Skip to content

Sometimes she eats good, sometimes not!

Basenji Feeding
  • Sahara drives me nuts sometimes, at times she hardly has any appetite. Just yesterday I tried to feed her before leaving for work. When I came home at 5:00 she still had not eaten, then later she did not eat either. Why do they sometimes just don't want to eat? Anyone ever have this problem? She ate fine this morning, little stinker!

  • @youngandtired:

    Sahara drives me nuts sometimes, at times she hardly has any appetite. Just yesterday I tried to feed her before leaving for work. When I came home at 5:00 she still had not eaten, then later she did not eat either. Why do they sometimes just don't want to eat? Anyone ever have this problem? She ate fine this morning, little stinker!

    One thing I would do is not leave the food, if she doesn't eat it before you leave, take it away… it is much better when they have set times to eat.. and if they don't eat, it is taken away.

  • IMO, unless she's having other issues, she'll eat when she's hungry. My Magnum seems to have that same behavior. I don't worry about it too much.

    One piece of advice I got from a vet a long time ago (in response to this very type of situation with a different dog) is:

    "Some dogs eat to live and some dogs live to eat."

    Now, although it seems the majority of Basenjis are "live to eat" dogs, Magnum eats to live (unless it's a reward or a treat:D :D !).

  • Well, she is back to eating better, I wonder if she is trying to eat just once a day. Will they sometimes do this? Anyways, she is healthy so I am not going to worry about it, she will eat when she is hungry that's for sure. I think she is one of those, "Eat To Live" dogs, never been a big eater.

  • If she is healthly, I would not worry about it either…. you might, if you are feeding twice a day, cut the amount... until she cleans up what she wants... and yes they will eat when hungry as long as they are feeling OK.... the benefit to not free feeding (to anyone who is) is that when they stop eating usually there is something going on....

  • I wanted Brando to at least have some breakfast, but he wouldn't eat a lot. So I tried to split it equal amounts and he would always leave some. Then I gave him a smaller amount in the morning and then larger at night and that was the right balance and he now eats both meals fully. You might just experiment to see what might work if you really want her to have two meals.

    Also, I completely agree with Pat about controlled feeding. I think picky eaters then understand that if they want something to eat, they bettter get it now or they'll be waiting a long time. Ruby was REALLY picky until I switched food. Brando is still picky on occasion. Both have missed meals because they didn't eat within a set amount of time. One reason I really like controlled feeding is that if they are sick and not eating, you know it…also, it helps with controlled "output" as well.

6/6

30 Aug 2008, 13:06

Suggested Topics

  • 0 Votes
    10 Posts
    5k Views
    @DebraDownSouth: Sorry but I did nothing, and the likelihood of my ignoring a personal attack any time a year are close to zero. ;) Who would have guessed that? Hope everyone has a great Christmas. :)
  • Baron wont eat????

    Basenji Feeding 24 Nov 2010, 19:06
    0 Votes
    50 Posts
    21k Views
    WOW great pictures! He already looks like he is gaining weight, not "ribby" looking!
  • Not Eating

    Basenji Feeding 5 Aug 2010, 15:52
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    4k Views
    For now try feeding cooked chicken and white rice.
  • 0 Votes
    5 Posts
    2k Views
    Put the food down for 15 minutes then take it away. Do NOT leave it out for her to pick at until the next feeding. There are two reasons for this. The first is you want to know exactly how much she is really eating at each feeding. The second is by removing her access to food in between feedings you will teach her to eat when food is offered because food won't be available whenever she wants it. As for her thinnning out, my puppy boy is going to be 17 weeks old on Thursday and is a bit skinny this week since he had a growth spurt. Puppies tend to go through cycles of just a little pudgy, just right, a bit skinny and back again as they grow and their calorie demands flux depending on the amount of growth.
  • 0 Votes
    6 Posts
    3k Views
    Re the thowing up, try a couple of dry dog biskets. My boy used to throw up in the am, until we gave him one before bed.
  • She won't eat…

    Basenji Feeding 17 Jun 2007, 18:48
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    5k Views
    I feed Tayda in her crate, because if i don't she will pick up a few pieces of food, carry it to the carpet and eat it there. Also it keeps Lenny away from her food. Usually when he's done eating, he'll wander over to the crate and wait around like a vulture. ha ha. However, I did notice Tayda's eating habits changed a lot once Lenny was around. She used to not eat much, maybe once a day, and she would never finish her food. Even now, I feed them both at the same time and Lenny will gobble up his food, and Tayda will just sit around. Once Lenny is done and is wandering over for Taydas food, she gets up and starts eating. It really seems like she only eats so that he doesn't get her food.