Ari's not finishing her food.

 Is it hot of late?  Some dogs really cut back in the heat?  Sorry don't have any other ideas - hope all is fine!

There came a time with Foxy several years ago when he just plain STOPPED wanting to eat.  He'd eat reluctantly but walk away.  NOT like him at all.  It was my thought that maybe he'd just decided he didn't like his food anymore.  So I literally took him to PetSmart and picked up a few bags of food that were "acceptable" TO ME (I'd be hard pressed to find anything now I'm sure) but David held 2 bags and let Foxy 'sniff' and yeah, one was definitely more attractive.  And then we presented him wtih 2 other bags ... and yep, one was a bit more interesting than the other.  Then we compared winner with winner and Bag B won and we brought it home.  That was the end of the fussiness!

Now ultimately I went back to home-cooking and never had a problem at all with fresh food for him.  But I'll never know if he just plain got unbelievably bored or what.

HOWEVER -- if you think about our own palates -- most of us eat differently in summer and hot months don't we?  Maybe we crave different lighter meals?  I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that you may need to pick up some samples and try your own taste test with Ari and see ... just a thot anyway.

 I thought it might be boredom with her food, as it hasn't been hot out (in fact it's been raining so long, I don't recall what the word "sun" is).  I really hate to figure out a new kibble.  Her previous kibble did a number on her stomach (Innova - far too rich for her).  I really don't care for most of the foods in petstores, I'm so picky and there's little else around aside from Innova and California Natural (I'm not keen about ordering food online, due to the fact we have issues with delivery people around here!).

I'll start topping off her food with some yummy stuff and mixing it in.  She does get human foods, but not homecooked - b/c I'm frankly too worried about messing up her nutritional needs, plus I don't trust myself to stick to a routine in making her food!  She always just got human food seperate from her kibble.  She ate her breakfast this morning, pretty unenthusiastic about it and left about a 1/4 of a cup again!  Maybe it's the humidity...it hasn't been hot but it has been darn humid out. I'll see if some raw chicken necks, giblets, cottage cheese, some mashed up berries (she loves her berries!) will help.  Maybe I'll cut back on the kibble just a bit, perhaps she's just not that hungy.  Maaaybe she's just done with all her growing and filling out.  And maaaaybe her Mom is just being silly :)

I'm not overly worried, just it's plain odd for a dog that was formally more like this "OMG IZ THAT FOODZ FOR MEEE?!" *insert massive drooling here*

I just don't like it when she does something against her normal behavior, I think I'm still emotionally scarred from her puppyhood we all managed to survive (massive vomitting, diareah every other day, emergency surgery, injured leg *twice*, crazy ear infections, scratched her eye, well you get the picture..lol)

She has a regular vet appt. tomorrow anyway and I'll mention it to them.  She'll be getting full lab work done anyway to test for a multitude of things.  She's probably just fine and in fact she's just ran off with our new couch pillow!  Away I go...

 Her age could be a factor.  After all, she isn't having those puppy growth spurts quite as much.  Plus, you said you cut her to two feedings per day.  She may just not be able to eat as much at one "sitting".  I use the dog's condition and energy level as a guide.  If she is as energetic as usual, I wouldn't be all that concerned, and I would not make a fussy eater out of her by dropping a gazillion different enticements in to her bowl.  Perhaps just moistening the food would be good, if you aren't doing that already - scent is enhanced if the food is moist.  Another factor to consider is that variety is the spice of life.  Would you want to eat hot dogs for lunch for ten years?  I, too, have a dog for whom some foods are too rich (in her case, it's Wellness).  So, I did some research and found two or three that she can tolerate which I rotate from time to time.  If you need help with finding foods that are similar to the Cal Nat, this lady does phone consultations long distance: http://www.betterdogcare.com/

 I had to cut Lynn's food literally in half when she turned a bit over a year old. It was kind of freakish and startling as the working dogs don't do that. But it seems fairly common in companion dogs. Lynn seems to have inherited her easy keeping genetics from her Golden Retriever side.

 Thanks guys!  I am, like I said, most likely over reacting lol.  Having gone through so many stomach ailments with her, I automatically at this point start thinking worst case scenario!  I hadn't thought that the two meals would be a problem, but maybe that is it.  Perhaps it is too much food for her all at once.

She's definitely as active as usual, which is good (or bad - it's been pouring here recently and my ankle is still not 100%....so things around here have gotten interesting to say the least.).  She's perky, happy and finding trouble to get into as per usual. 

I definitely do not want to create a fussy dog...my Mom's dog is like that and it's annoying to say the least!  Right now Ari feels a bit skinnier than I like.  Her ribs are a bit too easy to count with a light touch over them.  I know her breed is supposed to be slim, but she's a bit too ribby. It's a running joke at the vets office, where our vet even said he doesn't get to tell owners this that often but "she could stand to gain a pound or two".  I was planning tonight to give her a chicken neck and giblets (I'm roasting a chicken tonight, so she gets the scraps), but I think I'll continue to do what I normally do and just give that to her later on tonight after her dinner. 

Aesop decided at a year that he wanted less food too. He went from eating 4 cups a day to only wanting 3 cups. His weight didn't fluctuate, and he's still on 3 cups to this day and maintaining well. It does seem to be an age thing. That's about the time he stopped gaining weight in growth spurts as well.

If she's not losing weight, I'd not worry