We switched our 2 boys to raw from kibble about 6 months ago. The switch came because we were simply exhausted from walking them 3 times a day because they had loose stool (we don't have fenced in yard, so we need to walk them to go to the bathroom). Our vet recommended more fiber in their diet to help with loose stool. This intuitively just didn't resonate with us. Basenji are one of the most ancient breeds of dog… why on earth would more fiber be a solution to their problem (I know the theoretical why, but logically it was counter-intuitive)? We read many sources or literature on the raw diet and thought this would be a good switch for them. Again, they are an ancient breed so moving toward raw foods seemed appropriate and logical. It took that about a month for them to get really accustomed to eating raw chicken quarters, rabbit halves or pork shoulders but now they have no problem gulping their meal right down, bone and all (for those of you who don't feed raw, gulping is a normal behavior and bone is an essential part of the diet). Their digestion issues have vanished and we've even seen marked improvement in their destructive behavior. Two super happy boys now, two super happy Basenji owners!!
Food Question
-
Hi there. My B female (i have had her since she was 8 weeks) has been on Duck & Potato by Natural Balance cause of allergies to Beef, chicken, lamb and fish. I brought home a B male a year ago and has been on the same diet since. They are both 8 yrs old.
Every morning they both get 4 cookies of Duck & Potato and 1 cup of small bites of Duck & Potato at night.
1. Should i be changing the amount they are fed since they are 8 now?
2. Do dogs ever over come their allergies?
3. Should i be mixing their food?
4. Is there anything else i should be feeding them for treats?
Im curious cause i want the best for them:)
-
My opinion is "if it is not broke, don't try to change it"…. 8yrs is prime age... the only thing you might want to do has nothing to do with food and that would be to have full blood panels done so that you have a base line going forward on their health.
You could try like the other meat sources that Natural Balance has (rabbit, vension, etc) if you think you need to put in a little change. Also if you want, you could try adding home cooked veggies as a treat.... but all in all, sounds like all it well
IMO, they NEVER over come allergies....
-
Hi there. My B female (i have had her since she was 8 weeks) has been on Duck & Potato by Natural Balance cause of allergies to Beef, chicken, lamb and fish. I brought home a B male a year ago and has been on the same diet since. They are both 8 yrs old.
Every morning they both get 4 cookies of Duck & Potato and 1 cup of small bites of Duck & Potato at night.
1. Should i be changing the amount they are fed since they are 8 now?
2. Do dogs ever over come their allergies?
3. Should i be mixing their food?
4. Is there anything else i should be feeding them for treats?
Im curious cause i want the best for them:)
What allergies? Are the allergies seasonal or all year long? If the allergies are food related then what ever is in the food will continue to give them problems.
-
Thanks. As for as the blood test is done. Im in Surrey, British Columbia and we really dont have any Basenji specialists here. Should i get done from their vet or send it away to US somewhere.
-
If the blood work was all normal…. I would continue with what you are doing.... IMO
-
If you and your vet are happy with their weight, I would not change the amount you're feeding them. However, my pups need more calories in the winter to maintain their weight.
Treats - my pups love sweet potatoes and raw (or cooked) zucchinis. sometimes dogs like green beans or carrots. at my house, tri-ing is really bad about taking the carrots, chewing them up and spitting them out all over the place. Yea, thanks Jet. Otherwise, they also like cheese, waffles, eggs, etc, but given you pup's allergies, you may not want to try the later.
-
If you and your vet are happy with their weight, I would not change the amount you're feeding them. However, my pups need more calories in the winter to maintain their weight.
Treats - my pups love sweet potatoes and raw (or cooked) zucchinis. sometimes dogs like green beans or carrots. at my house, tri-ing is really bad about taking the carrots, chewing them up and spitting them out all over the place. Yea, thanks Jet. Otherwise, they also like cheese, waffles, eggs, etc, but given you pup's allergies, you may not want to try the later.
LOL…. leave it to the "Tri-ing" to make a mess out of the carrots!!!!
