Puppy…
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I'm getting a new pup on the 18th of this month, and the male basenji i have now, who is 2 1/2, free feeds. He eats after going outside and after we eat dinner, although its always available. What kind of puppy food would you recommend and how much/how often should the pup be fed? When should I wean her off puppy food and onto regular dog food? I know i should feed her in her crate or at least away from my current dog. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! :D
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The first thing you will need to do is stop free feeding you male now before the puppy comes home. Having food out can create a potential for fighting over the food and it would be best to start the routine changes before the pup comes home. Since he already has a routine of eating after your dinner, you can start putting his food down then and then pick the bowl up about 15-20 minutes later. You may also want to split his meal in two and feed some in the morning and then again in the evening since they puppy will be eating twice a day for a while.
With an 8 week old puppy, I would be feeding 3 times a day to start and then cut back to twice a day. Ask the breeder what the puppy's current schedule is, that will be a good starting place.
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gotcha. I'll have to find out her schedule.. thanks !
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For sure you need to stop free feeding, never a good idea anyway…. and IMO, both should be fed in their own crates. That way you know exactly what they are eating....
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Be careful about quickly switching her food…it can cause gut distress and NO one will be happy about that...
What is your puppy eating now?? Which brand? -
Be careful about quickly switching her food…it can cause gut distress and NO one will be happy about that...
What is your puppy eating now?? Which brand?thats exactly why i asked the breeder :) i know you have to switch slowly so they don't get too sick, especially coming to a new home, i want her to feel comfortable.. the breeder said shes feeding Science Diet.
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thats exactly why i asked the breeder :) i know you have to switch slowly so they don't get too sick, especially coming to a new home, i want her to feel comfortable.. the breeder said shes feeding Science Diet.
Science Diet is not one of my favorites.. there are much better foods out there, IMO….
What is the name of the Sire and Dam of your puppy?
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Dam's name is Queen Sheba of the Nile.
Sire's name is Zerah's Little Tex. -
Review your contract for any health guarantees right away and make sure that your new baby is looked over right away - so many times people don't do that right away and by the time they find and issues - they are so bonded or their opportunity to return or have the dog replaced is gone.
I always recommend that if you are purchasing a puppy from a different state - or for your own for that matter - make sure you know what the Puppy Lemon Law is. Better to have all this upfront than to scramble to find it later.
I would say find a Vet Opthamologist and have eyes checked, get a fecal sample and draw blood (which you will send in to OFFA to check for fanconi) You will also want to talk to your vet about HA how it's tested for and at what age.
40 years ago - reputable breeders essentially erradicated HA by testing and not breeding carriers, animals that were in commercial or high volumn kennels were typically not tested and in those lines we still see HA along with some malabsorbtion issues.
Oops - didn't mean to sound so negative - just hoping that you will do some legwork up front so that you are prepared for things that hopefully you will never need.
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were going to the vet the day after she arrives, im sure they will do all the exams (fecal, blood, ect). I'll mention checking for fanconi also. The breeder has a 6 month health guarantee, which becomes void if i dont take her to the vet within 3 days of her arrival. (not a problem since were going the next day :) ) After checking the lemon laws for puppies, OK (the state shes from) doesn't have any that I found, (perhaps i didnt look well enough) but looking at my state's for a reference, it really only says 6 months for hereditary diseases, and 14 DAYS for contagious/infectious. Beings that I'm going to the vet on saturday at 10 am and im getting her around 1pm friday, I think I'm gonna be okay. Also the fact that her health guarantee is 6 months.. shows that she is confident nothing will come up, or she just doesn't think i'll check into it. I've asked about the health of the pups, she said she never had any bad health complaints yet. The references I saw were great too. I'm confident in my choice.
p.s. after researching… i cant believe some states only offer 14 DAYS for hereditary diseases ( NY for example ).
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Please read the private message that I sent to you… and dmcarty gives some good suggestions.
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Actually, there are very few inherited diseases that can be diagnosed at 6 months. Hips can not get even a preliminary rating until 12 months from OFA and though you can do Penn Hip at 4 months it requires you to find a vet that is certified and fully anesthetize your puppy to do so. PRA does not onset until after about the age of 5. Fanconi can now be found through the DNA test as soon as a puppy is old enough to submit blood but the actual onset does not occur until after the age of 2 with the average age being around 5 years.
A responsible breeder does verifiable, certifiable health testing of their breeding stock. Having done rescue and seen dogs come in where the owners would say the dog had a "house breaking problem" that turned out to be undiagnosed Fanconi or dogs that have "arthritis" that is really hip displaysia or dogs that "sometimes bump into things" that have PRA, I can say most pet owners don't know unless their breeder has educated them about what they should be looking for. It is easy for irresponsible or ignorant breeders to claim "I have no health problems that I know of" because neither they nor the puppy buyers are looking for them and vets are not up to speed with every inheritied disease in every breed of dog.
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Again, good points made by lvoss…. That all that she notes about late onset health concerns are real....
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Folks who are new to the basenji community can find they get dogs who don't have the general health most responsible breeders insist on.
…the breeder might say they will take it back for a week or 2... most responsible breeders say this no matter what the dogs age!
Going slow and learning is the way to have a basenji who will live a long life as part of your family. -
Also, don't know if your boy is neutered, but it would be good to get it done pretty quickly… especially if you are bringing a bitch into the house... they can come in season the first time as early as 5 to 6 months.. or not till 8 or 9 months... and certainly you don't want any accidents.... and get her spayed also... even a neuter boy can be pretty outrageous with a bitch in season....
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he is..he actually was before we got him (when he was 1) and she will be as soon as shes old enough. Definately wouldn't want pups, especially not knowing too much about their backgrounds.
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he is..he actually was before we got him (when he was 1) and she will be as soon as shes old enough. Definately wouldn't want pups, especially not knowing too much about their backgrounds.
Good to hear… that is being very responsible
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how old are they when normally spayed?
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Usually between 5 and 7 months…. IMO
I think so,too. seems the average is 6 mos for most people.
Although, if they come from the pound {at least here}, they'll spay/neuter as young as -2mos. That's always bugged me. I mean, I understand they want to ensure it gets done, but it seems mighty young to me for that kind of surgery.:(
