You guys know it all!

[Dwaf]

I've read through tons of the threads and posts and just about ALL of my intial questins have been answered, or at least a great deal of information given that allows us to make an informed decision.

One thing I can say is that we are now decided that we are able to give a great home to a Basenji and that we will not be unworthy of his/her presence.

The only thing that I have some doubts around would be their diet.

What is the ideal diet? Are there certain things to absolutely avoid and certain things that are a must?

All advice greatfully received!!

Alan

[tanza]

A good quality food is a must… I would suggest ones that do not have a lot of fillers like corn and other grains. I prefer the ones that are like Duck and Potato or EVO that is all meat....

[nobarkus]

I've started adding in some frozen raw. It's Steve's Raw food. Also something called Seameal from Solid Gold. 1/4 tsp 2x daily mixed in.

[Basenjimamma]

My dogs, 1 B and 2 non B's are on the Barf Diet, which means raw meats, meaty bones and veggies + fruit, and I occasionaly give them fish like sardines, and they get one squirt of salmon oil a day, to give them added fatty acids. I have not been giving them grains, unless the kids sneak them some when I am not watching, and I know that happens 8-). So far they are thriving.

[nobarkus]

Try some fish oil too. I just pin poke and squeeze a cap into his food.

[mauigirl]

Re: the omega 3's and pin pricking a capsule..I'm glad to see someone else does that, too.

Our 2 get their fish oil with their dinner, which is the meal Liz feeds, I do breakfast. She also pricks caps and squeezes them in.
While picking up a bag of kibble the other day Liz spotted an omega 3 supplement that comes in a bottle with a pump. She was like o….m......g what convenience! Amazing! As we were already dropping $50 something on kibble I talked her out of it, haha.

Dwaf, regarding food...ours have done well on Evo and we have fed them one bag of Origen and they did well on that too. Look for quality protein, minimal or no grains. Check out dogfoodanalysis.com. They have a section in there about how to read ingredient lists.

[Patty]

I agree with Basenjimamma but then I'm a raw food freak. The majority of Basenjis here were always fed a natural diet but times have changed!!! However quite a few owners I speak to now (in Basenjis as well as other breeds) are now turning back to raw natural foods. When you do get your dog give it a try and see how he/she does on it.
However take the advice of the breeder you get your dog from - hopefully they will have plenty of experience. Most breeders you will find, will send you away with a diet sheet as well as other good advice.

[Basenjimamma]

I have another list about how to evaluate your pets food. I hope it is OK to post a forum/website; http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=67485.

[nobarkus]

I'm using Organix dry and Vitality wet (duck, chicken or lamb) with the frozen raw. All these are expensive but I don't budget for my Bs food.

[sharronhurlbut]

re dog food, I think the general rule is if you can get it at the grocery store or WalMart, its not quality food.
IMO.

[nobarkus]

@sharronhurlbut:

re dog food, I think the general rule is if you can get it at the grocery store or WalMart, its not quality food.
IMO.

Correct! It's garbage.

[YodelDogs]

@Basenjimamma:

I have another list about how to evaluate your pets food. I hope it is OK to post a forum/website; http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=67485.

ROFL and here I thought I was probably the only person here who visits the Backyard Chickens forum!

(I just have to have some Silkie chickens someday.:))

[Basenjimamma]

Hey, I love my backyard chickens, they bring me peace…and eggs.
I thought that list was pretty cool..

[wizard]

Just remember too, that although quality kibble is expensive per bag, it's really not over the long run. One bag quality = 2-3 bags cheap crap since you feed less.

[Basenjimamma]

Wizard is right, and I am a firm believer that you can control, to a certain degree, the amount of vet visits in a dogs life, depending on what quality food you feed it. So you would essentially save on that front as well.

[Maya]

My Baby Maya came to me having been fed Pro Plan puppy food and cooked chicken as a treat. I feed all of my dogs a mostly raw diet so i changed her over onto that. I do still give all of mine a complete food, perhaps 3 or 4 meals a week they will have complete dry food.

Maya has royal canin complete. But most of her meals are raw. her favourites are chicken wings/carcasses, raw tripe, raw lamb/beef mince and she also has cooked liver/heart/kidney but only occassionally as i tend to use that as bait for the showring so thats only ever given as a special treat.

They tend to get any leftover veg and stuff from meals and she does seem to like that. I think she does really well on that diet, she LOVES her food and certainly looks healthy enough

[Benkura]

I feed all my dogs on Royal Canin dry food. However, they do also get salmon oil, garlic tablets and some other herbal remedies mixed in. They also get raw tripe, raw lamb, raw mince beef, raw veg, raw eggs, scrambled eggs, cooked veg, cooked meat, tinned sardines etc etc. The list goes on…... It gives them a bit of variety and keeps them interested in their meals.
Vicki

[Basenjimamma]

I don't know if this is known, but of all the dog food manufacturers out there, Royal Canine does the most research behind their products.

[Dwaf]

Many thanks for the informative replies.

My lucky B is gonna eat better than me!!!!

Alan

[AndrewnShango]

Hello there! I work at a Holistic dog bakery and food carrier so I fancy myself sort of a "specialist" in the area of canine diet.

My suggestion: AVOID grains. While they are not necessarily harmful they definitely don't contribute anything specifically wonderful to the diet.

There are great goods that are grain free. My two suggestions are to look into Innova's EVO line. It's my favorite food; totally grain free and outstanding protein/fat. My Shango eats it and it's done wonders for him; skin/coat, weight control, and productive energy.

Also, Solid Gold's Barking At the Moon is a great food to look into that not many people know about. The price is fairly reasonable whereas Evo gets a bit expensive.

Overall, holistic (no wheat, corn, soy, by-products) is the way to go. Let me know if you have any specific questions.