[Killer Tofu]

Hi Everyone,
I am new to the forum and don't have much time to search through all the previous pages to see if something like this was answered already, but here goes.
I have a Female boxer, Chloe, that

 

[iheartmyboxer]

Have you tried switching the dry food all together? Maybe she just doesn't like it anymore. Even dogs get tired of the same old food!  Try mixing in a different type of dry food (I use nutro, but eukanuba is really good too).

If that doesn't work- try putting some chicken broth in with the dog food. Every dog I've ever had will eat its normal food as long as there is some chicken broth mixed in.

 

[samsonsmom]

They do sometimes get bored with their food, I know Angel went thru a phase of that and didn't want to eat in the morning for some reason....Low salt chicken or beef broth is a good add in, I'd also try giving her a raw egg a couple times of week and some sardines, both of those are also good for the coat as well...How long has she been on this food? You may want to consider trying something else that she may find a bit more exciting...I know since I switched to the Chicken Soup Angel just woofs hers down

 

[g00dgirl]

If you decide to switch foods, I recommend checking out www.dogfoodanalysis.com to help you choose a new, good quality dog food.  it has lots of great information and a list of foods that have already been reviewed.
Good luck... remember to switch dog foods gradually to minimize tummy upsets.

 

[sully]

Short of a medical problem, she's probably just being picky.  This is the downfall of mixing in real food with kibble, once they get a taste of other stuff they want yummy stuff all the time.  Oggie often tries to hold out for something better.  I find if I just leave the dry there, he will eventually eat it.  I bet if you took out some cheese or peanut butter and handed it to her, she'd probably eat it right up.

Who says mixing dry food with wet food is bad for their teeth?  I'd like to hear the reasoning on that one.

 

[g00dgirl]

sully,
I think the old arguement against wet dog food is that dry food "brushes" the teeth since they have to chew it.  I doubt that dry food actually does much to clean teeth though compared to chewing bones, or raw meaty bones.  A good quality wet dog food is just as good to feed as a good quality dry food IMO.

 

[HannaBanana]

Dry food does not help cleaning the teeth - its a myth.  Think about it, when the dogs crunches the kibble bits can get caught inbetween gums and rot causing decay.  Raw meaty bones act as a scraper to remove all that junk I think.  However if feeding a kibble based diet, its best to brush teeth to remove any food particles left behind.

 

[tootsie]

Welcome to the forum!

Was Chloe eating the wet/dry mix without any issues? If she was eating fine that way, why stop? I fed my last boxer that way for 6 1/2 years. That was the only way he ever ate his food. He wouldn't touch just dry kibble. I never had any teeth issues with him. If Chloe was eating with the wet food mixed in with her kibble, didn't have any loose stool issues, and was thriving on that food, than I would go back to feeding her that way. Feed your boxer what works for your boxer!
Maddie will usually only eat dinner every day. Sometimes rarely she will eat about a cup of kibble in the mprning, but her big meal is definitely dinner time.

 

[sully]

sully,
I think the old arguement against wet dog food is that dry food "brushes" the teeth since they have to chew it.  I doubt that dry food actually does much to clean teeth though compared to chewing bones, or raw meaty bones.  A good quality wet dog food is just as good to feed as a good quality dry food IMO.

Right, I understand the reasonings behind dry food is better for chewing (which is up for debate.....but I understand the logic), but the original poster said they heard that mixing dry with wet was bad for teeth.  I'm not sure I understand that one.  

I agree with Tootsie!   If my dog was absolutely not eating, I would have no problem mixing in some wet food with dry.  Sounds like somebody gave you bad information.

 

[boxerlove]

Sometimes you have to go though a lot of different foods to see what you boxer will eat.  Most pet food stores will have sample or small bags of food for you to try.  I would recommend getting some of those and adding a little to the food you are feeding her now to see if she will eat another brand/flavor.

We add warm water to our dogs food and mix it up so it has a little "gravy" on it.  We do it because our Ziggi has a hard time swallowing his food and the water helps him eat it easier.

 

[Chino1]

Hello,
I'm Killer Tofu's husband. Thank you for all the responses. We have switched Chloe to Merrick's Wilderness Blend and are mixing it with some of Merrick's canned food. Chloe is now woofing down her meals in the morning and evening! It's pretty apparent she's just a picky eater but it looks like we found a winning formula. Again, thanks for all of the great feedback. This is a great site with a wealth of good boxer information (Glad we found it!).

 

[HannaBanana]

Glad things are working out.    :lol:

 

[samsonsmom]

Woo Hoo, that's great! Glad the Merrick is working out for you