It Took Me 1.5 years of looking and talking to breeders before I was able to get on the waiting list in time to get a pup. You have to start preparing and talking to breeders in the early fall in order to get on the reservation list for a puppy by next spring
First time Basenji owner with new puppy
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@zande said in First time Basenji owner with new puppy:
At 10 weeks of age, the puppy should be on 4 meals a day
Thank you for correcting me! Breeders have such a wealth of knowledge!
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@tanza Yes, he's had some shots. His crate is in the living room and stays there since I'm opting to let him sleep with me. I have two crates, one from my previous toy fox terriers which is about the same size as my bigger crate with the divider in. He seemed to like the little crate better currently. I mean I'm paying someone to come by for an hour every other hour to let him out and play with him while no one is home.
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@elbrant and if he won't eat?
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@jerome_inya_home - Not elbrant, however unless sick they will not stave themselves... put the food down for 10 minutes, if not eaten take it away until the next feeding time. Do NOT free feed
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@elbrant - for sure... breeders know... so please understand that given incorrect information can be harmful... If you don't know and you are not a breeder with experience, please state that....
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@jerome_inya_home said in First time Basenji owner with new puppy:
and if he won't eat?
Not eating is definately a concern. But we don't have all the information. There are a lot of variables that could change any of our recommendations.
- You said he was eating 2 meals/day, then suddenly only 1 meal. Right?
- How big were those meals. Did you measure or weigh the kibble?
- Are you mixing the food with any liquids, or canned food?
- How long are you leaving the food out for him to eat? Is it available for a half hour, or a half day?
But then, you also mention that you give him treats when he is in his crate. Other times, too? Treats have calories, and depending on what treats you offer... it is possible that it would be the same amount of food as the "missing meal". (Don't forget that your dog sitter could be giving him treats also.) Could that be why he only wants one dinner?
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@tanza said in First time Basenji owner with new puppy:
for sure... breeders know...
I've said it so many times, I thought most everyone knew I wasn't a breeder. I'm just a dog lover who finally found the perfect breed. I do, however, value the breadth of knowledge breeders posess. And I recognize that I don't know everything (about everything). egads! No one does, do they?
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With respect to his eating, if you're concerned he's not eating, and at this age you are right to be, get a scale and weigh him once a day AT THE SAME TIME (before the first meal for example). If you have a good scale you can weight yourself, pick him up, and then weigh the two of you, but his weight is such that a separate baby/pet scale would be much much better. He should still be putting on weight at a pretty good rate. IOW he should weigh more on Wednesday than on Monday. (You like to see an increase every day but measurements can be off because of you, the equipment, or the active dog, or natural variance -- or all of the above. The two day measurement should be more reliable).
As long as he's gaining weight and looking good then you should be fine. If not then you may have a problem. FWIW from the picture he's adorable and looks healthy. Super cute actually.
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@elbrant of course I measure the food. He gets fed at the same times every day. If it goes from two meals to one or three, it's because he didn't eat when I put the food out, not because I'm switching his schedule. No obviously I'm not giving him excess treats and neither is the dog sitter. He may get 2 or 3 zukes bites 2 or 3 times throughout the day. He also likes the teething ring treats I bought which are limited to about an inch long piece I allow him to eat per day, the circumference of the treat is about 6 inches.
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@donc good idea about weighing him each day. I do have a scale that's quite good. As long as I weigh myself first so I know the tare, I won't be a variable in the total weight of he and I. Thank you, he is such a little mush.
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If you weigh yourself first - make sure it is always before and not after food !
I just looked at his photo too. He's a SUPER looking little tri. Lovely tri - boy.
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@jerome_inya_home If he doesn’t eat at all then for sure be concerned. I have had three basenjis, the first two would overeat if you let them, my third will not eat unless he is hungry. You can leave food down all day but he will only eat as much as he wants and when he wants. He maintains his weight just fine.
If you leave the food down, he will eat when he is hungry. If he does not eat enough then ask your vet.
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Regarding not eating, possibly he doesn't like something about the food, which is why I asked about what the breeder was feeding. I do not agree with free feeding. I think it causes more problems than it solves, and if you have multiple dogs obviously you cannot leave them together with food out, because you don't know who is eating what. The thing that sent off alarm bells for me in your original post is that as well as poor appetite it seemed your pup was lethargic, not interested in toys and playing. A pup of that age should have a lot of energy when awake. If he doesn't, and combine that with refusing food, there is something wrong.
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As a thought, if you find he's not gaining weight at a rate you're comfortable with, try mixing some Espilac in with his kibble once a day. He's a little old for Espilac but it shouldn't hurt him, and the Espilac can help with the transition to solid food. Do yourself a favor and get the cans. You won't need a lot -- this is a transition -- and the cans are a lot easier than the dry to deal with.
FYI Espilac is milk formula that works for puppies, unlike cow's milk which doesn't. You can find more about it if you do a search.
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Sorry for my delay in responding to everyone. The past few weeks have been hectic. Kane has been tested for Giardia which came back positive. He was given a 5 day course of panacur suspension. He showed signs of improvement but a few days after the meds he had vomiting and diarreah again. The vet gave me metronidazole 25mg twice daily. He has 2.5 days left of that and his stools are improving along with his appetite and energy level. I have him on royal canin puppy food for sensitive gi trac. He gained 3/4lb in the last week which puts him at 5.25lbs at 12bweeks of age.
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Delighted that Kane is finally on the mend - you will see his weight gain in leaps and bounds now he no longer has those unwelcome little visitors.
Keep a close eye on him though and get back to the vet at the first sign of any more troubles.
good luck to you both !
