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Feeding Schedule

Basenji Feeding
  • @JazzysMom:

    Jazz throws up if she's only fed once a day.

    Yep, so does Bella, and Querk. Lots of Basenjis have 'empty tummy urkas'.

    And actually the theory is pretty ridiculous…if you think about semi-wild dogs, roaming around the village, they would be scavanging on stuff all day. Even if they were only involved in a hunt and subsequent feeding once a day, they would be spending the rest of their time eating what they could catch themselves, mice, bugs, bark, plants, garbage, etc. So it makes MORE sense that biologically we see a need to eat frequently.

  • With Senji's liver disease, the vet told me to feed him 4-5 small meals/day. If he eats too much at any one meal, he throws up bile the next day.

  • Both my pups get up at 7 15 on the dot in order to get fed, if i wake up only at 7 30, they let me know 'Im hungry!!!" lol…Nike will throw up if he is not fed at once, and Mia will throw up after she's eaten if I fed them a little bit later. So I can't imagine them going all day with only 1 meal. I think there digestive system would be under less stress if fed 2-3 small meals a day compared to the whole shabang at dinner.

  • I feed twice a day too. They throw up bile if I don't

  • Medjai makes it all day on one meal, but because he is a little on the small side, i feed him twice a day. Unfortunately, he isn't getting much bigger, he just runs a little more. I try to make him gain weight, but holistic dog food leaves him nice a lean.

  • The one day I slept in a little late & Dallas didn't get breakfast until around 11 vs. his normal 9ish, he threw up. I felt so guilty!!! I read that in my basenji book too & thought it was a bit ridiculous. I'll always feed Dallas half in the AM & half in the PM.

  • I feed once a day. Not for any particular reason. That reasoning sounds silly. It works for us. They get a biscuit in the morning and then nothing else until about 3 then dinner until 7:30 on the dot. It helped with housebreaking in the beginning.

  • My puppies are fed 2 to 3 times a day depending on their age… and I used to then feed the adults their main meal in the evening, with cookies in the morning and a treat before bed... however now that I have elders, I find that twice a day feeding is much better... And I don't think that size has anything to do with it... being small doesn't mean that their system is any different, only that they don't need as much food, in most cases.

  • I feed Sahara in the am and pm, if I don't she throws up also. When I first got her this happened and I would be so worried b/c I didn't know what caused it. This yellow stuff coming out of her mouth, I was so concerned and then I learned on this very forum that it was her bile. Well, that didn't happen anymore you can bet on that. My baby is fed twice and fed well, haha!! and anything else she wants, haha!!!!! Yea, she's spoiled!!!!:D :D :D

  • i feed mine twice a day too.. i dont think they could go once a day.. one morning when i fed them late one of them also threw up bile like many people said before me..

  • I fed my B twice a day, same time each morning and afternoon… She get some small treats, too, in the afternoon... I think, just like humans, the body (dog or human) works harder to process a big meal... I was watching a medical show on cable last week that also said having smaller meals, but more frequently (like snacking for humans), is easier for the body to process...

    Having said that, it seems to be more of a personal preference on how often to feed... I think the frequency of feeding does change as the doggie gets into their golden years and if other circumstances warrant it...

  • My dogs eat on the same schedule that I do: three small meals a day. They also get a few treats outside of feeding time. They do great on this schedule and have never thrown up, even if their meal is a little late.

    Lori


    The Z-Pack: Zen, Zoe, and Ziggy

  • @tanza:

    My puppies are fed 2 to 3 times a day depending on their age… and I used to then feed the adults their main meal in the evening, with cookies in the morning and a treat before bed... however now that I have elders, I find that twice a day feeding is much better... And I don't think that size has anything to do with it... being small doesn't mean that their system is any different, only that they don't need as much food, in most cases.

    I did the same when Nala was a pup (2 - 3 times per day) and once she was an "adult", it's been twice per day.

  • My sheltie is fed two times a day, but she actually doesn't eat her first meal.. She looks at it and then walks of. She only wants to eat in the evening.

    Tonight I had to dissect a heart of a sheep and I took it for her afterwards. (it was tested) She has eaten half of it and I think she won't mind eating the rest of it tomorrow morning :)

  • EL D lets me know with big time basenji noises if he doesnt' get his morning breakfast (smaller meal) on time and gets aboslutely obnoxious if I don't feed him his evening meal on time.

  • Jack throws up too, if he doesn't get to eat! I'm so glad to see that is normal.

    Jack will only eat a tiny bit in the morning, maybe 2 or 3 bites, and usually I have to coax him into it with a treat on top. Then he won't eat until I come home from work, and then he scarfs it down, no treats needed. Sometimes he acts like he is hungry later, so I will feed him a second time at night. Sometimes I wonder if that is okay.

  • @Robin_n_Jack:

    Jack will only eat a tiny bit in the morning, maybe 2 or 3 bites, and usually I have to coax him into it with a treat on top. Then he won't eat until I come home from work, and then he scarfs it down, no treats needed. Sometimes he acts like he is hungry later, so I will feed him a second time at night. Sometimes I wonder if that is okay.

    The only reason I might see it could be a problem is the second evening meal might be why he doesn't eat breakfast and why he scarfs down his evening meal.

  • @WBL:

    The only reason I might see it could be a problem is the second evening meal might be why he doesn't eat breakfast and why he scarfs down his evening meal.

    Yeah, I think I'd be inclined to drop that second evening meal.

    I feed my dogs twice a day, with cookies once or twice a day. And then at bedtime, when they are crated for the night, they get a few bites of chicken treats. It seems to hold them over well til morning.

  • how much are your dogs being fed? on the side of my food bag it says a cup and 1/3? So i have been feeding my dog this once a day in the morning as soon as she gets up along with various treats throughout the day. After reading this im assuming i should switch to twice a day. so then should i split the cup and a 1/3 in half or just feed her that amount twice daily?

  • I find the recommendations on the bags – all brands I've ever used of dog or cat foods -- to be WAY high. If I fed my dogs that much, they'd all be sausages! LOL

    My Merricks bag recommends 1 1/3 cups daily for dogs this size, but mine only get 1/2 cup a day. Well, Jazz gets exactly 1/4 cup twice a day; Keoki gets a bit more than that, but no more than 3/4 cup a day.

    If I fed my golden mix what they recommend, she'd be getting between 3 1/2 - 6 cups of food a day!!! Yikes, she gets 1 cup a day {1/2 cup twice a day} and is in great shape at 14.5 yrs old.

    But, if feeding 1 1/3 cup a day works for your dog then I'd continue, and yes, I would split that up to a twice a day feeding.

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    I go by the old rule "the eye of the master maketh the horse". It applies to dogs as well. You may start with a rule of thumb, but pay attention to what your eyes tell you and you won't go far wrong. If your dog is gaining weight past the ideal, time to cut back, and vice versa.
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    I've noticed that dogs, including Basenjis, eat more and get chubby if they were abandoned and lived in the streets for a while, especially when they were young pups. One of my Basenjis and one of my rescues have cast iron stomachs, they aren't picky eaters, and they love food! One of my Basenjis doesn't eat a lot and I often hand feed her so I know she is getting enough nutrients.
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    I feed www.vetschoice.com The food I like is the Holistic Health Extension Little Bites and you can order it online and have it shipped directly to you.
  • Feeding FRENZIE

    Basenji Feeding 9 Jul 2007, 02:48
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    @basenjibratz: The only one that checks to see what's going on in the kitchen is Talker. When he hears me picking up the bowls and putting the kibble in it, he'll come into the kitchen. You're lucky - I have to comment now because it's been a few nice days lately, where the humidity is low and I have the windows open. I have been putting doggies outside when preparing their food. I try ever so slowly to open the lazy-suzan to get clean bowls, then quietly as possible to open the cupboard door and slide out the tray where the food is kept. They HEAR it!! It's amazing! Next thing that goes on is them squabbling on the deck pawing on the doorwall glass. Well, I'm glad they're not at my feet doing this. I let them in when bowls are in crates and they FLY to their places. Geesh!! They're not starving, they're very well fed with 2 meals a day and add treats…it's their thing, I guess. So young though. I hope they cool it in due time. Not hoping for them to get old, because I go along with them in time, but hoping for a little mellow.