[Angela B]

My female mini doxie has always had an issue with chewing hard stuff. I got her when she was 5 weeks old and have always assumed it was because she was weened too soon. She gains weight fine, so she isn’t malnourished. I am not a fan of wet food. She was on blue buffalo up until a few months ago. We switched her to For Health do to difference in price. Is there something we can do to help strengthen her jaws so she doesn’t have trouble eating?

[anonymously]

Have you consulted a specialist? What does your veterinarian recommend?

You may find this article helpful, excerpt below: https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/malocclusions/
“Malocclusions likely have a significant genetic component, but some can be prevented by early diagnosis and treatment. Proper oral evaluations of puppies should be performed during every vaccination visit. Keeping the mouth closed and lifting the upper lip provides the best evaluation of occlusion. If a malocclusion is noted in a puppy, treatment should be started relatively soon. The most common treatment is extraction of the teeth that are occluding into an improper location. The sooner this is done, the more time is allowed for any genetic potential of normal jaw growth. If malocclusions are not cured by this treatment or are not diagnosed until after the permanent teeth have erupted, then orthodontic treatment will be recommended. Some orthodontic treatment can include extraction of maloccluded teeth, in addition to careful movement. Any orthodontic treatment other than tooth extraction should be referred to a veterinary dental specialist”.

[Angela B]

Her teeth are perfect as far as all of her baby teeth have been replaced by Adult teeth and they are in proper location. They also have no tartar build up that I can see, pretty white teeth. She does have foul breath and has since she lost the puppy breath.she is happy and healthy. The only complaint I have is she seems to have trouble chewing hard food and treats. I have to buy small bites food and with treats we have to break them up really small or she will just leave it. She is a true mini at 7 lbs. My male is a tweenie at 12 lbs. He has no trouble eating anything.

[Pitlove]

Hi Angela- Curious as to why you are not a fan of wet canned food?

[Angela B]

Every dog I have ever fed wet food to has loose stool and awful gas. Plus the food itself smells rancid. I feed my dogs the better quality dog foods because they have less fillers and numerous other benefits. It’s just a preference. I do know, my husband likes to give them gainsburgers occasionally. My female will eat until every bit of it is gone even going so far as to pick it out of her dog food. She maintains a healthy weight on dry food, but if allowed what I consider junk food, she pigs out. She would become obese in no time.

[Pitlove]

Only reason I ask is because canned food would be an excellent solution to your Doxie’s problem. It seems as though something is causing discomfort when chewing dry food. That can create a negative association with eating that food.

[Angela B]

She doesn’t appear to have any pain or discomfort associated with her dry food. It is more of an observation that if given a hard treat (milk bones) etc, I have to break hers up into really small pieces. If I get the wrong bag of dog food (small bites vs small breed) the food is slightly bigger and she seems to have trouble eating it. I don’t really know if it has anything to do with the teeth or if maybe it’s just the size of her mouth. Again she is very petite. I do appreciate your feedback. If I were to switch her to a wet food she would likely become obese quickly simply because she would view it as a treat. I have thought of blending wet into her food but again the little heifer will eat the wet and leave the dry. She is such a ham. Lol

[Pitlove]

As long as you follow the feeding guidelines for the canned food she wouldn’t become overweight. Same as with dry food. A dog can become overweight on any diet if overfed. You can find good quality canned foods that are low fat and high protein to help keep her trim. I wouldn’t totally throw out the idea of canned food IMO. It adds moisture to their diet and keeps them more hydrated, plus is a lot healthier than dry because of it being less processed. Whichever you choose, best of luck in finding something that she can eat!

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