Hunger Strike

I can only remember a couple of times where my parents wouldn't let me leave the dinner table until I cleaned my plate. I'm pretty sure both of those times, the meal included lima beans or peas of some sort. My dad didn't like his vegetables either, and I'm pretty sure my mom was forbidden to make them ever again. Especially after his daughter, who is was too smart for her own good, pointed out that dad didn't clean his plate so he should have to sit at the table until he was done as well. Yeah, that didn't happen, but a spanking did.

Over the last three weeks, Roxy's eating habits have become really poor. It started with refusing the nightly marshmallow that I give each of them at bed time. Okay, so she doesn't want sweets, not a big deal. Then she started leaving everything in her Kong totally untouched, except the cream cheese or peanut butter. I figured Seka bullied her into giving her Kong up, which happens even in their crates sometimes. The next reject on the menu was a raw chicken back. Then came the turkey neck's turn. Three days ago, she totally gave up chicken gizzards and hamburger all together. I think she ate grass and a couple of slices of American Cheese for the last two days because nothing else would do. Maybe she's making a vegetarian statement of some sort.

There's really only one culprit: her choppers. Poor Roxy just has the bad teeth gene and despite regular brushing and a raw diet, she continues to lose teeth a pair at a time. She most recently had two pulled in August. Now, it looks like she's going to lose at least two more on the other side. We were waiting to complete an antibiotic cycle before having them pulled, but with her eating habits becoming so poor, I guess we may have to do this sooner, rather than later.

My dilemma, what do we put on Roxy's menu after she has lost most of the back teeth in her mouth? Do we move to kibble for her? It can't be easy to eat dry pebbles without back teeth. Will she be able to chew raw bones again? Are we headed down a path of canned dog food for good (ugh, please no)?

I really want to keep her on a grain-free diet, especially when she's allergic to peas (I wish I had that excuse) and eggs. Both are used in a lot of commercial kibble. We live in the country, so we lack convenient access to uppity dog food and I'm a poor planner when it comes ordering ahead of time. I guess we'll just see if she can gum the raw dishes once we get her appetite back.

Seka, on the other hand, is psyched that her sister isn't eating her daily ration. Before I really got a handle on the severity of the situation I'm 99% sure Seka ate Roxy's food too. Something Fatty McPatty didn't need. But the joke was on her tonight as Roxy wolfed down a can of Newman's Own canned dog food as she stood by drooling on the sidelines.