Picky Basenji

[bellabasenji1]

I have a 5 month old basenji mix who since the first day I got her has been picky about her food. I have tried everything including eggs, bacon grease, chicken, burgers, sausage, peanut butter, dust toppings, anything you can think of. I have also got many different types of hard and wet food for her to try. It seems everyday her preference changes and it takes a lot to get her to eat. I know I should just place the food out twice a day for 10-20 minutes and if she doesn't eat then she doesn't eat, but I don't understand why she is so picky. Any suggestions on foods to try or tactics to get her to eat regularly would be appreciated.

[tanza]

Food out for no more than 10 minutes, take away after that time until the next feeding. If she is hungry she will eat, period. Obviously however make sure there is no underlying health issue.

[Patty]

To confirm what Tanza advises - please check that there are no health issues before deciding that it is just 'pickiness'. She might have digestive problems, in my opinion it's not usual for a pup to be so picky. All being physically well, why not try her with raw meat?

[Marty]

Not a great idea to feed 'people' food. They will come to expect it and won't eat what they're supposed t. As for raw food, please don't. Unless you go to a reputable butcher, not grocery store, you can run into parasitic issues. I work for a vet and our hearts broke when we had to euthanize a 3 yr old who had chronic diarrhoeas due to raw diet. Best to put food down, 10 mins then pick it up. A healthy dog won't starve themselves.

[Ml henderson]

Jagger, 14, only likes lamb. Lamb treats, lamb wet food mixed with dry. He smells every treatbrfoe he eats it, like we’re trying to poison him, lol. He’s healthy and still a punk. He sings to me every morning before his denta stick. I think he’s saying hurry up. Love my “African Hunting dog”.!

[2baroos]

Please stop feeding her all that greasy food- Pancreatitis!
Are you willing to try raw?

If not get a good quality dry... Lamb and Rice.
Put it down for five minutes and then take it up.
No more human food.

My male liked to graze all day long so we just left his food down.

[NancySS]

Raw diet is not hard...it IS a little pricey if you purchase it and don't make your own. We use Stella & Chewy's dehydrated raw food and our Basenji has never been more energetic or shinier. She loves it.

[Zande]

To much choice ! Make or buy a reliable food, suitable for dogs, and put the pan down for ten minutes. But first take her to the Vet and get her thoroughly checked out.

[raburr3]

@2baroos What brand of dry Lamb and RIce do you use?

[DebraDownSouth]

@marty said in Picky Basenji:

Not a great idea to feed 'people' food. They will come to expect it and won't eat what they're supposed t. As for raw food, please don't. Unless you go to a reputable butcher, not grocery store, you can run into parasitic issues. I work for a vet and our hearts broke when we had to euthanize a 3 yr old who had chronic diarrhoeas due to raw diet. Best to put food down, 10 mins then pick it up. A healthy dog won't starve themselves.

I agree no "people food" with a picky eater. But my dogs for my entire life have gotten SOME .. maybe a couple of bites.. of most things I eat.

Raw food has killed fewer dogs than commercial food with contaminants, I'm pretty sure. And euthanizing a dog for chronic diarrhea? Are you serious? You get them on a new diet and probiotics. A vet that kills a dog over diarrhea .. holy cow. I seriously hope that there is more to the story.

As for "A healthy dog won't starve" ... and other posters who sort of said the same... I wish. I said that myself. Until I got one that literally looked like she was being starved. You could see her back and hip bones. I spent over $1000 in testing (this was about 15 yrs ago.. so more by today's value), consultations with Univ GA, and nothing was wrong that they could find. She simply ate enough not to die. Anorexia-like behavior does in fact happen in dogs. I spoon fed her for years, and then we put her on an appetite medication cyproheptadine (it's actually an antihistamine with an interesting backstory on how they found it works on appetites) and bingo, normal appetite. A couple of years later she got lymphoma, but nothing else ever appeared that could account for the lack of appetite.

So yes, most of the time, picky eaters are created by the owners... but not always. So if you stick to one food, pick up after 10 mins, give again at dinner, pick up, and the dog goes a few days with almost no food, you have a problem. Get a full check now... do it again if it continues. A puppy that young needs nutrition, but all that changing is not the answer.

[Marty]

@debradownsouth - Just an fyi, the vet did try everything possible with this dog but nothing worked and ultimately it was the owners choice to euthanize not ours. Unfortunately, we are bound by what our clients wishes are and what they can afford.

[DebraDownSouth]

@marty said in Picky Basenji:

@debradownsouth - Just an fyi, the vet did try everything possible with this dog but nothing worked and ultimately it was the owners choice to euthanize not ours. Unfortunately, we are bound by what our clients wishes are and what they can afford.

:( Hopefully they don't get more pets.

[CrazySenji]

Zande’s recommendation is spot on for a healthy dog who is simply picky. I cried myself to sleep many times over one of my dogs. I was convinced he was going to die! He’d like a food a few days and then stop. I mixed everything into it, tried raw (he hates it), tried every protein, every type of food, etc etc. Same results!!

The only thing that worked was finding a food he liked and I felt comfortable feeding and stuck with it. Yes he’d skip some meals but at 5 years old he now eats his food with very little issue. You REALLY have to practice tough love and sick to it. If your dog is healthy it WILL work!

For the record, I feed Fromm and rotate flavors. He does not do grain free as the good carbs help keep weight on him.