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Food options???

Basenji Feeding
  • H

    Hi. I have 2 eight years old basenjis. I been feeding my girl (Henna) Natural Balance (Potato & Duck) for last 6 years after discovering her allergies to everything else. But, recently, i have rescued a boy (Rosie). He had a very nice dark red, rough coat. He has been on the Potato and Duck now and his coat has changed. Its not as dark and tight…and is changing to smooth coat just like my girl. I love my Henna's soft coat but kind of liked the color of Rosie's coat. Should i switch to different food for Rosie or stick with the current? If yes, which one? BTW...i feed them 3 duck and potato treats each in the morning and a cup of food at night. Is that good?

    Joti & Karen

    Surrey, BC

    Canada

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  • tanzaT

    Could be that your rescue boy is starting to blow coat… I would wait it out and see if maybe that is what is going on.

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • H

    Blow coat….that means winter coat right?

    Joti & Karen

    Surrey, BC

    Canada

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  • tanzaT

    @Henna420:

    Blow coat….that means winter coat right?

    Sorry, that means plain old shedding… Basenjis will shed at least usually once a year and it never really relates to the time of year... but he may be getting what most would call a winter coat... I have also found with spayed/neutered B's that every couple of years they will really get a terrible coat and then shed out to their normal one...

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • SharlaS

    I agree with Pat regarding the coat. It is very common for reds to be "washed out" when they loose their coat. It unusally returns. But if he is doing well on the food, don't change it. The old saying, don't break what not broken.

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  • mikesullM

    Food

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    S
    I would find out what he scared of or what he dislikes about the car. Is it the car itself, the sensation of being closed in, the movement when the car is being driven? Then work on whatever the problem is, with food. As for food, I use raw duck and vegetables. And I hand-feed all meals, so I never have a problem with not eating/partially eating. I would also recommend hand-feeding for anyone who does have a dog with food issues. Shredded chicken is good (as long as he doesn't have any reactions). But that and some kibble isn't a balanced meal. You may wish to look into a vitamin supplement, specifically something that has a focus on omega 3 (since chicken is high in omega 6), Vitamin C & the B vitamins (because if all he's eating is chicken and kibble, where is his source of vitamin C and the B vitamins?), zinc & copper (same reasons). All the best. EDIT: I just realized this thread is a year old and was bumped by what is almost certainly a bot.
  • H

    Raw food

    Basenji Feeding
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    L
    We switched our 2 boys to raw from kibble about 6 months ago. The switch came because we were simply exhausted from walking them 3 times a day because they had loose stool (we don't have fenced in yard, so we need to walk them to go to the bathroom). Our vet recommended more fiber in their diet to help with loose stool. This intuitively just didn't resonate with us. Basenji are one of the most ancient breeds of dog… why on earth would more fiber be a solution to their problem (I know the theoretical why, but logically it was counter-intuitive)? We read many sources or literature on the raw diet and thought this would be a good switch for them. Again, they are an ancient breed so moving toward raw foods seemed appropriate and logical. It took that about a month for them to get really accustomed to eating raw chicken quarters, rabbit halves or pork shoulders but now they have no problem gulping their meal right down, bone and all (for those of you who don't feed raw, gulping is a normal behavior and bone is an essential part of the diet). Their digestion issues have vanished and we've even seen marked improvement in their destructive behavior. Two super happy boys now, two super happy Basenji owners!!
  • P

    Best Food?

    Basenji Feeding
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    tanzaT
    @Patty: Interesting that you had a problem with loose stools, Pat, because I had exactly the same but with a puppy who was eventually discovered to have Giardia. It did take us a very long time though and in the meantime the pup was suffering. It also happened to a friend of mine herself who for years had a stomach problem that finally was discovered to be a Giardia infection. Because of my experience with the puppy, I had jokingly suggested the problem to her as well. Yes… Giardia "hides" very well..... Many Vets will write it off to a sensitive digestive system when in fact it is not. Like I said with my OJ, once it was cleared up, he could eat anything...
  • V

    Food switching

    Basenji Feeding
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    C
    @Varanus: So I have Yoshi on Canidae All Life Stages right now, and I don't think it's the food for him. He's doing better on it than on the lower-meat-content Three Dog Bakery food I was using, but it isn't making him as happy and healthy as it could. For various reasons, I don't think I can do a raw diet right now, so I'm interested in kibble recommendations. I'm willing to spend money to get good food for him to thrive on, but I'm also not made of cash. Recommendations? B's are funny about there food, I only feed dry food and use Wellness brand, which has been good for my B's, Try a newpaper under the bowl so it wond shift around, that may help. If he hungry enough he will eventually eat. Good luck.
  • KebasmomK

    Good Food

    Basenji Feeding
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    Chelbell26C
    @Robin_n_Jack: I was having the same problem with Jack recently…he's 2...he wouldn't eat, I called it his anorexic phase. He would eat acouple of bites in the morning, ad about half of his food in the afternoon. There has been a lot of excitement around lately (Dad's home, and we are packing to move) so I thought that might have something to do with it, and I figured he would eat when he was hungry. He hasn't been acting lethargic or sick, just not eating. Finally, after trying everything I could think of, treats in with the food (worked for a little while) pretending to eat it my self and trying to hand feed him(he looked at me like "If you think it is so good, why don't you eat it?) this morning I mixed some water in with the food. Next thing I know, it was all gone. Yay! no more Ally McBeal doggie! Glad to hear that he is eating again. :-) I think we all know what its like to worry that your B isn't eating enough. :rolleyes:
  • bellabasenjiB

    Homemade food…

    Basenji Feeding
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    youngandtiredY
    I have now switched from Blue Buffalo food to Merricks wet and dry. The Blue Buffalo was hard to get, I had to buy it out of town. I get Merricks locally, and Sahara absoutely eats it better than all the rest. She is a picky eater and doesn't have a big appetite, but man oh man is she waiting when it is meal time now. She cleans her dish, a new thing for her. I am very happy, I use the dry also with about 1/4 cup of wet mixed in. I add alittle warm water to the dry (it makes it's own gravy) heat the wet alittle and add to the dry. Yes, I know Sahara is spoiled b/c I heat her wet food but what the heck, she is worth it, only takes a few seconds. Merricks is pricey $2 per can but I make it last for about 4-5 meals. Anyways, if you read the can and bag of the dry you will see what I mean, it is very good dog food and the family that has the company has been in business for 3 decades.