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Helping your dog lose weight

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • @tanza:

    About the recommendations you find on food bags… honestly... I thing it is Twice the amount then a normal dog needs... way/way to much.... and of course if it has lots of calories... then doesn't matter... it is going to put on the weigh. And last but not least... I totally agree about set feeding times... period... they have X amount of time to eat... if not eaten... it is gone till the next feeding time.

    Totally agree - Your eye should be your best guide to the amount your dog needs. I find Tilly puts on & loses weight really quickly - keep the same quality of food, just reduce the quantity.

    Yesterday i went down to see one of the "pups" i bred - a dobermann bitch i bred 13.5 years ago (the best one i ever bred but she was never shown, just a loved pet - isnt that typical?)- when they opened the door this enormous thing waddled out - i thought it was the old girl - no, it was a 3 year old dobermann bitch they got last year as a companion for her. Honestly, she could lose 25 pounds and it would hardly show. I know she gets plenty exercise but obviously portion control had gone out of the window. So i read them the riot act - am going back next week to see if its made a difference!

  • when you see this beautiful dog and they are way overweight. All of a sudden my B, Sahara was 6lbs. over her ideal weight. Well, I can't have that so I am doing what I can to get it off. She already looks leaner, I think I need to weigh her tomorrow. She is getting less food, and more exercise. :D

  • My Vet said that Marko is overweight. I've cut back on his treats and food. I also feed him veggie when he's still hungry. But he's still not losing any weight. He's 41 lbs. Is that to heavy a weight for a Basenji. We have a big fenced in back yard and he goes out and runs with Bella every day. Also my husband takes them both on walks daily. Is there anything else I can do? Or do you think he's OK? I've had the Vet check his Thyroid and he's OK, so the Vet says. Help:eek:

  • Is Marko a full Basenji? I do not know but I think 25 lbs or less is more correct. Hopefully the long time owners of Basenjis can help out here. Do you have a picture you could post on here so we could see Marko?

    Rita Jean

  • A 17 inch male should be around 25 pounds. There is some variability based on muscle and bone density so some will be a little heavier, some a little lighter. You should be able to see a visible waist on your dog when viewed from above.

    How much are feeding him? Did your vet have a full panel run for thyroid or just T4? Was he well within the normal range? Or was he low normal?

  • IMO… that is way to heavy for a Basenji....

  • Green beans and more green beans. I garden, and this summer froze many packages of beans and canned some, too. The dogs get canned green beans for treats (w/o added salt).

  • My dogs get raw carrots, they think they are "bones" and they love'em..makes for really pretty poop too..;)

  • @Basenjimamma:

    My dogs get raw carrots, they think they are "bones" and they love'em..makes for really pretty poop too..;)

    Carrotts are great for them… but remember, they have sugar.. so as they say.. everything in moderation...gggg

  • 41 lbs?!! Wow that's a record. How much and how often are you feeding? Is it free feeding? What brand of food? Is he getting table scraps that are high in fat?

  • I have a neighbor who has a little black daschhound - that little thing is so fat his stomach drags when he's walking sometimes. They think it's cute - to me it's a shame, the poor little guy - the only time he's outside is to do his business, then right back in, so he also gets no exercise that I can see. Not my business, but hard to watch.

  • I was walking Buddy in the park and ran into a guy that adopted a little black dog that looked like it was part Min Pin. Anyway the poor thing was way over weight which the guy said the dog went from 12lbs to 21 lbs because he was feeding it table scraps. He took the dog to the vet and now it's on a diet.

  • There was a person here on the Forum for a short time that posted a picture of her Basenji… she was as big around as tall, poor thing.... she was all put out that her Vet said the dog needed a diet... and thought she look just fine and was perfectly healthy.... didn't get the support to that from anyone on the Forum...

  • @tanza:

    There was a person here on the Forum for a short time that posted a picture of her Basenji… she was as big around as tall, poor thing.... she was all put out that her Vet said the dog needed a diet... and thought she look just fine and was perfectly healthy.... didn't get the support to that from anyone on the Forum...

    Some people have the abberated idea that a fat dog = a healthy dog. :eek:

  • Look at what people are doing for their kids…plump baby = healthy baby..not necessarily, and we know fat children does not = healthy children..

  • Basenjimamma, true fat babies not healthy have you really ever looked at a can of formula and broke down the fats in it. Like feeding cattle just to fatten them up.

    As the old story goes we do it to our children when they first start out in life then same goes for our dogs we do good old table food Ha!

    Rita Jean

  • We do need fats for development of our brain, as an infant, but their is no reason for babies, toddlers and children of any age to be rolley polleys..

  • You need a limited amount of fats for development. I my sister's daughter did a chart for a school project on the fats a baby needs and the fats in formula's, baby cereals, baby foods. Took chart did meals for a baby up to 12 months and the fats that a baby got were unreal.
    This what I say no different unless we learn, read what ever same as with our dogs good table food for them as baby foods for babies. I would have never ever know until I seen the chart.

    Rita Jean

  • I have a hands-free jogging harness. It's GREAT. The kids love it and think they're on a mission to lead the pack down the sidewalks where we go running. I will try to find a pic if anyone is interested!! :)

  • I would love to see it and if can tell me were you got it.

    Rita Jean

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    so, I just read this and my guys were eating grapes yesterday, LOL….I have heard that grape stems are bad....my guys are okay with a little bit of fruit from time to time....they love watermellon as far as the vets say science diet is good.....well, it may be the best stuff they sell in the petstore.... i can tell you first hand from watching beta die and doing research with her foods as she deteriorated, here are some things to think about.... corporations say a dog should eat the same food all of their life, every day....it sells a basenji in the wild doesnt do that....they may eat all kinds of different things to stay alive... the doctors told me that when beta was getting ill to remove grains that were not found in the wild such as corn (major filler in pet foods), wheat, and rice... the next thing they told me is that when basenjis have sensitive stomachs (IPSID or IBS) it is the intestine becoming allergic to the food....my doctors have said that it is healthiest to change the diet every 4 months to prevent this reaction in an intestinally challenged breed.... beta could eat anything and have solid poop. then she became ill so fast that there was nothing we could do. she was fed eukanuba performance or premium for 3 years before i ran into her illness..... this does not mean switch dog foods without doing a little mixing and weening them off....try to avoid the squirts per se.... i fully agree with this idea....that is how they would be in the wild....always changing what they eat.... the changes will help their bodies become stronger immune wise and less likely to have the time to create an allergy to the food. I add boiled chicken, fresh garlic, eggs, pumpkin (great fiber to make poop solid) and some natural fruits like watermellon or anything that is pretty bland... when beta was at her worst, i used cottage cheese as her main food....it was the only thing she could hold down... i dont think you will have to worry unless you feed grapes all day every day... everything in moderation... Let them eat gwapes!! LOL My favorite dog food: Natural Balance Duck and Potatoe and Innova Evo I can only find it in a feed store less poop, smaller scoops, richer food no preservatives, no rice, no corn, no wheat, no soy....
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