Boxer Won’t Eat – 10 Common Reasons & Solutions

With over 20 years as a long-time canine caretaker who adores all dogs with over 20 years of experience caring for canine companions, I often get asked “My Boxer Won’t Eat, what should I do?” It’s a common concern for people whose furry friends when their canine companion seems disinterested in mealtime. As an enthusiastic pet expert, I’m here to offer my best tricks to get your pup excited about eating again.

There are many possible reasons why your dog may have lost their appetite. This article explores the top causes and proven solutions to help get your dog to eat again. Below are 10 of the most common reasons your dog might not be eating. Alternatively if you want to save some time you can start a free vet chat directly.

Common Reasons Your Boxer Won’t Eat

1. Dental Problems and Oral Pain

Dental disease like periodontal disease, dental abscesses, and fractured teeth is very common in dogs and can cause severe oral pain that prevents them from wanting to chew their food. Signs that your Boxer has dental issues include bad breath, reddened gums, pawing at the mouth, and spitting out food. Dogs may start eating only soft food or refuse to eat their meals.

See your vet as soon as possible if you notice these signs of dental disease, as untreated infections can spread bacteria to the circulatory system. Your vet will likely recommend a full dental cleaning and removal of diseased teeth under anesthesia to relieve your dog’s oral pain. They may also prescribe antibiotics and analgesics. With treatment, your Boxer appetite should bounce back within a few days once the mouth pain subsides.

2. Nausea from Gastrointestinal Upset

Given the nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or other gastrointestinal issues, dogs tend to avoid eating. The list of potential GI challenges includes allergies to dog food, inflammatory bowel disorders, pancreatitis, infections from parasites, and viral enteritis, can be the cause a Boxer wont eat.

Through diagnostic procedures such as blood tests, fecal examinations, and abdominal scans, one can pinpoint the root cause of the appetite loss. Once nausea wanes, administering treatments like anti-nausea medications, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and specific diets can rapidly restore appetite.

Make sure to follow your vet’s treatment plan closely and only give your Boxer the recommended dosages.

3. Anxiety and Stress

Boxers are sensitive to changes in routine, travel, new environments, loud noises, and meeting unfamiliar dogs or people. Such anxiety-filled or distressing scenarios frequently lead to reduced food intake or even complete avoidance of meals by dogs.

Try to minimize your dog’s stress levels by maintaining normal routines when possible and using anti-anxiety medications/supplements if recommended by your vet. Also, stimulate their appetite by hand feeding delicious foods like cooked chicken, canned puppy food, or dry food such as kibble soaked in broth.

Once your dog begins to acclimate to the alterations causing anxiety, you’ll likely notice an uptick in their appetite.

4. Boxer Decreased Sense of Smell

A dulled sense of smell is a common issue for aging dogs and those with chronic nasal/respiratory diseases. If dog food seems bland or unappetizing, dogs simply aren’t motivated to eat it or have no want to eat.

You could heat canned or moistened food to enhance its smell.On their daily kibble, you might sprinkle richly scented toppings like chicken stock, cheese shreds, bacon fragments, or preserved fish.Doing so makes their meal more appealing.

In cases where an upper respiratory ailment is responsible for the loss of smell, your veterinarian’s recommended antibiotics and decongestants can aid in reviving their appetite.

5. Picky Eating Habits

A handful of Boxers inherently have selective eating habits, possibly because they’re tired of their regular food or have a liking for human dishes. It’s not uncommon for particular eaters to start bypassing meals or being very discerning with their food choices.

For catering to a choosy dog’s tastes, consider switching among 3-4 varied premium food types, such as air-dried, uncooked, or moist foods frequently. Consider enhancing their regular kibble with tempting additives such as chopped ham, whisked eggs, unsweetened yogurt, or cottage cheese.

Avoid catering to picky behavior by never feeding human table scraps. With patience and creativity, you can find foods your picky dog loves.

We recommend trying these products for picky Boxers.

6. Underlying Medical Issue

Many internal health challenges, not limited to dental and gastrointestinal conditions, can result in a lack of appetite in Boxers. Conditions such as kidney ailments, tumors, hypothyroidism, infections of the urinary tract, and organ malfunction are among these.

Make an appointment with your vet right away if your adult dog goes 24+ hours without eating or seems lethargic. Diagnostic testing like bloodwork, urinalysis, and imaging will uncover if your dog has an underlying medical problem sabotaging their appetite.

Administering the appropriate treatment typically restores a dog’s appetite swiftly, especially when they begin to recover. But leaving health issues untreated can be dangerous.

7. A Change in Eating Routine

Dogs

thrive on routines, and any disruption can often lead them to become finicky eaters. This selective eating can stem from factors like a change in food brand, feeding schedule alterations, trips, staying in a boarding facility, house guests, relocating, or even a new addition to the family like a newborn or a new puppy.

Aim to acclimate your Boxer to these shifts in routine over a span of 2-3 weeks. Take the case of altering their diet: carry out the transition across 7-10 days, methodically adding more of the new food and reducing the old.

To regain their usual appetite, it’s essential to remain consistent and predictable in your actions.

8. Boxer Feeling Overheated

When the summer heat strikes, the act of panting and cooling off tends to hinder hunger signals in a dog’s brain. During the hotter months, ensure your dog always has access to shady spots, cold surfaces, and replenished water.

You might want to serve bigger portions during the more refreshing parts of the day, like mornings or evenings. You can also try freezing their food or water bowls to keep the area around their food as cool as possible.

This helps encourage eating on those hot days.

9. Competition with Other Pets

Certain Boxers can become nervous eating in proximity to other pets, causing them to avoid their meals. Competing resources, especially when other dogs or cats are around—like food, toys, and human companionship—can create stress.

To mitigate this, feed your dogs in isolated spaces and employ baby barriers during mealtimes. Offer numerous food containers spaced out to diminish competitive behavior. Adapting in this manner, most nervous eaters start feeling at ease with their meals again.

10. A New Adoption or Move

Introducing a rescued dog to your home or shifting to a new dwelling with your pet represents major life changes. Newly taken-in dogs or those adjusting to new surroundings often face brief periods of diminished appetite and heightened stress.

Exercise patience, ensure a constant food supply, maintain their usual schedule, and consider tranquility supplements when necessary. Their eating habits and comfort levels should improve within 1-2 weeks as they get used to all the new changes.

When to Contact a Vet About Appetite Loss

Should your adult Boxer abstain from eating for a period of 24-48 hours, immediately reach out to your vet. Waiting too long can lead to dangerous complications like liver damage from a buildup of toxins in the bloodstream.

For puppies resisting their meals or facing appetite troubles, it’s recommended to consult the vet within 12 hours given their swift health decline potential. Be ready to describe any symptoms you’ve observed in your dog, like vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or signs of pain.

Your vet will perform diagnostic testing to uncover whether an underlying medical issue is causing your dog’s appetite loss.
Typically, once the ailment is treated, your dog’s appetite swiftly returns and they are encouraged to eat again.

Instead of an expensive vet trip, consider use our Ask A Vet online service to obtain prompt answers prior to a physical consultation. An online vet consultation can provide you with immediate insights, potentially bypassing an expensive clinic visit.

How to Get Your Boxer to Eat Home Remedies

For mild, temporary appetite suppression in an otherwise healthy dog, home remedies can sometimes do the trick:

• Switch foods: Transition to a new brand, flavor, or texture of food. The novelty may entice picky pups to eat.
• Add mix-ins: Top kibble with something super smelly and tasty like canned fish, chicken broth, or wet food.
• Hand feed: Some dogs eat better when hand fed piece by piece. The extra attention can be encouraging.
• Warm the food: Microwaving kibble for 10 seconds releases aroma and makes food more appealing.
• Exercise first: A long walk before meals triggers hunger hormones in the body and brain can help get your pet to eat.

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Preventing Appetite Issues in Dogs

Even though unpredictable eating habits can be an occasional issue, here are steps to diminish the chances of extended meal rejection:

• Have your vet perform twice yearly wellness checks to catch health issues early.
• Provide your pet with a top-tier, nutritionally comprehensive diet tailored to their needs.
• Daily mental stimulation is essential, using toys, educational exercises, and various enrichment pursuits.
• Maintain a regular feeding schedule, emphasizing consistent times and places.

If your dog still wont eat, then talking to a Dog Vet online will get you the help you need, it doesn’t matter if it’s a Boxer or a Boxador won’t eat, the Vet you will talk to will provide the information you need.

So next time you find yourself searching online for something like “dog wont eat cant stand up“, consider ask a vet questions online.