Skip to content
Basenji Forums
  1. Home
  2. Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  3. How do I get my basenji to eat

How do I get my basenji to eat

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • K

    My almost 3 year old Basenji has just been diagnosed with Falconi, luckily we caught the syndrome in the early stage. We give Kipper bicarbonate tablets twice a day. But Kipper also has a virus that is not connected to Falconi that he is on meds for, but he has become dehydrated and had to spend a night at the vets to rehydrate him. The problem is he isn't eating, I am giving him everything I can think of to tempt his appetite. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks, Anna

    0
  • agilebasenjiA

    I feed the muttloaf. I make about 1/2 of it the recipe at a time and add a soup spoon or so to the regular dogfood. Add a little warm water and stand back. Haven't seen a dog say no.

    http://www.maryshouse.us/Recipes.htm

    0
  • tanzaT

    @kipper:

    My almost 3 year old Basenji has just been diagnosed with Falconi, luckily we caught the syndrome in the early stage. We give Kipper bicarbonate tablets twice a day. But Kipper also has a virus that is not connected to Falconi that he is on meds for, but he has become dehydrated and had to spend a night at the vets to rehydrate him. The problem is he isn't eating, I am giving him everything I can think of to tempt his appetite. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks, Anna

    Sorry to hear about Kipper and Fanconi. It could be that the meds for the virus is causing him not to want to eat? What meds is he on for the Virus? And what besides the Bicarb are in his treatment plan for Fanconi. Are you sure that he is still not dehydrated? That for sure will cause them not to eat.. My Kristii is in early stages of renal failure due to old age (15) and I have her on SubQ fluids at home. I have been cooking for Kristii for the last 2 months, she gets steamed root veggies, shrimp or fish, ground meat, egg all sauted in a little butter on the stove… she loves it....

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

    0
  • ComicDom1C

    @tanza:

    Sorry to hear about Kipper and Fanconi. It could be that the meds for the virus is causing him not to want to eat? What meds is he on for the Virus? And what besides the Bicarb are in his treatment plan for Fanconi. Are you sure that he is still not dehydrated? That for sure will cause them not to eat.. My Kristii is in early stages of renal failure due to old age (15) and I have her on SubQ fluids at home. I have been cooking for Kristii for the last 2 months, she gets steamed root veggies, shrimp or fish, ground meat, egg all sauted in a little butter on the stove… she loves it....

    Damn, Pat, I'd love that too! Can you make some of that for me? So much for the 'not eating food meant for dogs' thing! lol

    Miranda

    Get your Basenji Fanconi DNA tested today!

    https://secure.offa.org/dnatesting/index.html

    0
  • BasenjimammaB

    I am so sorry to hear about Kipper, he is so young…hmm, I do now that Fanconi can come on early it is just so sad to hear.
    Do you think the other meds he is on is making him feel bad, tummy wise and that is why he is not wanting to eat?
    Either way, try to entice him with some, like Pat mentioned, people type foods, but made for him, in a dogsafe manner..with a little butter and all.
    I hope he feels better soon, keep us posted..

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

    0
  • tanzaT

    @ComicDom1:

    Damn, Pat, I'd love that too! Can you make some of that for me? So much for the 'not eating food meant for dogs' thing! lol

    Miranda

    LOL Miranda… that is what Ted says... she eats what I posted... we eat Mac & Cheese...:eek: But then again... I do it cause I can.. and for "one" it is OK....

    All that said too... I highly recommend that people introduce their dogs to foods other then dog kibble, or wet food....

    If you can (and you can) at an early age.. introduce things like root veggies, potatoes, ground meats (mostly boiled to remove the fat depending on the grade of meat), fruits... then when especially in the Golden Years, it is really much easier to be able to "cook" for them if necessary... again... all IMO

    Of course if you are already feeding a "raw" diet.. you have these bases covered... but it doesn't hurt to add things in that you would not think about.... because later on when they are sick or elders... you would "kill" for anything they would/will eat

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

    0
  • K

    Thank you to everyone for the great advice! Kipper is our second Basenji and the thought of loosing him at such a young age is horrific to us. Kip is currently taking metronidazole twice a day. I know the med does make him tired, but it's supposed to help get rid of his virus that in turn will bring back his appetite. I have tried all his favorites like cheese, sour cream and even homemade waffles. His diet is meat twice a day and free feeding of high quality kibble. The vet is very knowledgeable about Falconi and says all his levels are were they should be and the bicarb is all he needs. We will take Kip in again in 3 months for another blood test. Thanks again! Anna

    0
  • tanzaT

    @kipper:

    Thank you to everyone for the great advice! Kipper is our second Basenji and the thought of loosing him at such a young age is horrific to us. Kip is currently taking metronidazole twice a day. I know the med does make him tired, but it's supposed to help get rid of his virus that in turn will bring back his appetite. I have tried all his favorites like cheese, sour cream and even homemade waffles. His diet is meat twice a day and free feeding of high quality kibble. The vet is very knowledgeable about Falconi and says all his levels are were they should be and the bicarb is all he needs. We will take Kip in again in 3 months for another blood test. Thanks again! Anna

    I don't want to doubt your Vet, But honestly, I find that hard to believe that he only needs Bicarb and not any of the Vitamins that are recommended in the protocol. If it were my dog, I would contact Dr. Gonto who developed the Protocol and run it by him and he is happy to talk to owners with Fanconi (it is Fanconi, not Falconi) about treatment along with conversations with your Vet. Also Thyroid testing is important for a dog with Fanconi. This would be the fill panel not just the one T4 level that are shown on regular blood work.

    Dr Gonto's contact info can be found at the bottom of the Fanconi Protocol information
    http://www.basenji.org/ClubDocs/fanconiprotocol2003.pdf

    Also you might want to consider joining the Fanconi Yahoo group for people with Fanconi affected dogs. They would also be able to give you good ideas since they are all dealing with dogs with Fanconi. It is a closed group for only people with affected dogs.

    If he was eating before the metronidazole then hopefully when he is done with that he will begin eating again.

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

    0

Suggested Topics

  • N

    Basenji Won’t eat

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    15
    0 Votes
    15 Posts
    6k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    @basenjilover60 Your spoiling is of a good kind. :)
  • R

    Sick Basenji :(

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    5k Views
    P
    I too am sorry for not seeing this thread sooner and hopefully the poster will return. My Basenji had some teeth removed and the vet prescribed Carprofen as the follow up antibiotic. My Basenji turned out to be allergic to Carprofen which caused her liver to fail. I went through the same scenario you are describing. She gradually quit eating over the course of several days and then her water consumption started to go down. The eating had me worried since she had an excellent appetite upon return from the vet and the final purging of the anesthesia from her system. Nevertheless, her condition started to degrade. I followed her outside and watched her urinate. Her urine was a very bright yellow. I suspected then a liver issue. Once back inside she was shivering - off to the vet we went. LIver panel blood work up showed very high on specific indicators for failing liver. Vet prescribed Denamarin (containing SAM-e and silybin). SAM-e helps protect liver cells from cell death and aids in cell repair and regeneration. The Vet also started fluid injections. Fluid injections were everyday for two weeks. My Basenji showed a remarkable response to the fluid injections becoming much more her normal self even after the first day. She hated the injections and I could hear her cry when receiving them at the vet (believe me that will tear you up). But she was doing better and she (me) were going to have to tuff this out. Also a different antibiotic was prescribed to prevent liver infection during recovery. The Denamarin comes in dosages based on weight (medium for us). It is the size of a large human like solid oblong vitamin pill. Instructions want you to give it on an empty stomach and preferably not to cut it or place in something similar to a pill pocket however you can if necessary. My Basenji would not take that size (can't blame her). Cutting and disguising it did not work either. I was frantic and got the SAM-e in powder form. I couldn't slip her that either. All though some folks had success with peanut butter and liverwurst. I finally after three days had to have the vet pill her along with her fluid treatments. A week later another blood sample and her liver panel indicators were coming down. The pilling would last for a month and it took two people to get the pill down her. The important part is - she fully recovered from the liver failure. She is 13 1/2 yrs old. My experience after having 5 Basenjis is that the breed is sensitive to medications (anesthesia also). Many of the medications work just fine in most other breeds and mixes. The vet, if not that experienced with the Basenji, must be cautioned. Mine was not. Before accepting any medication have the vet go over any contraindications with you and to double check their resources for potential side effects when dealing with Basenjis. They may switch to something else if a medication has a bad track history with Basenjis. Know what to watch for should your Basenji start to react in a non-positive manner. The poster did not indicate if there were medications in play when the dog started showing degenerating conditions. I sincerely hopes this helps in some way and helps other Basenji owners
  • TagarooT

    Is this a Basenji?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    26
    0 Votes
    26 Posts
    19k Views
    ShannaniganS
    So many of those poses and positions are the same things I see Paco do. I'm also no expert, and Paco's my first dog that's mine-all-mine for me to watch all the time, but I feel like Tag's face is very Basenji-like…and if he yodels as well... if he doesn't have Basenji in him, I'd at least say you could describe him to others as a Basenji-like dog.
  • M

    Basenji eating, little, pooping little,and loosing weight

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    tanzaT
    @massagemom3: I'm starting to think Sally needs testing. I potest the question, on how to test Sally. She squats LOW…... so I'm going to leave her in the kitchen and hold her off from peeing for awhile today, and get her excited to test her urine! hahahahaa..sorry but I can't think of anything else. hehehehe... I also think I'm going to check with the vet about testing her there as well. She won't eat very much, drinks a lot, and is shedding way too much, and I noticed her back legs shaking yesturday...not too bad but enought to notice. Good luck with your B..Keep us posted. Is Sally a mix? I seem to remember she might be? And how old is she? Again I would take her to the Vet, they can test immediately for sugar in the urine and/or blood… and also check her for UTI with a urine culture....
  • B

    Do Basenjis shed?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    14k Views
    MantisM
    shedding will change dramatically depending on the food….
  • tewwi22T

    Lazy basenjis!

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    6k Views
    B
    @jys1011: HA HA..I was thinking the same thing…where do I get a bamboo stick?? Asia is the best place.:D :D :D But I do have some in the back yard.:D