Something is wrong with my boxer

Question
I have a 16 month old female boxer and I can't keep weight on her. For a couple months she'll be solid , no ribs or spine showing; then all of the sudden her spine will show and her ribs will be prominate. She's extremely athletic, but I don't think that's it. I'm feeding her diamond extreme athlete dog food and it works most of the time. What can I do?

Also, her female "area" is very large and purple constantly, her nipples are also huge. They are somewhere around an inch long. She's not pregnant. The vet said she was fine, but I don't think those are normal things.

Please help...

Answer
Hi Britt,

Some Boxers do seem to have trouble keeping weight on when they're younger, especially it seems the females.  You can try adding some healthy extras to her food, like boiled chicken, hamburger, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs - in moderation, because too much will throw off the nutrient balances.  You might also try a higher-quality food that has fewer fillers, and more bio-available ingredients - a grain-free food might be just what she needs, as they're high in protein and fat.  A good site for researching dog foods is www.dogfoodanalysis.com

As far as her nipples and vulva being enlarged, she could be coming into season or (if she's been in already) going through a false pregnancy (this can last up to about 18 weeks after a season); these areas generally shrink back down after the hormones return to non-estrus levels, but they generally don't shrink back to pre-puberty levels.  I have a couple of females who look as if they've had a few litters, although they've never actually had any.