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Not Eating

Basenji Feeding
  • Hi everyone,

    So normally we have no problems with Tupper eating but recently he won't eat. Ever since it started to get really warm and humid he doesn't eat. I don't know if this is a coincidence or that it's heat related. We feed him in the morning and then again at dinner. He doesn't even touch the morning food and has a few bites at dinner. Sometimes he will go 24 hours without eating and then he'll eat and then throw it up. Does anyone have the same problem or know what I should do to prevent this from happening? I'm just worried he is not getting the proper nutrition. Once or twice a week we will put sweet potato or squash in the food and he will eat it but I was told not to do that to much or he will not eat plan dry food. Any ideas??

    Thanks,
    Ellen and Jimmy

  • Take him to the vet! What food are you feeding him? If it's dry, has it gone bad? He obviously has some digestive/stomach issue going on.

  • Our tri eats, but it is much less when it is hot. He will skip a meal occasionally. But not as much as you are describing. Our r/w eats no matter what. He is a piggy. :) Vet sounds like good advice.

  • We just went to the vet and he said everthing seems fine. The food is not old. We feed him Natural Balance LID cause Tupper is allergic to grain. We have tried even changing the flavor of it. Do you give your B's any ice cubes? I really feel it's heat related because on less humid days he will eat. We live in NY and it's been a very hot and humid summer. I don't remember having this problem with him last summer but then again it wasn't as humid last year. He still runs and plays and acts the same so always.

  • I will say that both my basenji boys will skip a meal when it is really hot. My 2 basenji girls would never dream of missing a meal though and one of them could stand to once in a while :rolleyes:.

    The thing that makes me wonder if it isn't food related or something medical is the throwing up. When he eats and throws up, is he gobbling his food down (eating faster because he skipped a meal) and so the food comes right back up undigested?

    Also, have you purchased a new bag of food lately and has the meal skipping and throwing up increased since - because maybe there is something wrong with that bag. I've had that happen before.

    Oh, and I don't give ice cubes because I'm afraid of breaking teeth. I do give frozen kongs though - peanut butter, chicken & rice, that sort of thing; and frozen marrow bones. And lots of cold water available.

  • @hamez:

    We just went to the vet and he said everthing seems fine. The food is not old. We feed him Natural Balance LID cause Tupper is allergic to grain. We have tried even changing the flavor of it. Do you give your B's any ice cubes? I really feel it's heat related because on less humid days he will eat. We live in NY and it's been a very hot and humid summer. I don't remember having this problem with him last summer but then again it wasn't as humid last year. He still runs and plays and acts the same so always.

    Did they (the Vet) run blood tests? Just because he might "seem" fine, doesn't mean there is something else going on. And while I might agree that the heat could have a little to do with it, it really should not make that big of a difference.

  • Thanks for all the input….I will be calling the vet later on this afternoon. He does eat quickly when he actually eats but we have a puzzle bowl which I thought helped with the scarfing. Thanks again everyone

  • I have one girl who eats mainly in the morning then takes a bite now and then through the day, and one who eats from evening on, to the point of finishing anything left just before bedtime - if he is eating then throwing up, it might be too much all at once, but skipping a day, and not keeping it down sounds like your vet needs to do more checking. Don't worry about spoiling him for just dry food by adding sweet potato, etc. - I do that too, with pumpkin, sweet potato, cottage cheese - bits of meat - they still eat just plain dry food when that's all I offer.

  • Throwing up doesn't sound good to me. I am with Pat on this one. I know I would not just go for a "he looks fine to me" kind of diagnosis. I would definitely get blood work and probably urinalysis as well.

  • For now try feeding cooked chicken and white rice.

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