Junior is not wanting to eat...

[Tina]

I'm very worried. I think Junior may be sick. I tried call my vet to get him in but they said they can't take him in today. The reason they won't take him in is because he has been eating everyday up until today. Also he has been drinking and he has not thrown anything up. They said to keep a eye on him though. If anything should change they want me to bring him right in.

He did eat yesterday I give him probably 4 cups everyday. I noticed that he had maybe 1/2 cup left from yesterday when I fed him. When I gave him some food and water all he wanted to do is drink. Then he went to lay down. That is not like him. I've noticed he is wanting to drink alot the past couple of days but that is it.

Also it seems like every food we have given him has not been putting any weight on him. I know you are suppose see a boxers ribs some. But I don't think you are suppose to see all of them?

He doesn't have worms since he was dewormed at the vets two weeks ago.

I think maybe he doesn't like his dry food. Is there anything I can give him? We have some beef in the freezer that we are not going eat. Do think it would be ok give it to him? There is some hamburger and beef soup bone. We also have some frozen carrots that maybe I could give him?

I'm going try and get him in tomorrow or Thursday as long as the vet is not booked up or anything.

[Tina]

Ok, well I gave him the soup bones and some carrots and he is eating them now.

I'm starting to think he does not like his dry food every good.

I think I may have found a place that sells "Wellness" dog food. Has anyone fed there dogs that?

I'm just afraid I won't be able to afford Wellness.

[lovemyshiba]

2 of my dogs go on hunger strikes sometimes too.
Kito does it at least once a week, and I just take his food away from him after 20 minutes or so, and he doesn't get more until the next mealtime.
Jada has started to do it too recently, she just won't eat her breakfast. I started giving her a really small amount, and save the bulk of her feeding for dinnertime. She's skinny too, but healthy, so I'm not too worried.
You could try mixing some canned food in--Junior probably won't be able to resist that!! Mine all go nuts for the once in a while that I give them canned food. When Jada was a little too skinny, I mixed canned in with her dry food too, and it helped her put on a little bit of weight.

I hope I helped

[Scooby4]

What kind of worms was he de-wormed for? There are many types. It could be a tape worm which can be harder to get rid of. The excessive drinking is a sign of something. It could be a fever or other infection. Has he eaten some grass lately? Grass settles their stomachs. May want to take him out to eat some. Just be aware and make sure it is clean grass.
Could he have eaten something besides the food? Maybe getting into something? I almost want to say this is signs of unintientional poisoning.
It could be the dry food if you changed lately. Make sure you do throw away non-eaten food. As dry dog food can develop maggots pretty quickly. Especially if it kept wet.
Be careful of meats and bones. Meats can carry worms in it causing digestive issues. Chicken bones can cause choking.
Give the dog some Pepto bismal. Maybe a tablespoon or 2 depending on size. If he needs to vomit then I will tell you how to do that as well if need to know.
Just observe his behavior and areas he is running in. Could be licking something off his fur when cleaning. Good luck and hope he feels better!

[Tina]

I am going go and buy him some canned food. I don't guess he is drinking more the usual. He just wants to drink water from the other dogs dishes is what I was getting at. Because he tries to eat Ginger & Reggie's food also. So maybe he is saving his?

I may just wait and take him back to the vet. I'm starting to think it is his food he just does not like.

[bckrazy]

Originally posted by Tina
Ok, well I gave him the soup bones and some carrots and he is eating them now.

I'm starting to think he does not like his dry food every good.

I think I may have found a place that sells "Wellness" dog food. Has anyone fed there dogs that?

I'm just afraid I won't be able to afford Wellness.

Wellness by Old Mother Hubbard? that food is REALLY good!! I recently had to do a huge research paper on dog food, and Wellness is by far one of the best, if not the absolute best. They use human grade meat, in the chicken formula they use whole deboned chicken breast. Everything is holistic, and baked! It smells really good and dogs love it... I had Gonzo on it for a while, but he actually gained too much weight . I have him back on Solid Gold now, but I might switch to Wellness once he starts in flyball and agility next summer. Solid Gold is also excellent food, but I know he prefered the taste of Wellness.. he loved it, even plain. You should definately try that with Jr boy if the problem is just finicking taste... and, I promise you will not have to feed him anywhere near 4 cups of Wellness (more like 2 cups), so you will most likely be *saving* money in the longrun. The price is really reasonable, I think...

[dragondawg]

If all ribs are showing and the dog looks emaciated then you need to have your Vet diagnose what is wrong. There could be several causes including heart or whip worms, liver or kidney disease, metabolic such as over production of insulin or thyroid hormone. This is assuming the stool is normal. If not then digestive absorption disorders have to be considered.

It is not entirely unusual for a dog to leave behind 1/2 cup per 4 cups fed. Under normal circumstances a 4 cup diet is usually reserved for very large dogs. For example my previous dog maintained her weight at 74 lbs on 1.75 cups of dog food. If increased to 2 cups she would gain weight up to 80 lbs. I'm probably feeding both my 69 lb female, and 55 lb male about 2 cups of the same food as the previous one. Both are under 2 years of age. If I gave them 4 cups, they would pig out and look like pigs. The bottom line for your Boxer is food is not the issue. The fact he left some behind only means he isn't hungry. Thus the Vet's response is understandable per Jr. not eating, even though he did.

Rather than playing musical foods which might upset his intestinal tract, you need to consult with your Vet about the inability of the dog to gain weight. Pick a brand of dog food and stick with it, unless the dog develops a food allergy. If Jr ever catches onto the idea that if he fakes a hunger strike he's going to get human food, guess what he'll do?

For the record the dog food I've always fed my dogs, and they have thrived on it is the Propet brand. It has slightly more protein and fat for the performance formula than the name brands at almost half the cost. Even the ones I puppy sitted gulped it down without hesitation.

A comment about grass eating. Over 90% of the time a dog eats grass for one purpose- to purge or throw up. This is usually if not always a response to a build up in stomach acid. Splitting 1 meal into 2, usually solves the problem. Having said that my older female dog eats grass sometimes copiously without any side effects. I do believe she is part bovine.

[KYS]

My dogs fast on their own about one or two days
a month.
Sheba can be a picky eater too.
I mix a little bit of human or can food just for taste
to their kibble. That usually does the trick.
Today for their breakfast I added a couple ounces of
chicken soup to their kibble and for dinner a little
bit of left over Lasagna.

Works for me..

[Tina]

I believe he is just being a picky eater. I gave him his regular kibble and he did not eat it today. So I gave him some chicken from last nights dinner and he ate that.

I'm just going have to go buy some different food. Thankfully we are about all of the food.