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Having trouble getting your basenji to eat their food?

Basenji Talk
  • First of all, not all dogs like the same food and your Nano may just not care for the food.

    On occasion Jazz will refuse to eat for a day or so. I will flavor up her food then – a little broth or egg or cottage cheese, whatever I have handy -- just a bit. I can do that for a meal or two and she'll eat okay, then I cut out the flavoring and she eats her kibble just fine.

  • @etzbseder:

    Are you sure it's a basenji? 20.1kg is too heavy for a basenji. Medjai is a light basenji (also a little short) and he only weighs about 8.1kg. I think standard for a male should be about 11.3kg.

    He will eat if he's hungry enough, just do the best you can with picking something he'll like based on what the rest like and he'll eat it in time. If the vet says that nothing's wrong, go with it. It'd help if you could post pictures.

    Yeah, that does sound HUGE….like almost double the accepted weight for a male Basenji. Must be a mix with something. Can't wait to see pictures.

  • We feed Tupper Blue Buffalo with the life sources bits. He loves it. On special nights try adding a little pumpkin to the dry food. Make sure you get real pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling and add NO MORE then a tablespoon. Anymore then that the dog with have a bathroom problem. As soon as we put the pumpkin mixed food down Tupper goes crazy, it's so cute

  • The vet told me that he is to thin.I found an absessed in his mouth, took him to see the vet and now everything is fine.He started to eat a bit more then usually but not like my other 2 dogs.There are 3 bowls for each dog but i place it far apart from each other and they eat in peace.Thenk you so much for everything.

  • Every morning and evening they will get some extra with their food but i know that Nano loves and going crazy if i pour some meat flovour soup over his pellets. He doesn't like to share his food but that's okay, i never share my food not even with my kids or husband.I put a red light in their kennel so they can sleep warm during the night in the winter because Nano easily get cold and the he doesnt want to play but i understand it's too cold outside so he would rather snuggled. Oh, i LOVE MY NANO>

  • @wizard I have tried that no luck, so left food out all day no luck. he will eat SOME food at night when I put him in it for bedtime. I hate to see him go with out food for so long. we are on our 6 food still no luck.

  • @badbasenji - Should be feeding on a schedule not free fed... NOTE that they will NOT starve themselves unless sick.... give them 10 minutes to eat and then take it away until the next feeding time. If they are hungry they will eat.

  • @tanza
    While I agree that is almost always true, it is not absolutely. You can say "must not know where the sickness is"... but I have personally know known of a dozen for whom no medical issues were found that WOULD hold out until skeletal.

  • @debradownsouth - People should always first have a health check on their pets if there is a problem..... obviously

  • Check for a cracked tooth.

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    @jengosmonkey - Correct depending on his conformation... it that and movement met the standard then yes.... years ago a friend had a black & white Male that was about 30lbs and was about 19 to 20" tall... he finished his championship. Chances of the "Neuticles" being discovered most likely would have happened, however. It had been tried in other breeds.... one was with a Golden that only had 1 testicle so they had one neuticle implanted when the pup was about 8 months... funny thing about testicles... sometimes can come down at the most inopportune times... image the judge when did his exam and discovered "3" testicles....LOL Opps! by the way the dog and the owner & handler were DQ.
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    @emmett Hope you're still reading our responses. I'm impressed that you're doing research and reaching out to people who have the breed of dog you're interested in. In my opinion you're doing exactly the right thing. I also like that you're considering a Basenji. I really hope you'll keep that seed of interest in the back of your mind, and that when the time is right that you'll revisit having a Basenji. As other have pointed out, and you've concluded... a Basenji may not be the best choice for where you are right now. Another thought might be to find a local dog park, go there, observe the dogs, the way that they interact with their owners and see if particular breed looks interesting. Some are laid back, some are high energy, some crave attention, some want independence, etc. Watch them. Get use to spotting the behaviors that you want in a dog. Then, when it comes time for you to choose your dog for life, you'll be better prepared to spot the personality, or temperament as we call it, that best fits where you are in life. In turn you'll be making the best choice for your new pal as well. We have great members here with decades of experience breeding, training, showing and co-existing with dogs. I hope you'll stop by anytime you have any questions at all. They don't have to be about Basenjis. Good luck and let us know if you get a pup!! :oncoming_fist: :slightly_smiling_face: :thumbs_up:
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    I have a general question. Does anybody elses Basenji not like to be picked up. Ours sometimes loves it, and sometimes not. Also sometimes she runs up to dogs as quiet as can be and plays, and than other times she makes a squeeling noise, and people are afraid she is picking a fight with their dog. But I think shes just talking. She squeels at our new Whippet puppy, and loves to play with her and is as gentle as can be, considering the Whippet puppy is really rough on my poor Basenji baby girl. does anyone know what the squeeling means. The baroo I get she does that all the time. The squeeling is confusing.
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    Yes, early socialization and positive experiences is the best way to go. I think the most important thing about puppy kindergarten is that it is positive based and focuses on socialization with both people and dogs. Some basenji don't necessarily do well with the small dogs and other love them. Sophie was always the best with the new pups of any size in her puppy class, she just had phenomenal dog language and would make herself as small as possible and go at their speed. What you want to be careful about is people who have already formed a preconceived notion of basenji behavior. My mom's first puppy class instructor always expected her boy to be aggressive even though he never showed any aggression and was always very appropriate in his interactions. I crate puppies next to the bed while housebreaking and it works fine. I have always used a large stuffed toy in the crate and this year used SnugglePuppies, they were wonderful. The pup snuggled right up to warmth and fell asleep, provided we did a good job of tiring him out for the night. I got my first basenji while I was in Grad school and lived in an apartment. It is doable as long as you are willing to make sure they get enough exercise and mental stimulation.
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    @wizard: I forgot to mention that my previous basenji loved to eat rabbits that he caught and muskrats. (I did my best to get those away from him) Oh. ew. We have found one or two squirrel carcasses in the yard over time, but I'm not sure who's killing them. Gypsy has in her youth, but I'm not sure she has the eyesight or speed for that anymore, so it's probably one of the Basenjis. Grosses me out! I know they'd both like to make lunch out of my cats.