Skip to content

Fat Dog

Basenji Feeding
  • Jack, my 7 yr. old Basenji seems to keep putting on weight. We currently have him on Royal Canin, skin something prescription food, it's main ingredient is fish meal. Our vet suggested it, because he is a very allergic dog. First we had him on skin formula and I noticed in six weeks his weight went from 25lbs. to 30lbs. We reduced the amount, he didn't lose weight and then we reduced the amount again. Currently he is on 1/2 Cup and he still isn't losing weight. I walk him most mornings for an hour and try and limit any other treat he gets. Occasionally he gets pizzles. My vet is at a loss and I am at a loss. His thyroid seems good no problems there. Does anyone have any ideas? Also he is on a medication called Cyclosporin for his allergies….

  • Weight gain is one of the side effects of cyclosporin. Have his kidney's and liver levels checked. That is a very low amount of food to be feeding and it may have more to do with an immune suppression which is what cyclosporin does.

  • Weight gain is also an effect of low thyroid. I know that you said that his thyroid "seems" fine… but has the full panel been done? or just the T3 that is done with normal bloodwork... and even at that, what was the level, low normal for a Basenji is TOO low....

Suggested Topics

  • Dog food prices

    Basenji Feeding
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    6k Views
    Baba BamideleB
    I tried to get to the bottom of it, but I didn't find much. I did find an article that said food prices in general may be rising due to El Niño, so that may be a factor. Also, an article about general consumer dissatisfaction with higher pet-food prices: http://www.petbusiness.com/January-2016/The-Cost-of-High-Prices/ And, stats from last year that show that pet food prices fell to a fairly low point in August 2015 (which may explain why they're going back up now): http://www.petbusinessprofessor.com/petmarket/buying-pet-products-price-matters-petflation-update-and-more/
  • How many rotate dog foods?

    Basenji Feeding
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    4k Views
    LyshL
    i stay with the same brand, good quality kibble. thats all Hope gets with maybe a raw bone and/or bits of left over meat (such as chicken) and pumpkin to have in the evening. when i was working in a grooming salon she used to get other premium kibble (samples for our customers) as "treats" - she was none the wiser and thought "yummo!" hehe and never had issues with it :) also -when we have fostered dogs she has had some of their kibble and had no issues with eating it. im pretty lucky i dont have a fussy eater :)
  • Cooking For Dogs

    Basenji Feeding
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    4k Views
    lvossL
    I will just add to what Petra said about finding the steel cut oats. You can find them in the Oatmeal section but also if you grocery store has a bulk section check there. It was significantly cheaper for me to buy from the bulk bins then to get the prepackaged section.
  • Survey of Dry Dog Foods

    Basenji Feeding
    32
    0 Votes
    32 Posts
    13k Views
    tanzaT
    @agilebasenji: To clarify, I'm not feeding my dogs differently because they are show/performance dogs; I'm feeding them differently because that is what works for the individual. Where I see feeding a dog differently because it is a performance/working dog (NOT a conformation/show dog) is where the dog is burning TONS of calories. Examples would be a working border collie/kepie or, perhaps, a greyhound that is being run many times a week (I don't know how they work things at the track), a working military/border patrol dog that is logging in miles of work daily, etc. My performance/show dogs are more weekend warriors by comparison. Training less than an hour everyday (not that I really train 7 days a week), hardly needs a special diet (IMHO). I will say I feed the basenjis more in the winter than the summer; they need more calories when it's cold. I also cook an egg on show/agility/coursing mornings, but that's because Digital is a picky boy and I need him to having something in his tummy when he's performing in agility/coursing. And it has just sort of carried over even though Miss Zest would never turn down food of any sort. Of course that's not too different from most weekends since I usually cook a big breakfast on Sat and Sun and everyone gets a bite of egg then. However, I will say I know of some people who do feed their current show dogs a better diet than the non-show dogs, which I find very sad. Well put, especially your last comment… I totally agree.... and pets/companions deserve the best we can feed them... no different then show/performace dogs...
  • Beneful Dry Dog Food

    Basenji Feeding
    21
    0 Votes
    21 Posts
    11k Views
    abby_basenjiA
    I have been feeding my dogs Diamond Brand Chicken and Rice small breed, according to that website it's not the greatest but not the worst. I might try the Orijen brand and see if my dogs like it, Cooper and missy will eat anything but Abby is more picky that's why I went with the diamond brand cuz she likes it and she will eat it! :)
  • Dog food ratings

    Basenji Feeding
    13
    0 Votes
    13 Posts
    8k Views
    C
    We just switched to Canidae over Nutro Max. We've fed our others Nutro for years and haven't seemed to have a problem, but I'm curious how the dogs would feel if they ate a better mix. Canidae has a very good ingredient list and got a A+ rating on this list! It actually isn't noticeably more expensive per pound than the Nutro we've been getting. A 40# bag was $40. So far they gobble it up, so they must like the taste at least.