Boxer Refuses to Eat, does Astrid only want Treats?

This mystery has been happening for years,  yet still baffles me. Sometimes Astrid simply refuses to eat her breakfast. She'll sit by her bowl to ensure Bodhi does not eat it, however she won't. She'll sit there guarding the bowl, until, I put it on the counter (so Bodhi does not get it) and then she'll go about her business. 

Usually on days like this, her tummy will growl all day, and she will refuse all foods. She may much a few greens from the yard, which makes me wonder if she has an upset tummy, then by evening, she's ready for a meal and seems to want her breakfast AND dinner all at once!

She is doing this, once again, today. It really drives me bonkers, she's here by my feet at my desk - and her tummy is making those squishy, squeaky sounds... I feel for her, I don't want her to be hungry! I'll ask her if she wants kibbles, and she will hop, leap and bound into the kitchen - only to NOT eat! However, if I were to offer her a chicken jerky, she'd take it...

Which always makes me think of the night before, and who in this house may have been giving her an extra dose of people food... which makes me realize she often boycotts her dog noms the day after receiving significant hoooman foodies....

SO I am really starting to think it's not that she's not hungry, it's that she is holding out for a treat vs her dog food. Perhaps she is trying to guilt me into feeding her a treat, with her pitiful growling little tummy.

Hmmmm, sneaky Boxer...

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?

Boxers Love Sunshine, but is it safe?

The Boxer Duo, Astrid and  Bodhi LOVE the sun... If the back door is open they will go in and out all day basking in the sun's warm rays. When inside, they grab any bit they can as it streams through a window.

How much sun is okay for dogs? Dogs, like humans, can indeed get sunburned! Their skin is sensitive like ours, so do keep an eye on your favorite fido if they are sun worshipers. Especially if they have areas of thinner hair, light fur or pink skin... (boxer ears and tummies may need special attention)

How to keep your fur babies safe from the sun...

1. Use dog safe sunscreen (yes they have it, ask your vet) test to prevent irritation.
2. Monitor  their sunshine hours (worst between 11 and 4)
3. Make sure they  have shade (and water) if they're out all day.
4. There are also pet clothing alternatives that can help too.

Keeping your Boxers safe and healthy helps them to live longer, happier lives!

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?

Dog Food Delivery, I found Wag.com

A couple weeks ago on a Friday I was not feeling 100%... I stayed in bed all day and remembered I was almost out of dog food. The very last thing I wanted to do was get in my car and go to Pet Food Express to get a 30 pound bag of dog food...

So I went to Google and searched for local dog food delivery, and found wag.com (if you visit please use code ALET0624 and I'll get a $5 credit, Bodhi and Astrid thank you!) I checked to see if they have my brand of dog food, Taste of the Wild Pacific Salmon, and they sure did!

It was better when I found the price on my brand of dog food was lower than Pet Food Express... Even better, next day delivery (on a Saturday). EVEN BETTER, free delivery if I signed up for auto ship! I pondered it for a few (not a big fan of auto ships) however I decided that if I could have Astrid and Bodhi's food delivered to my front door on the same schedule that I'd drive across town, in city traffic to get their food. Well, WIN WIN situation!

So with the onsite coupon and auto ship, I got a 30 pound bag of dog food plus a bag of treats with FREE shipping for about $10 less than I would have paid for ONLY  bag of dog food at Pet Food Express (not counting the fuel I'd use and time spent to go there).

In addition, you can shop across multiple sites and get great discounts on other types of goodies too, bath goodies, food goodies... I've not explored them all as I was under the weather, placed and order, and went back to bed, but I wanted to share so maybe some fellow Boxer lovers can find great deals on great dog food and other things as well!

I got my order, as promised, on Saturday via FedEx! Perhaps the only time the Boxer Duo was excited for a delivery box coming into the home because they KNEW it was their noms! LOL

This is an unsolicited review of wag.com, if you visit their website and place and order, please use my referral code of ALET0624 to give me a $5 credit toward future purchases {hugs}.

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?

Time for Comfortis, Good Bye Fleas

I had enough... when the fleas were hopping on ME, biting my ankles, etc... I was so mortified and disgusted I was ready to do nearly ANYTHING. Seriously, like MOVE.

I called the vet and said I was ready for whatever they had, and they recommended Comfortis. I was really concerned with basically feeding my dog some sort of toxin that was going to kill fleas when they bit the dog...

She explained to me that the chemical compound used in Comfortis was discovered in a jungle. Scientists were doing research and noticed that there were certain areas within the jungle that had NO bugs at all. They found this fascinating and discovered that all these areas had one thing in common, a certain plant.

So, this plant is the basis for the flea treatment Comfortis. Now I'm not sure how accurate this is, it's just what I was told, but it sure made me feel better. LOL. I KNOW many 'drugs' are derived from nature, and are not SAFE. But,as I mentioned above, I was ready for ANYthing that was going to work.

So I bought one dose for each, Astrid and Bodhi. It was $31.50 for two pills (discounts for larger quantities of course) but I wanted to see how it worked! Since the Boxers are about 30 pounds different in weight, they each had different dose pills.

The pills look just like the ones in the picture, the dogs LOVE them, like they are special treats! So if you get Comfortis to help with your Boxer flea problem, and if you get multiple doses, do NOT keep the extras where the Boxers can find them. They'll eat them for a snack and get VERY sick if they overdose!

Basically you give your Boxer the Comfortis flea pill once a month, it does its magic and when fleas jump on the dog and bite the dog to feed, that flea is going to be dead soon after. I used to 'catch' fleas and wash them down the sink, now I find dead fleas on the Boxers. I am not finding any more 'flea dirt' (blood excrement from adult fleas feeding which is then consumed by flea hatchlings) which shows me that it is working. In addition I see very FEW live fleas around. Still some, but I know the process takes time.

The Comfortis helps to stop the cycle of fleas, they are killing the adults, and also the newly hatched fleas before they have a chance to lay eggs. You STILL have to keep up on vacuuming. Every (EVERY) single day. Remember that flea eggs can lay dormant and hatch when weather is prime. I'm keeping the Boxer Duo on these pills as here in California we're still in a drought. It was 72 yesterday and I swear that a new batch of fleas hatched. OMG. It has been a couple months that they've been on Comfortis and I plan to keep them on it through this year as we are still in an extremely dry drought with warm weather headed our way.

It's a battle, but we're WINNING!

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?