... but I have never left food out...

  • My girl is a very picky eater and only likes one brand of dog food which just so happens to be the most expensive kind!

    When we first got her the breeder also told us she loved vegtables – she HATES them! When we feed her steak and veggies she will systematically pick the steak out and leave the veggies in the dish.

  • I have learned a lot by going back through old threads. I was wondering what to feed and if what I was feeding was good. Beeji was being fed a dry only diet while at the vet hospital and they said he was a picky eater and wouldn't eat all his kibble at one time.

    When I got him home, I used a combo of Pedigree and Purina dry but he wasn't eating very much as was losing weight and some tone. I decided to get some Purina wet food, I think I got Mighty Dog and just put a tablespoon of wet into a cup of dry and mixed it completely. Beeji attacked that bowl of food as if he hadn't eaten in days, which he really hadn't.

    Now that I have read all the other threads and esp. Bryans notes on feeding, I am going to recheck the Kcals and see what wets and drys are best for Beeji.

    I like Purina so will probably check on their foods first.

    For treats, Beeji loves peanut butter inside his Kong, and we were given a box of I think milk bone dog bisquits from the vet so I have been giving him a couple of those per day, but want to find some other snacks that he will like.

    We are having a bit of an argument (hate to say battle of wills with a Basenji LOL) about if Beeji is allowed to get up on me or the table. I say absolutely no paws on the table and so far he is accepting that, but in typical clever dog mode, he puts his paws on my leg, rises up and he isn't technically on the table, but amazingly his head and nose seem to always tilt toward my plate no matter which side he is on!!!

    So now, we are working on the command off and putting him in a sit away from the table. This has just started and so the success rate isn't there yet.

    However, he is trying to be a gentleman and tries to stay where he is. I am so lucky and amazed at how well he is behaving given I have no history of him at all.

    He will let me handle him anywhere on his body. Lets me take food away if he is at his bowl, (we went very slowly with that one!) but he was fine. He lets me check his teeth etc.

    The only thing I am finding is when he gets excited he wants to mouth me and I don't allow that. Whenever I feel teeth he gets a correction and I ignore him till he calms down. so far he is trying, but occassionally, he has to climb up in my lap and then "nibble" on my ear.

    What a lover boy! but he immediately stops when I say no. then licks me.

    And he loves getting in his crate at night. I usually give him just a finger full of peanut butter inside his Kong and/or a treat and he hops right in.

    He must of had some training before me. Sure wish I knew his history.

    Thanks for all the good advice.

    Aloha,
    Cheryl

Suggested Topics

  • 0 Votes
    2 Posts
    589 Views
    Not sure how Xylitol is being marketed. It is an alcohol found in a lot of plants, including birch wood, which is the source of Xylitol used in medicines. And it is toxic to dogs, even in small amounts. Most of the time you find it in sugarless gum and candy. Here is an FDA warning "Paws Off Xylitol": https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/paws-xylitol-its-dangerous-dogs
  • Food

    Basenji Feeding 19 Apr 2021, 22:18
    1 Votes
    18 Posts
    2k Views
    I would find out what he scared of or what he dislikes about the car. Is it the car itself, the sensation of being closed in, the movement when the car is being driven? Then work on whatever the problem is, with food. As for food, I use raw duck and vegetables. And I hand-feed all meals, so I never have a problem with not eating/partially eating. I would also recommend hand-feeding for anyone who does have a dog with food issues. Shredded chicken is good (as long as he doesn't have any reactions). But that and some kibble isn't a balanced meal. You may wish to look into a vitamin supplement, specifically something that has a focus on omega 3 (since chicken is high in omega 6), Vitamin C & the B vitamins (because if all he's eating is chicken and kibble, where is his source of vitamin C and the B vitamins?), zinc & copper (same reasons). All the best. EDIT: I just realized this thread is a year old and was bumped by what is almost certainly a bot.
  • Kibble recommendations?

    Basenji Feeding 27 Jan 2021, 18:22
    0 Votes
    38 Posts
    5k Views
    I'm trying to keep up with comments directed towards me but I just want to thank everyone for your experiences and recommendations about food and everything else on this thread. I appreciate all of you!
  • 1 Votes
    8 Posts
    3k Views
    I had a somewhat similar experience. Joey had a seizure which I correlate to taking Simparica. He looked terrible so took him to the vet when the first seizure happened and he was late Stage 2. Put him on Royal Canin kidney kibble and Hills kidney wet food and 4 years later he has only had 1 more seizure and his kidney values have remained constant. I will believe your homemade version is most likely better if you have the correct proportions. All the best to your Bs! Joey will be 15 in November.
  • Picky Basenji

    Basenji Feeding 25 Apr 2018, 20:35
    0 Votes
    13 Posts
    5k Views
    Zande’s recommendation is spot on for a healthy dog who is simply picky. I cried myself to sleep many times over one of my dogs. I was convinced he was going to die! He’d like a food a few days and then stop. I mixed everything into it, tried raw (he hates it), tried every protein, every type of food, etc etc. Same results!! The only thing that worked was finding a food he liked and I felt comfortable feeding and stuck with it. Yes he’d skip some meals but at 5 years old he now eats his food with very little issue. You REALLY have to practice tough love and sick to it. If your dog is healthy it WILL work! For the record, I feed Fromm and rotate flavors. He does not do grain free as the good carbs help keep weight on him.
  • Picky eater!

    Basenji Feeding 7 Jan 2014, 06:20
    0 Votes
    34 Posts
    25k Views
    Basenjis can be picky about a lot of things food is not one if them. Sometimes I wish it was… Funny thing I never thought I'd say that about my B 1st 2 weeks he didn't eat. Long story, but now he eats everything, yep potato chips too.