Unfortunately for us Maia has never done well with chicken, she loves it and eats it but it gives her diarrhea and seems to mess up her over all health. We did blood work again and her liver enzymes decreased by 30% which is great! Her actual health though is not so good so that is bad. We can get her to eat which is good, but the food control is not great salmon, ham(boiled a few times to remove the salt), breaded cauliflower, Mac and cheese. Whatever we can get her to eat. It’s crazy! We have her booked with a chiropractor to check her nerve function and we are ready to get prednisone going if it is ibd. We are working closely with our vet daily, she currently is on metronidazole and amoxicillin and gabapentin. Thursday I thought we were going to lose her and she has rallied. I hate optimism as I don’t do well with a broken heart but I am hoping for the best right now. She is on 2 billion probiotic per day as well. Every bite of food I can get into her I think, ok 1 more day at least. If I have to spend all day hand feeding her, I will. She is finally sleeping and twitching a little less! She is going up and down stairs ok, not great but ok and she is no longer falling over. We are far from out of the woods but I have seen some small improvements. Thank you all for your words, encouragement, advice and stories of what you have gone through. It is tremendous to me how kind you are. Thank you for taking some time out of your day and trying to help! We so appreciate it. Mai Mai means the entire world to us and every word, suggestion, or story we take into account and thank you so much for being such a loving wonderful community. With lock down and a sick pup we feel quite overwhelmed, so thank you!
Eating habits have changed
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I would also question a bag of food that has been open for a month. Kibble does not last forever, and she will likely detect it being a bit "off" before you do. Definitely get a smaller bag of whatever you decide to try. I have never had a Basenji that didn't finish the food within a minute or two of it being served, unless they were not feeling well.
Personally I do not like kibble. I did feed it with some of my dogs, although I generally moistened it and fed it with an addition of wet food, but then I got into dehydrated and found that a much better solution, with the storage benefits of kibble and the "real food" advantage of canned or fresh food.
"In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"
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I learned from my dogs that they can go 3+ days waiting for the coveted 'people food!'
Giver her the dog food in an official 'dog food' bowl and the people food in a different place, different bowl, different time, so she learns there is a difference. She must learn that no matter how long she goes without eating the dog food, people food is only for special rewards
You will have to judge if she is sick or there is something else wrong. It's hard sometimes for me to not give in. It usually ends up that I give in, just a bite, to see if she'll eat anything, then back to the dog food. I go through the get a new bag, get a new brand, etc too. -
Forgot - many times I'll mix some people chicken broth with the dog food, and that usually gets them eating again.
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If you are feeling energetic, cook some vegetable chicken soup, - they love this. As a variation try some ox cheek and vegetable soup (I use barley as a filler). Ox cheek, chopped to B bite size will be good. I then add some kibble to soak up some of the moisture. A more moist blend is good for mine. I try to mix the food up so that there is a variation to her meals, even a SOFT boiled egg on top is good to vary her food. Good luck.
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It occurs to me that she is thirsty ! Only dry food, served in a puzzle ball, is hardly an acceptable feeding regime to have started her on. Get a can of decent quality dog food, mix that with a little kibble and moisten it with water to make a gravy.
And make sure she always has a bowl of clean fresh water to drink from.
My Hoover gets half a can of Pedigree Chum (yes, I know some of you sneer at it, but I've fed it to up to eight Basenjis at a time for 40 years now and they've all done well on it) - split between two identical meals each day. The can gets a plastic lid on and goes into the refrigerator so lasts two days. This is mixed with a grain-free kibble and water.
Soon a can will only last a day - cos we will have our new PUPPY ! which will grow up and need a similar diet over time.
As for human food - I always cook more vegetables than we need cos Basenjis love cabbage, beans, Brussels Sprouts, carrots, squash of all kinds. But this is an additive when they deserve it, not a substitute for acceptable dog food.
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@eeeefarm said in Eating habits have changed:
Personally I do not like kibble.
I am fascinate by this statement. It must be a language problem. I always thought that 'kibble' meant a dry dog-food. Any UK supermarket, let alone petfood suppliers, carries a myriad different dry dog food which I always refer to as 'kibble'.
Am I wrong ? If so - what is kibble ?
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Yes, kibble refers to processed dry dog food. I don't like it, as it is over processed and the furthest thing from "natural". I prefer dehydrated, which turns back into "real" food with the addition of water, and otherwise I prefer canned to dry. Of course, once upon a time (when I was young....another era!), dogs mostly got fed scraps off the human dinner table, as they still get the "leavings" of their humans in third world countries. Somehow they managed for thousands of years as scavengers, not to say that is a good thing, particularly not today, but over processed food has interesting repercussions in the human species, and I suspect in our pets as well......JMHO.
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Thank you for that explanation - Basenjis ARE scavengers ! Their self-imposed diets have one tearing out ones hair or screaming with laughter !
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How is she doing now? Eating normally again?
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Yes, she is eating normally again. We have 2 bowls of water for her to drink out of but she doesn't drink a lot. We are going to ask our vet if we should add some wet food to her kibble. Her bowel movements are fine and she doesn't seem constipated but I know Basenjis are known for not drinking a lot of water.
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Most Basenjis think they have died and gone to Heaven if you add a tablespoon of milk to their water. Don't over do it, a teaspoon to a pint is enough !
Like for cats, only dry food is not good. Some meat (canned is all mine have ever had) and mixed with a little water. Keep them hydrated even if they don't think it necessary - it is !
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Make sure the water is fresh, if it's been sitting around all day you should change it. I concur with Zande about giving meat or canned food, not only dry, and definitely mix in some water, let it absorb for a minute or two before feeding. Personally I would ditch the dry food, but that's up to you. And I wouldn't leave food down. If she doesn't gobble it up, take it away and offer it later. Nothing like stale food to create a fussy eater!
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@maureen252 - You can add some wet, I do.... and also add some water with the kibble and wet food... I put in about a small tablespoon of wet. And some Basenjis do drink a fair amount... some of mine did/do some didn't
