Food Suggestions

Basenji Feeding
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  • alkiteA

    I have done some looking around the site and have seen some suggestions here and there. Our 2 dogs (one B one Terrier) eat Beneful. We haven't had any issues with stomach upset or any other issues, however I worry that I am doing the wrong thing for "down the road".
    I am looking for suggestions of a higher quality food that isn't going to break the bank. We are on a tight budget right now, and I can't go nuts :o
    Neither dog has stomach issues, they are 3 1/2 (Giz the B) and 3 or 4 (Angel our terrier is a rescue and this is a guess). Giz has had some dry skin this winter, but no noticible itching or hot spots just some dandruff and his coat isn't quite a shiny.
    We prefer dry and I add an egg once a week. They go nuts.

    Thanks in advance for any suggestions!:D

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  • jys1011J

    It's unfortunate that the good stuff is kinda pricey :eek: but IMO it's worth it in the long run. And here's why…

    http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring04/Perhach/PetFood/Ingredients.htm

    http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/301_pet.html

    I do understand financial restraints & if your Bs are happy & healthy then the choice is really up to you. I got my Bs at ages 3 and 2 and they ate the bad stuff up until they came to live with us. So I guess only time will tell if we made the right choice :) …also my husband used to get nauseous from the smell of their poop when they used to eat Eukanuba :(

    Basenji Mom of C3PO & TOPAZ

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  • alkiteA

    My husband makes lovely gagging noises while scooping poo on our walks. It is so endearing :D

    Thank you for the links, they have great information.

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  • lvossL

    Though the premium foods are more expensive though you often end up feeding less because they are more nutrient dense then the less expensive foods that are full of fillers like corn.

    Right now we have Wellness Puppy food and Evo in the house. Before the puppies we had Evo and California Natural with Canned Wellness Duck and Potato to keep weight on my high metabolism girl.

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  • jessi76J

    I feed Solid Gold Hund-n-Flocken (lamb) with a scoop or 2 of Merrick's canned mixed in. I buy one 15lb bag of kibble once every month or so, for $24. I agree with the others, premium food is better in the long run. less fillers, more nutrients, and you do feed less.

    Read the ingredients on the Beneful bag. The first ingredient should be a meat source, IMO.

    First 3 ingredients in Beneful Original: Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal

    First 3 in the Solid Gold Hund-n-flocken: Lamb | Lamb Meal | Brown Rice

    I avoid foods with corn, by-products, and non-specific sources (i.e. labeled "animal digest")

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  • youngandtiredY

    I recently went looking for a better grade of food for my B, Sahara. I went to the pet store and found Blue Buffalo, the 1st ingredient is Deboned chicken. I was impressed with that, there is very few dry kibble that has protein for the 1st ingredient. Sahara really likes it, and eats it better than any other dry. She does like wet with it, and the wet is good also. She use to eat Beneful dry with wet, and I decided that it was not healthy enough. It has meat-by-products,and I know that is not good. The wet Beneful is pricey and the wet Blue Buffalo is less expensive. Also you do feed less of the good stuff so a bag of it lasts longer. While I was reading the back of the bag a couple came up to get a bag and I asked how they liked it. They said, "We love this food, our dogs eat healther now". They had previously lost a dog to cancer and said the Blue Buffalo was a lot more healthy than the food they had bought when they had the deceased dog. Of course, that sold it for me, and we are hooked now. Also, can someone tell me why corn is not good for dogs, just curious b/c Sahara loves fresh veggies that I have left over sometimes.

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  • G

    We have had great luck with the eagle pack dog food, the chicken one specifically. Bs would have poo problems once every week or two on Nutro sensitive stomach when we first got them, until we switched them over and no problems since. It can be pretty hard to find, and it is indeed more dense with less fillers so we don't have to feed them quite as much.

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  • jessi76J

    corn is nothing more than a cheap filler. there is no nutritional value to corn.

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  • alkiteA

    Thanks everyone for the information. I am planning a scouting mission this weekend to find some better grub for my pups. :D

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  • E

    For "everything you ever wanted to know about corn", read the book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan. Corn products are in almost everything anymore, and they affect the way everything is metabolized.

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    I was feeding my Basenji brand blue and she started getting crystals in her kidneys. With the recommendation from my pet store owner (Pet Ranch), switched to Nature's Variety Instinct RAW. Withing 2 months…all crystals are gone. Now Basenji, Rotty, and Puppy Mastiff/Pitt all get Nature's Variety. Their coats are very shiney and teeth are so white.
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    "human" food or dog food?

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    I once had a pup under treatment at the Bristol Veterinary hospital. When they finally sorted the problem I was told now you'll be able to give him real food meaning kibble!1 I always feed raw and whatever but never complete dog food. Having said that it seems that over here we get a new dog food manufactutrer every month and all claim that theirs is the best!!
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    Baby Food?

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    I give it to dogs who don't eat…or to hide pills in. But not as a regular thing.
  • MiaM

    Picky eater, need food suggestions

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    nomrbddgsN
    Just a bit on the raw diet-raw digests at a different rate than kibble. Feeding raw with kibble does interrupt the digestion process. They will have diarrhea any time you switch over. No matter how careful you are. I would try something that is raw based, but baked. I know Origen up here is like that-it also has no grains. But there is also Wilderness that is based on the same lines. I find, though, that it has grains in it. Depends on how you feel about grains. It really will be trial and error. I would try treating with the dry kibble first and then building up rather than using the kibble as a meal. Just MO.
  • Capt_Jack_our_BasenjiC

    What Food And How Much??

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    MacPackM
    Topper,12; Nicky 10, ; and Eddie 8 all eat a combination of 3/4 EVO by Innova, and 1/4 regular adult Innova. We free feed, dry kibble is down all the time, but I think I put about 3 cups out a day, some days they eat it all but some days I don't add kibble at all. Mine do get a bit of whatever we have for dinner, mostly veges, they love all veges as long as they are cooked, especially broccoli and sweet potatoes. IT acts as an appetizer, as soon as they finish their plates they run to the kibble bowls to finsih their dinner. We used cheaper grocery store foods for many years but I felt my dogs deseerved a better quality food so tried several premium brands and settled on Innova. Then when they came out with EVO, I slowly added that but when I went 100% EVO, their poops were a bit loose, so we re-added the regular Innova and it seems to suit them perfectly. Eddie's coat was very coarse when we rescued him, he is soft and silky now. Even though it costs about twice as much as the cheaper stuff, I know they are getting good nutrition and their coats glow and their teeth are clean, so it is worth every cent to me. We are what we eat, and if we eat 'animal by products' (hooves, bones, feathers and even sawdust in some) sprayed with flavors and dyed with food colorings, we may be saving money now, but inviting health probelms in the future. Just MHO, but strangers compliment my dogs on their gloss and vigor! Anne in Tampa, off the soapbox
  • bellabasenjiB

    Homemade food…

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    youngandtiredY
    I have now switched from Blue Buffalo food to Merricks wet and dry. The Blue Buffalo was hard to get, I had to buy it out of town. I get Merricks locally, and Sahara absoutely eats it better than all the rest. She is a picky eater and doesn't have a big appetite, but man oh man is she waiting when it is meal time now. She cleans her dish, a new thing for her. I am very happy, I use the dry also with about 1/4 cup of wet mixed in. I add alittle warm water to the dry (it makes it's own gravy) heat the wet alittle and add to the dry. Yes, I know Sahara is spoiled b/c I heat her wet food but what the heck, she is worth it, only takes a few seconds. Merricks is pricey $2 per can but I make it last for about 4-5 meals. Anyways, if you read the can and bag of the dry you will see what I mean, it is very good dog food and the family that has the company has been in business for 3 decades.