At our wits' end...sorry it's long!

[EAO76]

The foods you are feeding are total junk. Its like eating McDonald's everyday and expecting to be healthy. 1st & foremost you have to change her diet. If money is a huge issue then the suggestion of Costco Kirkland food is a decent one. Its not the absolute greatest food (middle of the food quality spectrum) but its leaps & bounds above Kibbles & Bits and its really inexpensive. Somewhere around 20.00 for 40lbs. Now if she truly has extreme food allergies (try the Costco for for about 6+ weeks to see if there is improvement) then you might have to go with something like a Natural Balance Duck & Potato food. Like others said when you feed a better quality food you feed LESS so one bag will last you longer. That means the price difference isn't what it seems.

Also a skin scraping is not an expensive procedure. This is something that can usually be determined in the vets office without sending it to an outside lab. I understand that money is an issue but its really unfair to allow her to suffer. If you find a good vet they should be able to work with you to get to the bottom of these issues without going overboard on unnecessary testing.

Also several weeks on a good food should tell you whether you are dealing with a diet issue. You will see a improvement in her coat, her eye discharge, etc fairly quickly. That is something you can try without seeing a vet.

 

[EAO76]

I forgot to mention in regards to the cutting teeth. Its impossible for a dog her age to be cutting teeth. Many boxers get a condition called Gingival Hyperplasia which is basically when their gums slowly grow up & over their teeth so it can look like new teeth coming in buts its not. That is probably whats going on. How long have you had her again? Because in regards to the spay if you have had her more than a year and she hasn't gone into heat you can probably be safe to assume that she HAS in fact been spayed.

 

[PattonsPeeps]

My white male Patton has the same issue going on with his coat, but our vet has never said there's anything wrong with him. After reading some replies, I think I'll have the vet test his thyroid for any possible problems. However, he doesn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort because of the lack of hair. I have had people come up to me and ask me if I shaved my dog (hello, he's a boxer!) and I have a hard time not laughing at them. His skin is very pink, as I'm sure most dogs are under their fur, and I have to be careful with sun exposure in the summer time and cold during the winter. He seems to lose it and then it'll grow back and then he loses it again, mostly on his flanks and behind his ears and face.

Anyhow, all the ladies on here are correct. Even with a low income and fixed budget, it's always more cost efficient to feed the best quality food you can find. Think about it...Pedigree runs around $14.00 for a 22lb bag of food. Blue Buffalo (not the best but better than Pedigree!) costs $25.00 for the same amount. On Pedigree you feed approximately 5 cups a day. On Blue, you feed 2.5-3 cups. So while it's about $10.00 more, you're feeding approximately half as much! If you can afford 7 cups a day of Kibble n Bits, you can afford to feed 3 cups a day of the quality food. My numbers may be a bit off, it's been a while since I fed kibble. Patton's on a RAW diet and loves it!

Also, think about the savings in Vet bills! A lot of issues with dogs are caused by their food, so if you give them the best possible food, you're vet bills will be fewer and far between (with the exception of injuries of course).

I think the ladies here are more concerned for Layla's health than sparing your feelings, and I agree with everything that's been said in this thread.

Please let us know what your vet decides. Take care and have a wonderful day.

 

[LaylasHumans]

I had a look at your pictures! She is very pretty girl.

I hate to be blunt, but Layla is fat!!! She needs to go on a diet ASAP. If you feed her a decent food, you will be feeding her way less than she is used to. I would suggest that you try adding green beans to her food. It will help fill her up and dogs usually like them. A lot of people have had success with the green diet with their dogs.

I have to agree with the others that, her weight could be attributed to her thyroid. Please get it checked. The medication is not expensive.

Good luck!

I'll try adding green beans to her food. As far as taking her to the vet for tests, we have had setbacks. Truck needed ball joints, now it needs upper control arm on passenger side, lower on driver side. Truck is not driveable as it sits, because ball joints keep popping out. UGH! Will look to see if there are any places that offer vet services for lower income families. We noticed after we started with the Pedigree that Layla got diarrhea, so we stopped that. It's cleared up now.

 

[LaylasHumans]

By your measurements you are feeding between 1 and 1.5 POUNDS of food per meal. 16 oz. = 1 pound.

The risk of BLOAT has to be considered here. Consuming such a large quantity of food at one time is not safe. Assuming she isn't eating it all at one sitting that is very helpful but still WAY too much food for a Boxer. That is perhaps 2 to 3 pounds of food a day PLUS what she is being fed on the side.

With her current size she can't nearly be physically able to utilize that many calories in one day.

I know it seems as if we are beating up on you and please know that we are NOT. Just trying to help a fellow Boxer lover ensure that their furry family member is as healthy as possible. There are already more than enough health issues that a Boxer may have to deal with in their life time. Adding things like weight issues to the mix and all that they bring to the table (diabetes, heart, joint, etc) is just too risky.

The cup is actually liquid measure. By dry measure, we have cut her back to about 1 to 1 1/2 dry cups of kibble per feeding, and slowly cutting her back a little more. I'm going to cut her back again this evening and add some green beans and see what she does with it. Hopefully she doesn't just eat the green beans and not the kibble. We have talked to the others in the house, and have stopped feeding her human junk. We have also started taking her out to walk, then when we get home, she plays with a tire swing in our backyard. We push it, she chases it. Then we bring her inside and give her fresh water and let her rest up, but she also plays with a tennis ball, a bear that has the stuffing removed, and a knotted rope.

 

[LaylasHumans]

Layla is a beautiful girl. :D Rather fat, but adorable. I hope you can figure out what's going on with her weight and hair loss so that you can enjoy a lot more time with her. You could look into care credit (no interest payment plan/credit card) to get the testing done and figure out what's causing her hair loss and treat it. Vet bills can be expensive, but a thryoid panel isn't usually too much money ($140 or so.)

My Johann is a huge boxer at 83 lbs (and not fat, just very tall and lean). He eats 1 cup of Orijen twice a day. We would have to feed him 5 cups of Iams/Eukanuba a day to get the same amount of calories into him.

Is there a Costco near you? I've heard that their house brand of food is relatively good quality and inexpensive....definitely better than Old Roy/Iams/Eukanuba/Royal Canin.

Good luck with your girl.

CareCredit denied us. I applied for it for my wisdom teeth, which are impacted and abscessed. If we had been approved, we would definitely used it for Layla. Boyfriend's first check went for parts to fix his truck, so when his next check comes in, we are going to check into better quality kibble for Layla. Good thing is...others were feeding her Twinkies and things like that...but since we put our feet down and stopped it, she doesn't seem to miss the junk. Not sure if we should do this, but when it's really hot outside, we give Layla an ice cube as a treat. She absolutely loves it, and now knows where the ice comes from.

 

[samsons]

ice cubes

i feed sam ice all the time ~~

frozen PLAIN yogurt ~ frozen yogurt mix with other times ~ if its cold he loves it !!

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

The shelter was treating her for sarcoptic mange with medicated rinses and antibiotics. The first vet said demodectic mange, no known origin. Gave her antibiotics first, and when that did nothing, she started getting weekly injections of stronger antibiotics. Second vet said food allergies, possibly corn and wheat, but said nothing about changing her food. Third vet said cancer. I was out of town for both the second and third vet visits, so I'm just going by what my bf told me.

Layla is roughly 2 years old. The shelter got her as a voluntary owner relinquish, and the owner gave only partial records on her. She has a 5-6 inch scar on her tummy, but nobody seems to know if she's been spayed, or if the scar was due to surgery as a puppy. She was estimated to be 7 months old when my bf adopted her, and she had the scar then.

She seems to be stable as far as weight loss or gain. She has watery/slimy discharge from her eyes, and a vet said it was normal for Boxers. Her stools are normal, urine output is normal, she's VERY active, but seems itchy because she wiggles and rubs on the carpet when laying on her back. The thickest patches of fur she has is between her shoulderblades and on the top of her head. Her skin is pink.

According to the dog food bag, we're supposed to feed her twice per day, and give her 5 3/4 cups of food for 90 pounds of body weight, and add an additional 1/2 cup per 15 pounds. If that's the case, with her being about 153 pounds, we would have to feed her 7 3/4 cups of food twice per day. That's a LOT of food...it would completely fill her bowl!

We soaked her food in hot water until it was softened this morning, but she didn't bother with eating it until this evening. We just don't know what else to do with her. My bf doesn't get paid until the beginning of the month, and he's decided to try to find a vet nearby who will work on a payment plan so we can find out what's going on with her. She does also have what looks like a tumor on the edge of her left ear, so we're getting that checked out too. I would think if Layla DOES have cancer, she would be on some sort of treatment for it, but she's not.

I think the bag means you feed twice a day but the 7 3/4 cups would be TOTAL so you'd split that over two times a day so she should only be eating around 3 3/4 cups at each feeding. Is she overweight at 150 pounds? If so then you'd feed according to what she should weigh, not what she does.

The slimy discharge is NOT normal. What food do you feed? Also the rubbing on the carpet while laying on the back is usually normal behavior. Both of my Boxers as well as my GSD do this and they aren't itchy, it's just fun and they enjoy doing it. Does she scratch like with her feet, chew on herself frequently with her mouth, etc? Yes her skin is pink she's a white Boxer they're supposed to have pinker skin. Now if it's red, blotchy, inflammed that's not normal, but a light pink skin tone color is very normal for a white boxer.

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

We are just giving her the Pedigree in with her kibble, which is Kibbles 'n Bits Wholesome Medley until checks come in and we can buy something else. A lot of people are suggesting 5 or 6 star kibble, but the problem is that we are on a fixed income, and can't afford super expensive food, and a lot of the brands are ones I've never heard of. I think when he gets his money in, we are going to head for a feed store and check out what they have, plus I think I've about got him convinced to get her a large kong or two to play with. He thought about getting her one to see if she would like it, but didn't have the money after buying her a new harness...but I'm sure I can talk him into it!

As far as dog foods we've tried, here is a rough list of brands. We've tried different varieties of them all:

Dad's
Ol' Roy
Kibbles 'n Bits
Alpo
Eukanuba
Iams
Dog Chow/Puppy Chow
Gravy Train

There are others, but I can't remember them all. I don't think any stores near us sell brands like Royal Canin or others I've never heard of, and some may not be available in the US at all. I have no clue, which is why I'm going to check a farm feed store.

I'd suggest you go to Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble and check out the foods there, choose one go to their website and find where it's sold near you. I feed Taste of the Wild and Kirkland to my GSD (who has no allergies). A bag of Taste of the wild runs me $45 and for an 80 pound GSD who eats 4 cups a day it lasts me exactly 1 month. My Boxers have allergies so I feed Natural Balance limited ingredient diet and it runs me $45 as well and lasts me exactly 3 weeks feeding 5 cups a day to a 67 pound Boxer and a 60 pound Boxer.

If you are on a fixed income and have a Costco card I'd recommend their own food of Kirkland it's $22 for a 40 pound bag and where there are better foods this is LEAPS AND BOUNDS better than the ones you've been feeding and probably less money. Skip Royal Canin it's crummy. Most of the brands talked about on here are available in the USA.

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

I'll try adding green beans to her food. As far as taking her to the vet for tests, we have had setbacks. Truck needed ball joints, now it needs upper control arm on passenger side, lower on driver side. Truck is not driveable as it sits, because ball joints keep popping out. UGH! Will look to see if there are any places that offer vet services for lower income families. We noticed after we started with the Pedigree that Layla got diarrhea, so we stopped that. It's cleared up now.

I think you may have misunderstood. You do not add green beans to her food. You CUT BACK on about 1/4 of her food intake on a daily basis and replace that with either canned (NO SALT ADDED) or frozen green beans. Very low in calories but filling so it helps that she won't notice some of her food being taken away. BUT if she's not eating all of her food anyway you may not need to do this.

When my girl needed to lose weight we reduced her food intake by 1/3 cup daily and replaced that with 1/3 cup green beans. She lost over 18 pounds in 6 months and was also put on thyroid medication and has maintained her ideal weight of 62 pounds now for a good 3 years.

Hopefully that makes more sense.