Skip to content

Having trouble getting your basenji to eat their food?

Basenji Talk
  • NANO is almost a year old. Friends of ours gave him to us because he was nauty and always jumping over fences, but since he stayed with us he still tries to get out but that problem has beeb fixed the only problem left is the food. I dont want to give him everytime something else to eat because they are going to get used to not eat their pellets because he know if he doesn't eat i will give him something better. MY other two dogs eat the same pellets for over two years now and they still love it, sometimes they all get a bone after a braai but not everyday.

  • I think you misunderstood - keep feeding Nano the pellets but occasionally mix in the other suggested food items. And feeding him at regular times instead of leaving the food available all day is better.

  • I almost wish i had that problem with Maya she will eat anything and everthing. I regularly find her IN the bags of dog food helping herself. She is a little pig.

    I had a pug who was a terribly fussy eater as a baby. Breeder said she definately will eat sooner or later, keep offering her a bowl of food etc etc etc. After about FIVE days of her eating nothing i had to start hand feeding her cooked chicken!! She is also a little pig now. Its so worrying when they are so fussy though.

    I've yet to have a dog that doesnt like the raw food though :)

  • @Maya:

    I've yet to have a dog that doesnt like the raw food though :)

    Unfortunately i did. I used to feed flank of lamb (before the Mad Cow crisis which put Lamb prices through the roof). One of my dobe boys used to grab his flank of lamb, run to the bottom of the garden, i presumed it was to eat in peace - but he would leave it for the girls to find - took me a few weeks to find out why he was losing weight and they were gaining.

  • @sky:

    NANO is almost a year old. Friends of ours gave him to us because he was nauty and always jumping over fences, but since he stayed with us he still tries to get out but that problem has beeb fixed the only problem left is the food. I dont want to give him everytime something else to eat because they are going to get used to not eat their pellets because he know if he doesn't eat i will give him something better. MY other two dogs eat the same pellets for over two years now and they still love it, sometimes they all get a bone after a braai but not everyday.

    First, check his teeth. The vet should have done that but if not check yourself. One may be absessed or something else may be wrong. You could also go to a different vet and get a second opinion. Did the vet think he was too thin?

    I personally do not change my dogs food, but I will add bonus treats to it. My dog loves green peppers, sour cream, gravy etc. If you didn't want to add a topper to his current food, you could try just adding hot water. That will give it some flavor.

    You could also try feeding him in his crate. Maybe he feels threatened by the other dogs.

  • I think that "free" feeding is a mistake to anyone that does it. (In my opinion and in 99% of the cases)
    It is best to develope good eating habits by giving them a certain amount of time to eat and when that passes, its gone. Also that they all are fed separate in a crate or in different places so that they can all "eat" in peace….

    What food are you using?

  • First of all, not all dogs like the same food and your Nano may just not care for the food.

    On occasion Jazz will refuse to eat for a day or so. I will flavor up her food then – a little broth or egg or cottage cheese, whatever I have handy -- just a bit. I can do that for a meal or two and she'll eat okay, then I cut out the flavoring and she eats her kibble just fine.

  • @etzbseder:

    Are you sure it's a basenji? 20.1kg is too heavy for a basenji. Medjai is a light basenji (also a little short) and he only weighs about 8.1kg. I think standard for a male should be about 11.3kg.

    He will eat if he's hungry enough, just do the best you can with picking something he'll like based on what the rest like and he'll eat it in time. If the vet says that nothing's wrong, go with it. It'd help if you could post pictures.

    Yeah, that does sound HUGE….like almost double the accepted weight for a male Basenji. Must be a mix with something. Can't wait to see pictures.

  • We feed Tupper Blue Buffalo with the life sources bits. He loves it. On special nights try adding a little pumpkin to the dry food. Make sure you get real pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling and add NO MORE then a tablespoon. Anymore then that the dog with have a bathroom problem. As soon as we put the pumpkin mixed food down Tupper goes crazy, it's so cute

  • The vet told me that he is to thin.I found an absessed in his mouth, took him to see the vet and now everything is fine.He started to eat a bit more then usually but not like my other 2 dogs.There are 3 bowls for each dog but i place it far apart from each other and they eat in peace.Thenk you so much for everything.

  • Every morning and evening they will get some extra with their food but i know that Nano loves and going crazy if i pour some meat flovour soup over his pellets. He doesn't like to share his food but that's okay, i never share my food not even with my kids or husband.I put a red light in their kennel so they can sleep warm during the night in the winter because Nano easily get cold and the he doesnt want to play but i understand it's too cold outside so he would rather snuggled. Oh, i LOVE MY NANO>

  • @wizard I have tried that no luck, so left food out all day no luck. he will eat SOME food at night when I put him in it for bedtime. I hate to see him go with out food for so long. we are on our 6 food still no luck.

  • @badbasenji - Should be feeding on a schedule not free fed... NOTE that they will NOT starve themselves unless sick.... give them 10 minutes to eat and then take it away until the next feeding time. If they are hungry they will eat.

  • @tanza
    While I agree that is almost always true, it is not absolutely. You can say "must not know where the sickness is"... but I have personally know known of a dozen for whom no medical issues were found that WOULD hold out until skeletal.

  • @debradownsouth - People should always first have a health check on their pets if there is a problem..... obviously

  • Check for a cracked tooth.

Suggested Topics

  • Basenji eating habits

    Basenji Talk
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    6k Views
    MacPackM
    My Topper was a grazer, if he ate too much at one time he would throw up, but as long as he could munch off and on all day he kept a wonderful weight, so it does work for some dogs.
  • Interested in getting a Basenji… maybe

    Basenji Talk
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    1k Views
    nomrbddgsN
    There are some breeders out your end of the Country that could probably help you out. Cheryl Myers Eggerton is a Judge and also a breeder, she is in Minto NB and has Connamore B's, Simone Guadet (Beaubri) is on PEI, Valerie Rodger (Miloki) is in Beaver Bank NS. I have two that I can leave out without issues, and two go in the crate when I am not home. It is all dependant on the dog. But, like Anne states, puppies are a lot of work and sometimes the older dogs, young adults and retired show dogs are the better ones to start with. You can find all of the above on the Basenji Club of Canada website under breeders. At least with Val, you could probably visit her since she is in NS directly. Let us know how it goes,
  • Man Gets Basenji Tattoo

    Basenji Talk
    15
    0 Votes
    15 Posts
    5k Views
    thunderbird8588T
    Irena, your Dad's tattoo looks realy good. I'm not brave enough to have a tattoo
  • Mistake getting a Basenji?

    Basenji Talk
    35
    0 Votes
    35 Posts
    13k Views
    PearlsMomP
    Hello! I wish to comment on my dog Pearl. She is Very quiet, hardly a sound. I try to encourage her to speak. She does a lot of nonverbal communication. About the child issue. Pearl came to us as a puppy. My kids (12 & 13 at the time) spent time with her, the neighbor kids played with her, and she loves kids. No problems socializing with young people. I guess the point is, your pup will love anyone who treats it well and cares for it. At 5 , I'm sure your child understands the importance of being gentle with dogs. Pearl has done her fair share of chewing. Interesting what she likes. She will be 2 in October, and is better, but she has lots of bones! I love Pearl, however, I am easy going, and enjoy taking her on walks, playing with her, and having her as a family member. Its up to you what you want from a dog. Pearl is pretty free, and thats what I like!
  • Considering getting a Basenji

    Basenji Talk
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    lvossL
    Yes, early socialization and positive experiences is the best way to go. I think the most important thing about puppy kindergarten is that it is positive based and focuses on socialization with both people and dogs. Some basenji don't necessarily do well with the small dogs and other love them. Sophie was always the best with the new pups of any size in her puppy class, she just had phenomenal dog language and would make herself as small as possible and go at their speed. What you want to be careful about is people who have already formed a preconceived notion of basenji behavior. My mom's first puppy class instructor always expected her boy to be aggressive even though he never showed any aggression and was always very appropriate in his interactions. I crate puppies next to the bed while housebreaking and it works fine. I have always used a large stuffed toy in the crate and this year used SnugglePuppies, they were wonderful. The pup snuggled right up to warmth and fell asleep, provided we did a good job of tiring him out for the night. I got my first basenji while I was in Grad school and lived in an apartment. It is doable as long as you are willing to make sure they get enough exercise and mental stimulation.
  • Poll: Where Did You Get Your Basenji?

    Basenji Talk
    19
    0 Votes
    19 Posts
    7k Views
    youngandtiredY
    Well, it started when I was out with my 22yr. old son at the mall. He said, "Hey, Mom lets look at the dogs in the petstore ", I replied, "I don't have time besides your Dad has too many ideas what a dog has to be like for us to get one", I'll never find a dog like he wants". That was 3 yrs. ago this Jan., and I had never heard of a Basenji. I called DH about 3 times the night I found Sahara to persuade him we needed this dog, but she was very expensive so it took some work talking him into me buying her. She is owned by my son, me and my husband, she lives with my husband and I. She is the best dog I have ever owned, and I have had many through my lifetime. I would never get another dog from a pet store (didn't know about puppy mills)but I would have not known of this breed if I hadn't stopped and looked that night. My husband loves this dog so very much, he buys her whatever she wants or needs. I love her also, she is my joy and I can't stand to be from her for very long, we just got back from a trip and it was so hard missing her. My son said that she didn't eat very good while we were gone and was very destructive in the house. Guess she missed us as well!