Skip to content

Food switching

Basenji Feeding
  • The grain free foods were too rich for my guys alone (mushy poops, even after very slow change) so we feed about 1/2 Evo or Orijen and 1/2 Innova kibble, that works for them.

    I like the idea of the grain-free, but we can't do it 100%. There are quite a few very good kibbles out there and you need to find one that agrees with your dog, if you are not able to do raw or home made. One of these days we will go raw!

  • I just picked up 3 cans of a new product from Wellness called CORE. It's grain free. I like to through in a little change. I don't feed him the same thing every week.

    http://alpha-nutrition.stores.yahoo.net/wecogrdi.html?gclid=CIjXza-htpwCFR5HagodwQLYnw

  • I highly recommend Honest Kitchens products, my dogs are currently on the Preference food, with their raw meats and bones. The dogs I had in the past were on the Force food and they too, thrived on it. They also have a food called Keen that is more budget friendly.
    http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/products/keen.shtml

    I have used Blue Buffalo Wilderness for our foster Bana, when we had her, and her fur within two weeks of the switch went from dry and prickly to smooth as silk. I was honestly amazed by the quick result.
    http://www.bluebuff.com/products/dogs/wilderness.shtml

    Good luck in finding a suitable food for Yoshi, it is a very tedious (imo) and personal choice.

  • Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions! I decided to go with Innova Evo Small Bites for the time being, and when I get a little more money together, I'll investigate the Honest Kitchen stuff. I like the idea of feeding raw/fresh/homemade, but with a busy schedule, tight budget, and strict vegetarian roommate (no, she doesn't deprive her dog of meat or anything, but she's a little squeamish about meat preparation in her kitchen), I think I need some pre-fabrication.

  • Glad you found something that works..good luck.

  • The Honest Kitchen stuff would probably be the best if your roommate really has a problem with cooking meat in the apartment. You just add water, wait for it to absorb and then serve.

    I will also say though I first had a bit of sticker shock over its price, when I started to compare how long it took me to get through a box to what I was already feeding, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was saving me money. If there is a store near you that carries it, you may want to see if they have some samples. That is how I first gave it a try.

  • They have coupons online…http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/products/coupons.shtml

    or better yet check this out..scroll down to the party kit section and enjoy..we did this for my daughters puppy when she turned 1 on July 28th.. we enjoyed the cookies and the frozen pops they sent as well as several of their samples..all they ask for in return is a picture of the party so they can post it on their website/blog…great company indeed. My dogs love the frozen ice pups and their nuzzles cookies, friends enjoyed their samples..they even paid for shipping..
    http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/company/work-for-food.shtml

  • Please let me know if you have any specific questions about food. I work at Purrs and Gurrs pet bakery and holistic food carrier so am quite experienced with food recommendations.

    For our Basenjis' I always, always recommend Innova's EVO. It comes in red meat and white and it's top-quality, NO grain, high-protein, low carb. It's a great food that I personally use and have seen GREAT results on.

    Also, Solid Gold makes a good called Barking at the Moon which is quite similar to EVO.

    Other than these foods here, Blue Buffalo is a good choice too.

    I'd suggest staying away from grains and getting a food with a low carb, high protein breakdown.

    Please let me know if you have questions.

  • @AndrewnShango:

    Please let me know if you have any specific questions about food. I work at Purrs and Gurrs pet bakery and holistic food carrier so am quite experienced with food recommendations.

    For our Basenjis' I always, always recommend Innova's EVO. It comes in red meat and white and it's top-quality, NO grain, high-protein, low carb. It's a great food that I personally use and have seen GREAT results on.

    Also, Solid Gold makes a good called Barking at the Moon which is quite similar to EVO.

    Other than these foods here, Blue Buffalo is a good choice too.

    I'd suggest staying away from grains and getting a food with a low carb, high protein breakdown.

    Please let me know if you have questions.

    Thanks so much for your offer. How much do you recommend feeding per meal? I'm currently doing 3/4 cup per day.

  • I have found that each of my 4 basenjis has a different serving requirement to maintain correct weight. Rio eats about 1 cup to a 1 1/4 cups each day. Nicky is also in that range though he gets up to 1 1/2 cups a day. Sophie and Rally are usually between 3/4 cups to 1 cup a day. I have also noticed that their calorie requirements change with the changing seasons.

  • @Varanus:

    Thanks so much for your offer. How much do you recommend feeding per meal? I'm currently doing 3/4 cup per day.

    With EVO, I'd rec whatever is the suggest amount on the bag. However, if your B acts hungry or paces by her bowl (some reactions customers have reported) you may want to try to increase it a little bit.

    Shango is on EVO right now and is getting a cup a day, 1/2 in the AM and 1/2 in the PM. He's at a healthy weight (just went to the vet! :-)) and doesn't act hungry or anything like that so I think it's a safe bet to follow the bag in this case…

    Hope this helps! How's the new food working out?

  • @Varanus:

    So I have Yoshi on Canidae All Life Stages right now, and I don't think it's the food for him. He's doing better on it than on the lower-meat-content Three Dog Bakery food I was using, but it isn't making him as happy and healthy as it could. For various reasons, I don't think I can do a raw diet right now, so I'm interested in kibble recommendations. I'm willing to spend money to get good food for him to thrive on, but I'm also not made of cash. Recommendations?

    B's are funny about there food, I only feed dry food and use Wellness brand, which has been good for my B's, Try a newpaper under the bowl so it wond shift around, that may help.

    If he hungry enough he will eventually eat.

    Good luck.

Suggested Topics

  • Food

    Basenji Feeding
    18
    1 Votes
    18 Posts
    3k Views
    S
    I would find out what he scared of or what he dislikes about the car. Is it the car itself, the sensation of being closed in, the movement when the car is being driven? Then work on whatever the problem is, with food. As for food, I use raw duck and vegetables. And I hand-feed all meals, so I never have a problem with not eating/partially eating. I would also recommend hand-feeding for anyone who does have a dog with food issues. Shredded chicken is good (as long as he doesn't have any reactions). But that and some kibble isn't a balanced meal. You may wish to look into a vitamin supplement, specifically something that has a focus on omega 3 (since chicken is high in omega 6), Vitamin C & the B vitamins (because if all he's eating is chicken and kibble, where is his source of vitamin C and the B vitamins?), zinc & copper (same reasons). All the best. EDIT: I just realized this thread is a year old and was bumped by what is almost certainly a bot.
  • To Switch or Not to Switch? Digestive issues.

    Basenji Feeding
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    8k Views
    AlexA
    Chance had tummy issues for many years with long bouts of diarreah, and we have tried many foods, probiotics, home cooked meals etc..until we found Acana grasslands. He has been on it for a few years with good results. Occasionally he gets loose stools, but it's probably because he ate something on the street. [image: 1455757515192-41fidhvdrfl._ac_ul320_sr240-320_.jpg]
  • Rotating food

    Basenji Feeding
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    3k Views
    KanangaK
    Kananga approves. :D Local pet store that I go to carries all of the frozen raw diets offered by Nature's Variety. It's nice to have a good selection to possibly rotate proteins. I thawed out 3 medallions and it only took Kananga 20-30 seconds to realize this was yummy food. He's a big fan of this but hopefully he'll still like his dry kibble. :)
  • Changing food

    Basenji Feeding
    21
    0 Votes
    21 Posts
    8k Views
    barklessk9B
    I would highly recommend the fish oil. As I stated before in a previous post, I put Zak on a grain free diet and added fish oil pills daily and a Cosequin DS (glucosamine & chondroitin) capsule sprinkled on his food each day for arthritis and he has not had a problem with arthritis since. There are foods with these supplements included, however, it is my understanding that they are just sprayed on the food. My vet had in the past suggested for my senior dogs at least 1000mg fish oil daily for cognitive health and the arthritis. For Zak and some early kidney disease he is showing she is recommending, and I have also read on line, 100mg fish oil per 10 lbs. of body weight (2500 mg daily). I don't think you're going to find the best level of fish oil supplement in a kibble. Oh, and his coat this year is sooooooooo soft! :)
  • Good Food

    Basenji Feeding
    12
    0 Votes
    12 Posts
    4k Views
    Chelbell26C
    @Robin_n_Jack: I was having the same problem with Jack recently…he's 2...he wouldn't eat, I called it his anorexic phase. He would eat acouple of bites in the morning, ad about half of his food in the afternoon. There has been a lot of excitement around lately (Dad's home, and we are packing to move) so I thought that might have something to do with it, and I figured he would eat when he was hungry. He hasn't been acting lethargic or sick, just not eating. Finally, after trying everything I could think of, treats in with the food (worked for a little while) pretending to eat it my self and trying to hand feed him(he looked at me like "If you think it is so good, why don't you eat it?) this morning I mixed some water in with the food. Next thing I know, it was all gone. Yay! no more Ally McBeal doggie! Glad to hear that he is eating again. :-) I think we all know what its like to worry that your B isn't eating enough. :rolleyes:
  • Poisonous foods

    Basenji Feeding
    37
    0 Votes
    37 Posts
    15k Views
    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!!!!!!