Picky eater with a sensitive stomach

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TonyMc

Boxer Pal
Hello

My 18 month old boxer has always been a picky eater - sometimes going for days without eating. Her stomach is also very sensitive - she suffers with wind and regular stomach upsets. We switched her to Chappie Chicken and Rice wet food with Beta Chicken biscuits (kibble) - which she seemed to do well on. She had less stomach upsets but still had regular wind and sometimes refused to eat.

So in the last week we switched to cooked chicken breast and white rice - which seems to suit her - especially as she is a bit of a princess as she doesn't like chewing large kibble. But the problem is now a lack of calories. Although we feed her a sensible amount, her pin bones and ribs are little obvious. Any ideas and how to increase her calories without upsetting her stomach?
 

sjtorr

Boxer Booster
Have you considered going raw? You're almost there already! The guideline with raw is about 1-2% of body weight... 60 lb dog would eat about 2 lbs a day more or less.

If that isn't an option for you, consider adding veggies, fruit, I've even given peanut butter on toast... But that was because I had to get food down her to take medication. Wouldn't do that on a regular basis. Even oatmeal and egg. There are lots of options if kibble doesn't suit. You could also investigate cooking up homemade food. I did that for a number of months.. Until she went into heat and went off of it.

I guess what I'm saying is figure out which way you want to go first... Raw, homemade, or kibble with homemade, and then do some research on how much to feed.
 

Kisaq

Super Boxer
Perhaps you should get an allergy test for your girl.

Have you taken her to the vet to see if she as irritable bowl syndrome? Or test for all the many possible parasites she may have picked up along the line? Or other such medical condition?

I had an older dog that I gave omeprazole (a very strong anti-acid) to everyday for a year. It helped him a lot.

How is her poop consistency and size? Does she seem to be processing her food? Does she poop regularly even when she doesn't eat? How often does she go throughout the day when she does eat? Does she ever throw up?
 

bxrbgood

Boxer Insane
We have one too. (picky eater w/sensitive belly) Ginger is all muscle & no fat so I don't think she needs to be fasting so much. Sometimes she won't eat for a day or day and a half. We've tried lots of different foods. Like I said in the post above she does best on Fromm, Chicken À La Veg. Our three like the taste and don't have much gas on it.
 
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