What if your Basenji is putting on the pounds!

[youngandtired]

When my B, Sahara was a puppy she didn't have a good appetite. Now at 3 she eats just fine, morning and night feedings. My problem is I think she needs to lose a few pounds now, she has put about 5 pds. on in the last year, and I think she looks better at 25pds. not 30. I heard that once a female has been spaded they tend to gain weight fast, is this true? Does anyone know how to help her lost those extra pds. without to much fuss.

[tanza]

She most likely needs more activity… ggg... while many will say that spaying will put on the weight.. it is more like with age they slow down... no different with males...

My bitches were not spayed until they were 5 or 6... and Maggii would pack on the LBS just smelling the food...gggg

I will remark that 30lbs is way to heavy.....

[agilebasenji]

try substituting green beans for some kibble.

measure out her food for the day in the morning. when it's gone, it's gone. (this works if she is getting too many snacks during the day)

put her food in a food dispensing puzzle. it makes the food last longer and gives their little brains something to do. all my pups get their morning feed in a puzzle. sometimes i rotate the puzzles to keep it fresh

she's a little young, but thyroid problems can also cause weight gains

and, yea, like Tanza said, more exercise

[nobarkus]

Keep those paws moving.

[renaultf1]

@agilebasenji:

measure out her food for the day in the morning. when it's gone, it's gone. (this works if she is getting too many snacks during the day)

put her food in a food dispensing puzzle. it makes the food last longer and gives their little brains something to do. all my pups get their morning feed in a puzzle. sometimes i rotate the puzzles to keep it fresh

and, yea, like Tanza said, more exercise

+1 on this. Ruby was spayed a little after she turned 3yo. She hasn't gained any weight. I do exactly what Agile said for my 3 dogs - measure out their food for the day and then split it between meals and food dispensing puzzles (busy buddies and squirrel dudes are favourites in my house) - I even do it with my 7mo pup. I will say, they also get plenty of exercise - and they are particularly busy high energy basenjis.

In the winter if the weather is particularly bad here in Maine and they exercise a bit less, I feed the adults a quarter cup less than I do in the summer. That seems to keep them at fighting weight.

[noodle]

You could try using some 'light' food (that way you can give them the same amount but with less calories) and increase the exercise. This always works for me. Elsa is an absolute glutton and thief and I have to keep a close eye on her weight.

[Basenjimamma]

I would exercise her more, if possible, and maybe look into other feed, like grainfree, becasue they don't have as much carbs in them. The lite foods are worse in my opinion as they are almost more grains/carbs..soem are better then others though. I also added more veggies to my westie's diet and he did great on it..

[Alex]

How much do you feed your Basenjis?

[nobarkus]

You have to be careful not to over feed. Less calories = better health.

[Elscodobermann]

if i need to knock a pound or two off Tilly (only happens after a season) i substitute some mixed raw veg for some of her complete food - raw cabbage, green beans, little bit of tomato etc. Dont subsitute too much though cos they still need their nutrients from their normal food - i always step up the exercise too and go up to about 6 miles roadwork (usually only bout 3-4 miles per night, more at weekend) plus plenty free running - just wish it worked for my waistline too!

[mauigirl]

@renaultf1:

In the winter if the weather is particularly bad here in Maine and they exercise a bit less, I feed the adults a quarter cup less than I do in the summer. That seems to keep them at fighting weight.

On the other hand if you're in a climate where they still spend some time outside in the winter (i.e. not as cold as Maine), you want them to have those extra calories because their bodies will spend them on staying warm. Ours eat more in the winter than summer. Another thing I've noticed too is that the heat really wears them out quickly so I see less B500's in the summer than in the fall for instance.

Alex, Zip gets from 2/3 to 3/4 cups day. Riley gets a full cup. That increases 1/4c or so in the winter. And they get treats during the day.

[Basenjimamma]

Welll Otis gets a chickenback or 2-3 chix necks for breakfast and some type of cubed/minced meat (beef, lamd, turkey or what have you) + 1/3 c up dehydrated Honest Kitchen Preference food, of course rehydrated again, mixed with salmon oil for dinner. Sometimes I give him fish, mackerel being his favorite. He is very lean right now, so I am considering giving him some more..

[renaultf1]

@mauigirl:

On the other hand if you're in a climate where they still spend some time outside in the winter (i.e. not as cold as Maine), you want them to have those extra calories because their bodies will spend them on staying warm. Ours eat more in the winter than summer. Another thing I've noticed too is that the heat really wears them out quickly so I see less B500's in the summer than in the fall for instance.

Alex, Zip gets from 2/3 to 3/4 cups day. Riley gets a full cup. That increases 1/4c or so in the winter. And they get treats during the day.

Well I change one of their foods to Orijen Fish in the winter - and both adults gain weight on that food very easily so they get cut back. But in Maine, none of my kids can stay out for long as our winters are bitter cold. They get a walk (and even then sometimes carried back inside my jacket) and then in - they can't run/play in the yard (nor do they want to) like they do the other 3 seasons.

[youngandtired]

I feed Sahara 1/2 cup of Merricks dry twice a day, morning and night. I mix it with some boiled chicken that I cook just for her, and I use some of the chicken broth to make a gravy from the dry food. I use the Merricks Turducken or Grammy's Pot Pie dry. She loves Merricks, and was once a pickey eater so I doubt that I will change her food. She gets treats now and then, mostly Bully sticks and I doubt that they are that fattening, otherwise I use dehydrated duck or some other favorite. She does not like dog biscuits, and I don't like to feed her too many treats. I think she needs more activity, I will step up the exercise and get her to do the B500. She use to run alot more when my son was living home, but he moved for a job and he's 5 hrs. away, I know she was smaller then. Thanks for the tips, and I will get those pounds off, I know that she will be lots healther for it, it just got away from me that's all.

[youngandtired]

So what is the best weight for a 3yr. old Basenji female, I think she use to look better between 22-25pds. What's your opinion?

[lvoss]

It will depend on the dog and its build. My biggest girl is at good weight at between 23 - 23.5 pounds. She gets 2/3 of a cup of food everyday and I carefully monitor the amount of treats she gets. If I am doing a lot of training with her where she will be getting a lot of treats then she doesn't get as much at dinner.

Bully sticks absolutely can be fattening, they are 29 calories per inch which doesn't sound like too much but a basenji sized dog should be eating about 375 to 400 calories a day so a 5 inch bully stick would be about 39% of its daily calories.

I have been using frozen stuffed Kongs instead of the higher calorie chewies available and have been very pleased with them. They last longer, the dogs aren't gaining extra weight with them, and the dogs love them.

[Elscodobermann]

i agree about treats being fattening - it took me a good while to realise that whilst throwing the odd treat to a Dobe makes little or no difference, it can count as a big part of the basenji calorie intake. Trying to educate my mum in the same manner (after her having 45 years experience of raising dobermanns) was another matter! Eventually she saw the logic, and now if she wants to give Tilly a treat she shares a piece of fruit with her - so its better for her and the dog.

[Alex]

Chance and Kiya get 1/2 cup/each of innova dry food in the morning after a 2 mile run and 1/2 cup each of innova dry food at night after a 3 mile walk.

Usually in the mornings I mix their dry food with salmon oil and at night I mix it with nonfat plain yogurt. From what I learned salmon oil helps with their skin and joints and yogurt helps with digestion. Sometimes I also mix green beans into their food, but they don't seem to like it that much.

I started giving chance a bit less per day, about 3/4 of a cup instead of a full cup, as he is getting a bit heavy.