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Change in eating habits in senior b

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • dmcartyD

    after a vet check conspider Canine Senility. add Bright minds as a food OR add a source of Medium Chain Triglycerides like coconut oil.

    PhocoenaGirlP 1 Reply
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  • KembeK

    My Kembe is 13 and her eating habits have changed in the past 6 months. I use to give her 3/4 dry kibble and 1/4 wet food - it is now reversed. I mentioned this to her vet in February @ her visit and he stated that the change was actually good because as she ages her kidneys need more water. I also use to have to feed her with a PUZZLE BOWL - which took her longer to eat - I no longer have to use the PUZZLE BOWL - she eats slow enough now. She still eats twice a day @ the same time and I measure her food. However she does get several snacks during the course of the day. But she maintains her weight of approximately 22-23 lbs. She is walked 3-5 miles per day - weather permitting.

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  • N

    Check the calorie count on the kibble bag. It's not uncommon for a manufacturer to reduce the calories in a product without publicizing the change.

    PhocoenaGirlP 1 Reply
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  • wiggleW

    Watch their vision. Our last dog got SARDS & that was the first sign we missed, more than normal hunger & thirst. I don’t believe that Basenji’s are prone to getting SARDS but our Pomeranian unfortunately was.

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  • ZandeZ

    I've never had to vary the diet in older dogs - and over the years have had many, often several at one time - only change is they've tended to drink more which has sent me running for the vet 'in case'.

    So I agree to get full bloods done, read the labels on all the cans and dry food you are giving.

    The amount you are giving him seems slim. I am trying to visualise half a cup of kibble. Grain free is good and feeding twice a day is good too. I've always done it. For one thing it helps control their weight and as pets breaks up the day and gives them something to look forward to !

    My current old people share five big handfuls of kibble and half a can of Pedigree Chum for breakfast between the two of them and then a lighter supper of the rest of the can of chum and 3 - 4 handfuls of grain-free. He gets the lion's portion. They get a Meradog biscuit (hard tack !) when they come in from their run in the woods and occasionally a vegetable or two if I've cooked too much. If your half cup sounds less than this, maybe you should increase quantities but ask the Vet and have bloods done.

    Sally Wallis

    Zande Basenjis

    www.zandebasenjis.com

    https://pedigrees.zandebasenjis.com

    SKYPE zandeuk

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  • PhocoenaGirlP

    @nora-mayfield I never thought of that! Thanks so much will do.

    Shannon, Beegin and Brady (…Snow sucks.)

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  • PhocoenaGirlP

    @dmcarty Thanks. I forgot to mention that as one of the "something extras" that I give with his food. I just haven't been doing it every day. I can increase how often I add that. Any idea about how much he should have in his diet? I usually just put a glob about the size of a quarter when I have added it to the food.

    Shannon, Beegin and Brady (…Snow sucks.)

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  • PhocoenaGirlP

    @debradownsouth Thanks I did just that in order to get to the one we've got now which has made the huge difference for my beagle! The other two brands I had gotten did basically nothing so you are right to suggest people look deeply into it.

    I mean Brady went from not being able to jump up on the sofa and having to use his doggie steps to get on/off the bed to now, he often dashes past me on the house stairs and up into the bed beating me even into the room. I will have to post the brand later cuz it's with their food and I can't remember the brand name at the moment.

    I will do some additional work on the essential oil stuff though. I'm just a little stymied though if this essential oil product is bad too. Trifexis is has caused many owners problems and my previous vet in Michigan switched us to that from Frontline because she said fleas were getting immune to it reducing it's efficacy. What's left? We're in humid N. Carolina and they just can't go without. It's parasite heaven here.

    Shannon, Beegin and Brady (…Snow sucks.)

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  • PhocoenaGirlP

    Thanks everybody for the input!

    Shannon, Beegin and Brady (…Snow sucks.)

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  • wizardW

    My "aging" dogs are fed TasteOfTheWild kibble topped with a bit of wet food (variety of good brands) or a raw medallion (duck or pheasant) and with a fair amount of water so its kind of soupy (vet suggestion). Their weight hasn't changed and my vet is very happy with their condition. He also does a CBC every year on them for monitoring purposes, which I'm happy about.

    I'm real skittish now with essential oil usage. A couple of friends who are into that got me started using them on my dogs but mine started having bad reactions (Teddy's allergies went berserk and he scratched off a lot of fur before I got it under control again). I do use a botanical flea/tick spray but even there one has to be very careful - I tried one that had cedar and cinnamon oil in it and it caused weird shedding and scratching.

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  • S

    Senior B who is not eating at all

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    S
    Unfortunately for us Maia has never done well with chicken, she loves it and eats it but it gives her diarrhea and seems to mess up her over all health. We did blood work again and her liver enzymes decreased by 30% which is great! Her actual health though is not so good so that is bad. We can get her to eat which is good, but the food control is not great salmon, ham(boiled a few times to remove the salt), breaded cauliflower, Mac and cheese. Whatever we can get her to eat. It’s crazy! We have her booked with a chiropractor to check her nerve function and we are ready to get prednisone going if it is ibd. We are working closely with our vet daily, she currently is on metronidazole and amoxicillin and gabapentin. Thursday I thought we were going to lose her and she has rallied. I hate optimism as I don’t do well with a broken heart but I am hoping for the best right now. She is on 2 billion probiotic per day as well. Every bite of food I can get into her I think, ok 1 more day at least. If I have to spend all day hand feeding her, I will. She is finally sleeping and twitching a little less! She is going up and down stairs ok, not great but ok and she is no longer falling over. We are far from out of the woods but I have seen some small improvements. Thank you all for your words, encouragement, advice and stories of what you have gone through. It is tremendous to me how kind you are. Thank you for taking some time out of your day and trying to help! We so appreciate it. Mai Mai means the entire world to us and every word, suggestion, or story we take into account and thank you so much for being such a loving wonderful community. With lock down and a sick pup we feel quite overwhelmed, so thank you!
  • R

    Eating Issues

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    DebraDownSouthD
    The FDA can only do what the laws allow and if the govt is controlled by lobbyist, well.... But this isn't the place for politics so I'll leave it at that. I am very sorry about your horse. :( With meat.. it's particularly red meat that research is linking to cancer... early research shows amount is a big factor (recommendations from 4 oz a day to max 18 oz a week), but who knows. Processed meat is the worse, and I saw some headline (didn't bother to read since I like my beef shortly after it stops mooing) that well done steaks more carcinogenic. For the world, reducing red meat is good for the environment and health. I was reading a study last week on red meat and joint inflammation. Studies the last 15 years actually only have general connection, but that most do is a pretty good indicator. I had a doctor tell me to stop all red meat and milk when I was a teen and experiencing joint pain. It helped, but back then, no internet and not much access to current research. Here we are 45+ years later, and still no strong proof and some show that reducing carbs with increased LEAN red meat actually decreased inflammation. However, we then get this Science Catch-up. Red Meat And Gut Inflammation: Harvard Study ... https://thehealthsciencesacademy.org/science-catch-up/science-catch-up-28/ Jan 18, 2017 - Red meat and gut inflammation: Harvard study. According this new Harvard study involving 46,500 participants, eating high amounts of red meat daily might be a risk factor for gut inflammation and the development of diverticulitis. << So no one has absolute proof, but my money is on reducing red meat is more likely to be healthier than not. I just don't rule out all meat (ie fish and fowl) as getting enough protein is pretty hard and we don't have enough hard research for ME to go vegetarian. But I'm open to it and glad you are having success.
  • C

    B mix

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    NicolaN
    @YodelDogs: If you are positive one parent was a pure Basenji and the other parent was a pure Dachshund then she cannot get Fanconi Syndrome. I'm pleased to hear that. I have a B cross and I was wondering about Fanconi with her.
  • K

    How do I get my basenji to eat

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    tanzaT
    @kipper: Thank you to everyone for the great advice! Kipper is our second Basenji and the thought of loosing him at such a young age is horrific to us. Kip is currently taking metronidazole twice a day. I know the med does make him tired, but it's supposed to help get rid of his virus that in turn will bring back his appetite. I have tried all his favorites like cheese, sour cream and even homemade waffles. His diet is meat twice a day and free feeding of high quality kibble. The vet is very knowledgeable about Falconi and says all his levels are were they should be and the bicarb is all he needs. We will take Kip in again in 3 months for another blood test. Thanks again! Anna I don't want to doubt your Vet, But honestly, I find that hard to believe that he only needs Bicarb and not any of the Vitamins that are recommended in the protocol. If it were my dog, I would contact Dr. Gonto who developed the Protocol and run it by him and he is happy to talk to owners with Fanconi (it is Fanconi, not Falconi) about treatment along with conversations with your Vet. Also Thyroid testing is important for a dog with Fanconi. This would be the fill panel not just the one T4 level that are shown on regular blood work. Dr Gonto's contact info can be found at the bottom of the Fanconi Protocol information http://www.basenji.org/ClubDocs/fanconiprotocol2003.pdf Also you might want to consider joining the Fanconi Yahoo group for people with Fanconi affected dogs. They would also be able to give you good ideas since they are all dealing with dogs with Fanconi. It is a closed group for only people with affected dogs. If he was eating before the metronidazole then hopefully when he is done with that he will begin eating again.
  • MantisM

    Giardia - Eating Grass

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    MantisM
    yeah, I have had the same thing happen. One dose wont get rid of it. I really think it is making him snarfy as well. I will talk to my vet the next time I go in and do the Fenbendezol only from now on.
  • E

    Bathing your B

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    DukeD
    Gosh - Hope the vet helps Senji feel better. Duke gets a bath whenever he gets dirty - in summer, once a month. He's 1 yr. old. Right now, being winter - he doesn't get dirty because the ground is frozen. I don't know what would be a normal bath schedule for Basenjis. Sending a big wish to Senji for healing health.