Food Suggestions

Basenji Feeding
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  • alkiteA

    I have done some looking around the site and have seen some suggestions here and there. Our 2 dogs (one B one Terrier) eat Beneful. We haven't had any issues with stomach upset or any other issues, however I worry that I am doing the wrong thing for "down the road".
    I am looking for suggestions of a higher quality food that isn't going to break the bank. We are on a tight budget right now, and I can't go nuts :o
    Neither dog has stomach issues, they are 3 1/2 (Giz the B) and 3 or 4 (Angel our terrier is a rescue and this is a guess). Giz has had some dry skin this winter, but no noticible itching or hot spots just some dandruff and his coat isn't quite a shiny.
    We prefer dry and I add an egg once a week. They go nuts.

    Thanks in advance for any suggestions!:D

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  • jys1011J

    It's unfortunate that the good stuff is kinda pricey :eek: but IMO it's worth it in the long run. And here's why…

    http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring04/Perhach/PetFood/Ingredients.htm

    http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/301_pet.html

    I do understand financial restraints & if your Bs are happy & healthy then the choice is really up to you. I got my Bs at ages 3 and 2 and they ate the bad stuff up until they came to live with us. So I guess only time will tell if we made the right choice :) …also my husband used to get nauseous from the smell of their poop when they used to eat Eukanuba :(

    Basenji Mom of C3PO & TOPAZ

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  • alkiteA

    My husband makes lovely gagging noises while scooping poo on our walks. It is so endearing :D

    Thank you for the links, they have great information.

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  • lvossL

    Though the premium foods are more expensive though you often end up feeding less because they are more nutrient dense then the less expensive foods that are full of fillers like corn.

    Right now we have Wellness Puppy food and Evo in the house. Before the puppies we had Evo and California Natural with Canned Wellness Duck and Potato to keep weight on my high metabolism girl.

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  • jessi76J

    I feed Solid Gold Hund-n-Flocken (lamb) with a scoop or 2 of Merrick's canned mixed in. I buy one 15lb bag of kibble once every month or so, for $24. I agree with the others, premium food is better in the long run. less fillers, more nutrients, and you do feed less.

    Read the ingredients on the Beneful bag. The first ingredient should be a meat source, IMO.

    First 3 ingredients in Beneful Original: Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal

    First 3 in the Solid Gold Hund-n-flocken: Lamb | Lamb Meal | Brown Rice

    I avoid foods with corn, by-products, and non-specific sources (i.e. labeled "animal digest")

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  • youngandtiredY

    I recently went looking for a better grade of food for my B, Sahara. I went to the pet store and found Blue Buffalo, the 1st ingredient is Deboned chicken. I was impressed with that, there is very few dry kibble that has protein for the 1st ingredient. Sahara really likes it, and eats it better than any other dry. She does like wet with it, and the wet is good also. She use to eat Beneful dry with wet, and I decided that it was not healthy enough. It has meat-by-products,and I know that is not good. The wet Beneful is pricey and the wet Blue Buffalo is less expensive. Also you do feed less of the good stuff so a bag of it lasts longer. While I was reading the back of the bag a couple came up to get a bag and I asked how they liked it. They said, "We love this food, our dogs eat healther now". They had previously lost a dog to cancer and said the Blue Buffalo was a lot more healthy than the food they had bought when they had the deceased dog. Of course, that sold it for me, and we are hooked now. Also, can someone tell me why corn is not good for dogs, just curious b/c Sahara loves fresh veggies that I have left over sometimes.

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  • G

    We have had great luck with the eagle pack dog food, the chicken one specifically. Bs would have poo problems once every week or two on Nutro sensitive stomach when we first got them, until we switched them over and no problems since. It can be pretty hard to find, and it is indeed more dense with less fillers so we don't have to feed them quite as much.

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  • jessi76J

    corn is nothing more than a cheap filler. there is no nutritional value to corn.

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  • alkiteA

    Thanks everyone for the information. I am planning a scouting mission this weekend to find some better grub for my pups. :D

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  • E

    For "everything you ever wanted to know about corn", read the book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan. Corn products are in almost everything anymore, and they affect the way everything is metabolized.

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    Raw food

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    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!!
  • dmeyD

    Dry food and real food!

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  • NemoN

    Alternate food suggestions for boarding

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    Buddys PalB
    Hi, just reading through some posts, and this one caught my eye. Most kennels know that a slight loss of appetite is inevitable and tell the customers as such(I do….) I try to wait till the next day to see if the new dog will eat as this being a natural survival instinct for a dog to eat when hungry. Always rare exceptions of course...another story... Anyway, may I suggest to help with the diarreah with the supplement of adding a teaspoon or so of pumpkin to the 'normal' food the dog is used to. A watered down version of a good canned food over the kibble also has done the trick with boarded dogs as well. Start off with half the kibble and then increase with dog's desire to continue so that the kibble will not go to waste as it is wet and bloated and will one will have a dish of bacteria if left out....Just talk it over with the attendant or Doctor as such.
  • MiaM

    Picky eater, need food suggestions

    Basenji Feeding
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    nomrbddgsN
    Just a bit on the raw diet-raw digests at a different rate than kibble. Feeding raw with kibble does interrupt the digestion process. They will have diarrhea any time you switch over. No matter how careful you are. I would try something that is raw based, but baked. I know Origen up here is like that-it also has no grains. But there is also Wilderness that is based on the same lines. I find, though, that it has grains in it. Depends on how you feel about grains. It really will be trial and error. I would try treating with the dry kibble first and then building up rather than using the kibble as a meal. Just MO.
  • Tayda_LennyT

    Poisonous foods

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    Robin_n_JackR
    Yeah, Jack is like that with broccoli- when he sees me pulling it out of the fridge to cook for me, he gets all excited and trembly with anticipation. He immediately sits and watches until he just can't stand it anymore and then he's HANGING TEN COUNTER SURFING!!!!!!
  • 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.