Not eating much (long)

Laila63139 · #1 05-07-2005, 09:00 AM

Laila will be one year old this month on the 30th. She weighs around 50 pounds but I've not had her weighed lately. Her withers are about 19 inches I think, she doesn't stay still long enough for me to get a good measure.

Anyway, she gets Nutro-Max puppy formula, 1 cup in the morning and about 1.5 cups at night (the minimum amount prescribed on the bag). Problem is, she never finishes it. Should I be concerned about this?

Every other dog I've had (all labs and lab mixes), snarfed all the food down at feeding time. Her bowl will stay full for hours, and never empties. Laila is my first boxer, are boxer eating habits that different from other breeds?

She is a very active, happy girl who just loves people. She is skinny, but only the last 2 ribs really show. I've read on this board that this is normal for a boxer.

Is this familiar to anyone?

**courtney323** · #2 05-07-2005, 09:40 AM

Quote:

she gets Nutro-Max puppy formula

She wan't mom to put her on a higher quality kibble

www.boxerworld.com/feeding has some great information on how to choose a good quality kibble, what to look for in kibble (and what to avoid as well). Nutro MAX is definitely not the worst food out there, but there are much better alternatives.

That being said, there are a few things I can think of: Are you free-feeding her? Free feeding encourages picky eating habits, and can lead to some behavioral (pack-related) issues as well. It is recommended that you incorporate strict, scheduled feeding times.

Outside of that, perhaps she is bored with the particular kibble you have been feeding. Rotating kibbles every 4-6 months is a great way to give your dog some variety, as they were not really designed to eat the same thing for life.

Lastly, puppies (like kids) go through growth spurts and down times, where they don't want to eat as much as usual.

Hope this helps

Laila63139 · #3 05-07-2005, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by courtney323

She wan't mom to put her on a higher quality kibble

www.boxerworld.com/feeding has some great information on how to choose a good quality kibble, what to look for in kibble (and what to avoid as well). Nutro MAX is definitely not the worst food out there, but there are much better alternatives.

I considered that.. She's been on the Nutro for only about 3 months, before that it was Science Diet Puppy L&R for 2 months (she wouldn't eat this at all), before that Science Diet Puppy Large Breed for 4 months. I do not know what the breeder fed her before we got her.

Anyhow, it wasn't until after reading about choosing kibble on BW that we switched her; judging by the first 5 ingredients, Nutro was the best we could find at the local pet-store. I'll shop around to see if I can find a better quality food.

Quote:

Originally Posted by courtney323

Are you free-feeding her? Free feeding encourages picky eating habits, and can lead to some behavioral (pack-related) issues as well. It is recommended that you incorporate strict, scheduled feeding times.

I'm not sure what free-feeding is; is this leaving her food accessible at all times? She is a very picky eater.

We mostly we feed her at the same time, but don't stand over her while she eats. I can try this and see what happens, and take-away when she's done. I leave it out at all times for the sole reason, that she has no access to food most of the time, as she's crated while we are at work and at bed-time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by courtney323

Lastly, puppies (like kids) go through growth spurts and down times, where they don't want to eat as much as usual.

Hope this helps

Thanks for your suggestions! I hope it's just the latter, that she's just going through a down time right now. But I will look into getting her another food, and we more strict with how long the food is out for.

carebear8322 · #4 05-07-2005, 02:08 PM

I used to free feed my 2 boys and recently switched to 2 meals a day. Tyson, 10 mos, never ate a whole lot before I switched. and as soon as I swtiched to 2 meals a day they scarf the food. and tyson is finally putting on a little weight, 3 lbs in a month, up to 45 lbs. He's still a lot smaller than many boxers we see, but we're getting there.

apollosdad · #5 05-07-2005, 02:27 PM

laila-
i would definitely suggest for you to take your girl off the puppy formula. at 1 year of age she should definitely be on an adult formula. nutro is an okay food, better than some others, but i would suggest that you maybe do a search for some local feed stores in your area so that maybe you could switch to a candiae, wellness, solid gold, merrick, etc. if not, the nutro ultra line is also very good. if your local pet store carries the mutro max, then they should also be able to get the nutro ultra line.
it sounds as if your pup is okay, regarding her age and weight. being able to visualize the last two ribs is normal. keep in mind that no dog will starve itself on purpose, and i'm sure she'll eat better when she gets hungry. my dog is the same way. he is on solid gold and eats 2 cups in the morning and 2 - 2 1/2 cups in the evening. he is very consistent with his eating habits and will not eat just to eat. i consider myself very lucky since i don't have to worry about him overindulging himself and gaining weight excessivley.

Laila63139 · #6 05-08-2005, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgbtab

you say she is a year old but you still have her on puppy food. and you are also feeding large breed when boxers are not. they are a medium breed.

She will be 1 year in just a few weeks (on May 30th), and is finishing up her last bag of puppy food. We plan on giving her adult food after this bag runs out.

Anyhow, I admit we were un-educated about boxers until I found BW. The large-breed bag of food specifies the boxer breed (which I later read to be false on this board) and that's why we initially got it.. Once we knew better we didnt buy the large-breed anymore. I only wish I had discovered Boxerworld sooner-- there are several mistakes (like food choice) that I wouldn't have made.

I am going to try the suggestion about leaving the food out for only 15 minutes. Thanks!

Laila63139 · #7 05-08-2005, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by apollosdad

laila-
i would definitely suggest for you to take your girl off the puppy formula. at 1 year of age she should definitely be on an adult formula. nutro is an okay food, better than some others, but i would suggest that you maybe do a search for some local feed stores in your area so that maybe you could switch to a candiae, wellness, solid gold, merrick, etc. if not, the nutro ultra line is also very good. if your local pet store carries the mutro max, then they should also be able to get the nutro ultra line.

Laila is on her last bag of puppy-food, as she'll turn 1 in a few weeks.. Once it's gone, it's adult an food for her.

I'll check around some more and look for the brands you mention, perhaps she will love one of them and I won't have to worry about her not eating enough.

Laila63139 · #8 05-25-2005, 05:18 AM

Well, the other day I found out that she weighs less than we thought (only 38 pounds, rather than 50), so we were giving her way too much. We did switch her to adult kibble, but she was still acting finiky eating, although she would eventually finish it.

Over the weekend I decided to try the Missing Link. OMG does she ever love her food now!