Skip to content

Food switching

Basenji Feeding
  • 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

  • When to make the switch?

    Basenji Feeding
    13
    0 Votes
    13 Posts
    6k Views
    LindaHL
    I'm surprised Orijen isn't on that list!
  • Best Food?

    Basenji Feeding
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    5k Views
    tanzaT
    @Patty: Interesting that you had a problem with loose stools, Pat, because I had exactly the same but with a puppy who was eventually discovered to have Giardia. It did take us a very long time though and in the meantime the pup was suffering. It also happened to a friend of mine herself who for years had a stomach problem that finally was discovered to be a Giardia infection. Because of my experience with the puppy, I had jokingly suggested the problem to her as well. Yes… Giardia "hides" very well..... Many Vets will write it off to a sensitive digestive system when in fact it is not. Like I said with my OJ, once it was cleared up, he could eat anything...
  • 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! :)
  • Food Question

    Basenji Feeding
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    2k Views
    tanzaT
    @agilebasenji: If you and your vet are happy with their weight, I would not change the amount you're feeding them. However, my pups need more calories in the winter to maintain their weight. Treats - my pups love sweet potatoes and raw (or cooked) zucchinis. sometimes dogs like green beans or carrots. at my house, tri-ing is really bad about taking the carrots, chewing them up and spitting them out all over the place. Yea, thanks Jet. Otherwise, they also like cheese, waffles, eggs, etc, but given you pup's allergies, you may not want to try the later. LOL…. leave it to the "Tri-ing" to make a mess out of the carrots!!!!
  • Food Time

    Basenji Feeding
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    5k Views
    Robin_n_JackR
    Jack will paw at his water bowl, tip it over, grab and run with it into the living room, throw it around the kitchen…. And not only when it's empty- if he decides he wants fresh water, he'll knock water all over the kitchen floor.:mad:
  • Homemade food…

    Basenji Feeding
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    5k Views
    youngandtiredY
    I have now switched from Blue Buffalo food to Merricks wet and dry. The Blue Buffalo was hard to get, I had to buy it out of town. I get Merricks locally, and Sahara absoutely eats it better than all the rest. She is a picky eater and doesn't have a big appetite, but man oh man is she waiting when it is meal time now. She cleans her dish, a new thing for her. I am very happy, I use the dry also with about 1/4 cup of wet mixed in. I add alittle warm water to the dry (it makes it's own gravy) heat the wet alittle and add to the dry. Yes, I know Sahara is spoiled b/c I heat her wet food but what the heck, she is worth it, only takes a few seconds. Merricks is pricey $2 per can but I make it last for about 4-5 meals. Anyways, if you read the can and bag of the dry you will see what I mean, it is very good dog food and the family that has the company has been in business for 3 decades.