I have an Issue with My B's weight He has always been a couple pds over weight and the vet said that's fine for his body mass But lately i have noticed he is getting bigger he's at 31 pds now and the vet said she would feel comfortable with him being about 27-28 at the most I've tried diffent foods for him and nothing seems to work he doesn't eat a whole lot now he gets the same as my other 2 about 1 1/2 cups a day but he is the only one putting on the weight that doesn't seem to loss it they all are running as much as usual they have been on all diffent kinds of foods but the only one that they seem to like is pedigree they used to be on nutro, eukamba , iams, and some organic stuff but out of all the food they like the "crappy kind" i asked the vet cuz i know it's not the best food but she said if thats all they will eat them leave them on it i mix it with the nutro wet food just enough to coat all the food "they hate dry kibble" so i was just wondering if anyone has had this issue with there B and what i can do to correct it i can't really put him on a "diet" because he doesn't eat that much anyway I've tried taken him for a couple extra runs/walks per day but that doesn't seem to help with this issue Should i maybe get him tested for something ? Not sure what else i can do here to get him to loss a few pds I'll be happy if i can just get 3 or 4 pds of him any suggestions anyone has would be greatly appreciated
Thanks, Lori
An old vet I used to go to (and I mean old–he'd been a vet for many, many years) told me when I was trying to get my german shepherd mix to lose weight that just "walking" her wouldn't help much. A normal walk at my pace just wasn't enough to get her to expend a lot more energy to burn calories. Can you do some other kind of exercise with him where he really gets a good workout for an extended period of time (and hopefully where you don't have to exert a lot)??
I would also get his thyroid checked? And maybe just regular bloodwork? Does your vet have any suggestions on testing?
2 cups or even 1 1/2 IMO is too much food. My male who is a large B boy (over 18") and typically at 27 to 28 lbs only eats 1 cup mixed with veggies or a very small amount of wet food. Cut back his food and give him fillers like veggies that do not put on weight.
Addressing the issue of "they like"… if they are hungry, they will eat... And yes, you should have his thyroid checked...
Thanks for the info 
How do i check his thyroid do they need to do that at the vets office ? I haven't checked with the vet just yet i have in the past and they suggested more exerciser witch he does get plenty of . He's a healthy dog just is a potato and meat kinda boy not a veggie and salad one :p thanks for the replies i'm trying to do all i can to make him lose some pounds :o
Thyroid is done by blood test and must be sent out to a lab that does the full panels, not the "basic" that is done on a normal blood panel that your Vet would do…
I would still work on reducing the food and adding veggies... believe me, if he is hungry he will eat it... and I understand Meat and Potato.... that would be me decribed to a T....
Overweight is NOT Healthy... period, especially for our Basenjis....or any dog. Puts much strain on them and can break down their liver and kidney fuctions fast then normal age does....
And again... IMO... the amount of food you are feeding is too much. If nothing else, change to a senior food with less fat and protein...
I'm going to call the vet on doing the test.. Also is it safe to change to a senior food when he's only 3 yrs ??
Jazzy{2.5 yrs} has a tendency to put weight on very easily. Now I have her on Nutro Ultra lite kibble. At first she wasn't thrilled w/it, so I'd mix in a bit of lean canned food. I was able to phase that out and now she eagerly eats her lite kibble. With the light food she is able to eat 1 cup a day + snacks which include veggies and dog "cookies", which satisfies her appetite w/out adding unwanted weight.
Yes it is safe to put them on senior food, however sometimes without the fat content you might need to add some Omega 3 to supplement…..
Also remember when you call about the Thyroid panel, it needs to be the Full panel.. and you may have to "insist" that it be the full panel... Not all Vets know or understand that thyroid is a problem in Basenjis and that low normal is "too" low for a Basenji
I agree, thyroid testing would be my first action.
Our kids have all been on Eukanuba Lamb and Rice for years, but we've become disatisfied with Eukanuba since they were acquired by Proctor and Gamble. They've decreased the size of the bags, increased the price, changed the formula (they have so many "breed specific" formulas now you can hardly even find Lamb and Rice), and quit selling at dog shows. So we've switched to Nutro Natural Choice. For our easy gainers, we add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of green beans to their decreased amount of dog food, adjusting according to the visibility of ribs! All but one of ours like the green beans, which we buy in the giant cans at Costco or Sam's Club.
Different metabolisms also figure in, just like people, I think. One of our girls stays skinny and gets almost 2 cups a day! She just burns it right off. Another of our girls, with the same amount of exercise is lucky if she gets 3/4 cup per day and we're constantly fighting her pudginess…
Terry
Our almost 3 yrs old male has a weight problem He can pork up in a minute. I agree get the blood work up done. If all is okay, then according to my vet and breeder its portion control. Our girl doesn't seem to have a weight issue
shes two and very petite only 20-21 lbs . Our big guy struggles with keeping at 30- 31 lbs. He is a big built basenji. They both eat the same food .they are on purnia e-n because of daily grass eating and then vomiting, which thank goodness has disappeared on this enteric food. Our boy gets a total of 3/4 cup a day and the little girl a cup. They do get some treats during the day
when outside, but treats also add weight our vet suggested rice cakes instead, yuk, I don't even eat those. So they get cheerios and love them.
No added weight. In fact on a recent trip to my daughter I purchased some
treats from the 3 dog bakery for them and they won't eat them. They love
their cheerios instead. It also helps with our vomiting issues as too many treats can cause upset tummies. It took a little while for the big guy's tummy
to get use to the smaller amount but now that isn't a issue and he is well
satisfied on the smaller amount.
Well i got him this morning for his tests she{thevet} said she has to send them out and i will get the results in 3 days at the most Phoenix LOVES his vet but he growled at her this morning when she put called him " little porker" lol
she then had to make it up with some pets and kisses lol she said he is VERY heathly expect for his little weight issue he is having she said if i can get 3 pds off him that would be great he's a big built boy so she said he will always wiegh alittle more but he does have alittle roll now on his tummy he did take all the tests needed and said she thinks it's just him being alittle piggy but when i get the results we'll see. she did a ultrasound on him {since i lost denver i request one of those at least once a yr } and his intesties and other things in there look great his heart is beating well on beat and his breathing is fine she said when dogs sometimes get too big they have issues with there internal organs and also breathing but she said even though he is alittle porker he is having no heath problems at this time from what she saw and said to just work on having him loss a few pds for his knees and legs so now i am just on the waiting game waiting to hear back from her on if he is all set i did mention the senoir dog food for him and she said she wouldnt suggest it it doesnt have all the {she used big words here} basically stuff that he needs cuz he still acts like a puppy. she said sometimes she forgets he's almost 3 he acts like a 8mth old when he goes to the vet lol well i willl let u all know what his results come back i am hoping he is just eating alittle to much and i can correct it easily.
Please keep us posted on the results. ((Hugs to you both))
I finally got the test back today. Turns out he is perfectly fine 
all is levels are where they are suppose to be So i have cut down his food to 1 cup a day and instead of any treats like the bacon strips ,chicken I have replaced it temporarily with green beans and carrots He gets limited # of treats anyways but when he goes out and potties . I have another Vet appointment in a couple weeks just to see how his {diet is going} I am soooo happy all checked out well with him it's a big load off my shoulders. Now the trick is to get him to want the green beans and such instead of the in his eyes { the good stuff} lol needless to say he hasnt been the happiest dog since i havent given him any of the other treats he throws the green beans back at me when i give him one but after a couple mins of me telling him no he's gonna eat it or get nothing he will eat it while given me the "evil eye" lol just thought i would let u all know the update on my { non vegetable loving he's gonna fight me to the end phoenix} lol :p
You may want to try yellow beans or other veggies if he doesn't like the green. Shadow hates green beans so I try to give him something else for treats.
I finally got the test back today. Turns out he is perfectly fine
Just curious, was the Thyroid test sent out separate from regular blood work? And what were the values. Remember that low normal in a Basenji is TOO low….
