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We adopted 9 mo. old DSH who is now 1 1/2 yrs, Shady was a stray dont know his history. Out of nowhere, his pupils dilate, attacks & bites so hard he draws blood. Jekyll & Hyde. Rough play or aggression? Love him tho. Help pls???
My dobe bitch spent last week at my MIL’s home, and throughout that week my MIL fed her Beneful rather than the food we asked her to feed. This…is a problem, and one we will be discussing with her at another time.
However. As a result of this lovely, boundary-free vacation eating nothing but the equivalent of Big Macs for a week, she will not go back to her regular food unless we add enticements. I need her eating what i give her, when i give it to her, without exceptions. Normally this isn’t a problem – she’s trying to get us to give her that lovely, delicious junk food. She is healthy, so this isn’t a health-related problem. She’s just being a stubborn brat. 🙂
My question is this: what is the quickest way to get her back on her normal food? My husband is less than cooperative with my eat-it-or-lose-it method of training, wondering if anyone can suggest anything else. For the moment she is absolutely refusing plain kibble. The most I will do for her is add warm water, which I do for dinners anyway. She won’t touch breakfast at all.
Any suggestions? 🙂
Before someone asks: I show her. She needs to eat when told just like she needs to evacuate bowel and bladder when told…otherwise things may get messy in the ring, and I cannot have that happening. This only becomes a problem after she goes to my MILs for more than a couple of days. Unfortunately, we have another lengthy stay planned later this summer, with a major show soon after. To say this has given me a headache is an understatement.
I know the MIL isn’t trying to be detrimental. She just refuses to believe that Beneful isn’t what I want to feed my dog. If we give her individually bagged meals, she complies. If we give her a bag of Rip’s food and a scoop, she…doesn’t. Last lengthy visit, she managed to feed 15 pounds of food in a week and a half. I fear this may be an ongoing disagreement – she tends to keep her dogs 5 pounds overweight and free feeds, while I like my dog eating specific meals at specific times and I like to see a nice tuck at the belly with a visible waist.
She will accept kibble from my hand if she complies with a command – she thinks it’s a treat. I got about half a cup in her that way this evening, so she isn’t going to go completely hungry. She’s just being a stubborn twit – at nearly 2, she’s at that age where UPS hasn’t shipped us all of the parts of her brain, so she’s still “forgetting” things she knows like how to come when called. I have used this method before with success, at both my breeder and my vet’s suggestion. The last time we did this, within 2 days she was eating normally. This time around she’s throwing a louder temper tantrum, though. Just wondering what, if anything, might make this less painful to my eardrums.
I’ll consider boiling some extra chicken and burying the tiniest shreds in her food – that will depend on whether she eats breakfast. If she doesn’t, tomorrow night’s class will be a difficult one for her…we are in Baltimore and head up to Forest Hill for classes, so we leave around 6. She usually gets the kibble portion of her dinner in class as training treats (interspersed with higher value meats, because that keeps her on her toes).
I can’t think of much else to add. We’re working on “puppy push-ups” right now to keep her busy (and get more kibble in her). Sometimes, I curse myself for bringing such a smart dog into my house. 😉
good news! it took one training session on an empty stomach to convince her that eating might be a good idea. emptied her bowl and was looking for more.
bratdog is a brat. but she’s eating, so i’m happy.
My 8 pound chihuahua licked my grape popsicle 4-5 times and I’m very worried. Please tell me he’s going to be okay. I don’t know what to do.
He’ll be fine, it’ll take more sugar than that to hurt him. : )
Any toxicity of mineral oil to dogs? (this would be used in low concentration to create garlic extract to spray lawn to repel mosquitoes)
I have a 10 year old female labrador who has recently been licking her vagina very frequently. Today we noticed a very large lump next to her vagina. She is not eating, however drinking a lot, but not going to the toilet to wee
She is also breathing more weirdly than normal.
*vulva.
and she needs to be seen by a vet.
Okay thanks to the both of you. Just a little difficult when my mother doesnt work :/ we will obviously take her to the vets, but will not be immediatley.
larger dogs and strong breeds tend to wait longer before letting the owner know something is wrong, leaving less time to treat quickly/ properly. Not eating and breathing changes are major issues. You can usually see a vet for maybe $40 and go from there, arrangements might can be made about the $ (discounts/ payments/charities/etc), so don’t wait.
My dog recently started having trouble jumping. He can jump up onto the couch but starts whining immediately for a second or two. He still runs to go play fetch but doesn’t want to jump anymore like he normally does. What should I do?
my bearded dragon has been acting weird today. He was fine this morning now his legs start to twitch and go paralized. We gave him a calcium bath and that didn’t help at all.
My bearded dragon Izzy had a bad seizure and honestly check the temp to make sure it’s right. I didn’t realize that the temp can do a lot of damage if it’s not right. I got a higher volt basking light and he seems like he’s doing better
male 11 yo neutered minpin foster dog. He has had a lump on the side of his penis for months It is getting larger If I touch it he yelps but not every time. He has been peeing and walking around Does this sound like prostate cancer 2 you?
when was the last time you and your vet discussed this?
if never – do so. please. your dog is in pain.
How to nurse and how much food should 4 week old pup eat? He’s on metronidazol, because his previous owner gave him polluted water and he developed severe amebiasis. How long should he sleep? He’s mom died. His sisters died of amebiasis too
if memory serves, based on some research i’ve done, puppies should be eating 5-6 meals per day at that age. do you have support from your vet?
Krista, thank you for your advice! Today I gave him breakfast (puppy food with warm water and a bit of oatmeal – syringe), 2nd breakfast (the same, but he vomitted it as he didn’t feel good in the afternoon), home made chicken soup with celery and carrots – syringe – couple of times during the day because he felt nauseated and he ate small portions (1 small syringe at a time, next in 15 – 20 minutes, sometimes 2 syringes at a time). When he smelled our dinner all of the sudden he jumped out of the bed and ate some chicken (boiled), not much, but it was his initiative. He played with our lab, played with his stuffed chicken and went to bed. Now I’m waking him every half our and I give him blended rice with egg yolk, chicken and warm water.
Laura, unfortunately no because our vet told me that he’s gonna die. And I’m not giving up on him.
How long is recovery time for a puppy getting a umbilical hernia removed and neutering done at same time? Will stitches dissolve? He will be 8 weeks old
Hi (Dr.) Krista;
I just want you to know how much I respect you for all the time, energy and caring you so freely provide! People like you make this crazy world we live in so much better and because of your dedication and caring you give people so much desperately needed hope!
sounds like typical young cat behavior. i’d get him in for a general checkup to be sure, though.
Of course, the vet says he is healthy. It is a psychological or behavioral issue. Wish I knew what happened to him as a baby. Just would like to stop the biting. We had our last cat for 17 years so cat care isn’t new to us… How can we stop the biting?
He has all his shots and we had him micro chipped in case he ever gets out.
These attacks come out of nowhere! I hate to admit it but he can be scary. He attacks our legs and arms. We haven’t had him very long, but we love him and are keeping him (so cute). He can be very loving, lying down for hours, purring and we pet him. And he has a favorite toy, a cat that plays fetch!
His demeanor changes in a split second, out of nowhere….is he just too happy??
Thank you Dr. Magnifico, but that video isn’t 100% our Shady. Sometimes, he will just attack from another room for no reason.,… Not just when we pet him. It is very strange and I try not to compare him to our previous pet, I know they all have different personalities…..but the biting!!!! I wonder if it was from a prior trauma, he was homeless and underweight when he chose us at the adoption center??
He was given a certified clean bill of health from the adoption center and again in April for his wellness visit from my vet. The biting has been since day 1. I think it has been decreasing in frequency. At first he was very skittish and afraid of noises, like thunder, but has calmed down tremendously, truthfully over the past few months. I will check out J Galaxy….thank you very much. Thank you too for having this site.