What if your Basenji is putting on the pounds!
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if i need to knock a pound or two off Tilly (only happens after a season) i substitute some mixed raw veg for some of her complete food - raw cabbage, green beans, little bit of tomato etc. Dont subsitute too much though cos they still need their nutrients from their normal food - i always step up the exercise too and go up to about 6 miles roadwork (usually only bout 3-4 miles per night, more at weekend) plus plenty free running - just wish it worked for my waistline too!
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In the winter if the weather is particularly bad here in Maine and they exercise a bit less, I feed the adults a quarter cup less than I do in the summer. That seems to keep them at fighting weight.
On the other hand if you're in a climate where they still spend some time outside in the winter (i.e. not as cold as Maine), you want them to have those extra calories because their bodies will spend them on staying warm. Ours eat more in the winter than summer. Another thing I've noticed too is that the heat really wears them out quickly so I see less B500's in the summer than in the fall for instance.
Alex, Zip gets from 2/3 to 3/4 cups day. Riley gets a full cup. That increases 1/4c or so in the winter. And they get treats during the day.
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Welll Otis gets a chickenback or 2-3 chix necks for breakfast and some type of cubed/minced meat (beef, lamd, turkey or what have you) + 1/3 c up dehydrated Honest Kitchen Preference food, of course rehydrated again, mixed with salmon oil for dinner. Sometimes I give him fish, mackerel being his favorite. He is very lean right now, so I am considering giving him some more..
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On the other hand if you're in a climate where they still spend some time outside in the winter (i.e. not as cold as Maine), you want them to have those extra calories because their bodies will spend them on staying warm. Ours eat more in the winter than summer. Another thing I've noticed too is that the heat really wears them out quickly so I see less B500's in the summer than in the fall for instance.
Alex, Zip gets from 2/3 to 3/4 cups day. Riley gets a full cup. That increases 1/4c or so in the winter. And they get treats during the day.
Well I change one of their foods to Orijen Fish in the winter - and both adults gain weight on that food very easily so they get cut back. But in Maine, none of my kids can stay out for long as our winters are bitter cold. They get a walk (and even then sometimes carried back inside my jacket) and then in - they can't run/play in the yard (nor do they want to) like they do the other 3 seasons.
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I feed Sahara 1/2 cup of Merricks dry twice a day, morning and night. I mix it with some boiled chicken that I cook just for her, and I use some of the chicken broth to make a gravy from the dry food. I use the Merricks Turducken or Grammy's Pot Pie dry. She loves Merricks, and was once a pickey eater so I doubt that I will change her food. She gets treats now and then, mostly Bully sticks and I doubt that they are that fattening, otherwise I use dehydrated duck or some other favorite. She does not like dog biscuits, and I don't like to feed her too many treats. I think she needs more activity, I will step up the exercise and get her to do the B500. She use to run alot more when my son was living home, but he moved for a job and he's 5 hrs. away, I know she was smaller then. Thanks for the tips, and I will get those pounds off, I know that she will be lots healther for it, it just got away from me that's all.
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So what is the best weight for a 3yr. old Basenji female, I think she use to look better between 22-25pds. What's your opinion?
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It will depend on the dog and its build. My biggest girl is at good weight at between 23 - 23.5 pounds. She gets 2/3 of a cup of food everyday and I carefully monitor the amount of treats she gets. If I am doing a lot of training with her where she will be getting a lot of treats then she doesn't get as much at dinner.
Bully sticks absolutely can be fattening, they are 29 calories per inch which doesn't sound like too much but a basenji sized dog should be eating about 375 to 400 calories a day so a 5 inch bully stick would be about 39% of its daily calories.
I have been using frozen stuffed Kongs instead of the higher calorie chewies available and have been very pleased with them. They last longer, the dogs aren't gaining extra weight with them, and the dogs love them.
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i agree about treats being fattening - it took me a good while to realise that whilst throwing the odd treat to a Dobe makes little or no difference, it can count as a big part of the basenji calorie intake. Trying to educate my mum in the same manner (after her having 45 years experience of raising dobermanns) was another matter! Eventually she saw the logic, and now if she wants to give Tilly a treat she shares a piece of fruit with her - so its better for her and the dog.
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Chance and Kiya get 1/2 cup/each of innova dry food in the morning after a 2 mile run and 1/2 cup each of innova dry food at night after a 3 mile walk.
Usually in the mornings I mix their dry food with salmon oil and at night I mix it with nonfat plain yogurt. From what I learned salmon oil helps with their skin and joints and yogurt helps with digestion. Sometimes I also mix green beans into their food, but they don't seem to like it that much.
I started giving chance a bit less per day, about 3/4 of a cup instead of a full cup, as he is getting a bit heavy.
