Cant figure our what makes our Boxer eat grass and throw up almost daily

by Janis Spencer
(Prunedale, CA)

Hello,
Glad to have found your site. We have a boxer who is is 6 years old. Over the last year we have been trying to work out why she eats grass profusely and then throws up and then starts all over again. She has had 3 surgeries now to remove little barbs from the grasses that have stuck in her throat. We continue to keep the lawn and surrounding areas mowed. We have been feeding her Innova and California Natural for sensitive stomachs kibble and can food. The vet suggested we also give her PepsidAD each day, so we do but it still continues. We also have been giving her rice with organic peas, alternating with the kibble and oatmeal for breakfast with a bit of kibble. We are on a limited budget, but the next thing we are going to do is have a sonogram to see if there are maybe any barbs or some reason for the activity. She is active and enjoys playing with our other dogs and no signs of any other issues.
I also found a holistic vet in our area and will get her in there to help with this transition. Again, vets are expensive and they can quickly take you down a road of expense.

Sincerely,
Janis Spencer


Hi Janis,

Boxer's are notorious for having sensitive stomachs. You sound like you're feeding a good diet except for a couple of things.
Dog's need probiotics and enzymes in their diet for digestion and to keep their immunity system strong.
If you don't feed a raw food diet, then they are typically not getting near enough of these two elements. A raw food diet is the best as it has high moisture content, full of live enzymes and some probiotics. When you cook food, you destroy these elements.
If you go to a holistic vet, they will most likely want to get you started on a raw diet. Dogs' thrive on the way nature intended them to eat. You can even just feed raw a few times a week and they will get many benefits from it. There is raw food made for dogs that is easy to feed. Find out more at the store you get your Innova from as they most likely will carry some. You can give some raw from the grocery store to start as well. Like anything new, you start very slow and work your way up.

If you are against feeding a raw food diet, then you can supplement these two elements with a powder on her food daily. You can usually find this supplement where you buy your Innova.
She can also get some probiotics from some yogurt in her diet. Our dogs love it as a treat.
Sounds like she needs more digestive aid and these two supplements will help. It seems like dogs eat grass to ease an upset tummy.
Animal Essentials makes a good probiotics and enzyme supplement. I believe it runs about $25 but last a while.
Other good supplements to keep her healthy are cod liver oil, salmon oil, canned tuna, canned salmon, canned sardines, partially cooked egg a couple times a week, a ground up brazil nut once a week is an excellent cancer fighter. Antioxidants are critical for dogs just as they are for humans.
Calcium is also critical. By nature, dogs eat their prey, bones and all. They are used to getting a lot of calcium in their diets. She will get a little calcium from the kibble but if she’s getting a lot of other things, then she may not be getting enough. You can supplement with bone meal, ground up egg shells or get a multi-vitamin powder with calcium that you can just sprinkle on her food daily. Some of these multi-vitamin mixes even have enzymes and probiotics in them.
Keeping the digestive system strong is vital. This is the core to her immune system. Enzymes are essential for just about every bodily function.
There are some good foods that supply some enzyme and probiotics with a coating. Natures Variety makes one as well as Great Life. You may want to switch her to one of these foods soon as Innova was bought out by Proctor and Gamble. Most small independent stores like ours are going to weed there products out. This is because once a huge company gets a hold of a good product like Innova, the quality will diminish as they go for more profit.
You sound like you are open for a holistic approach. You can find some very good books on holistic care for dogs on Amazon or your local book store. They are essential to have around the house for help.
I hope this helps and you get her tummy feeling better. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.

Roger