RE: Inherited a mutt...

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LadyConstanze -> RE: Inherited a mutt... (12/28/2010 12:30:50 PM)
You know for a dog changing the home is traumatic, now you also changed the food, which will throw him even more, it might be a better idea to mix both foods (the new and the old) and give him time to adjust. Picture yourself in a completely new environment without a warning and then given food you never had before - wouldn't you be a bit confused?

DamnPickyDomme -> RE: Inherited a mutt... (12/28/2010 12:42:19 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: AlwaysLisa Hi, ............. Now, we put the dishes down, the food is inhaled and we pick up the first dish as the last one licks the bowl. .................. A dog can go for a few days without eating, water is more critical. Don't worry, your dog won't starve itself, only fashion models try that :) Good luck! Lisa I beg to differ with you Lisa, having a dog "inhale" its food is absolutely not a good idea, they can literally cause their stomachs to "flip over" as my vet said, causing an emergency medical condition that must be treated surgically. i had a rottie/dobie mix that did that, i'd received him from a family that encouraged such behavior and the vet told me to end it by placing a brick in his bowl so he had to slow down to eat around the brick. secondly, small dogs cannot go several days without eating, they have problems with hypoglycemia, low blood sugar, which can cause seizures and even death. if a dog is not eating it can be a life threatening problem. my vet has suggested cooled scrambled eggs in the case of a pet with appetite problems. if drinking is a problem, a little bit of caro syrup in water can make it more attractive. pets aren't just fuzzy people, they can run into trouble faster than people can. and small and toy breeds have a whole set of needs that differ from other pets.

Phoenixpower -> RE: Inherited a mutt... (12/28/2010 12:42:31 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LadyConstanze You know for a dog changing the home is traumatic, now you also changed the food, which will throw him even more, it might be a better idea to mix both foods (the new and the old) and give him time to adjust. Picture yourself in a completely new environment without a warning and then given food you never had before - wouldn't you be a bit confused? what she and others said, I would also do it gradually.... I can relate to you as I currently struggle financially more than I did in the last 3 years (gosh do I miss those student grants [8\|]) and also decided to go from the reasonably expensive whiskas food (which was only here introduced since a damn cat sitter spoilt them with even more expensive stuff whilst I was away, leading them to ignore the common brekkies and felix brand until it went off on a regular basis) to the cheapest brand I could find...and it had a shocking impact on my ginger cat with lots of sore spots on his skin, where I read online that this can be caused by allergy to food...which means for me now to switch back again to a higher priced brand (this time they probably won't ignore it again as by now they aren't 2 cats anymore but 5 instead, so they know, if they don't eat it, the others will [:D]). Anyhow, just make sure that to whatever food you switch to at the end, make sure that the dog doesn't show signs of it affecting his health as it truly shocked me what it lead to at my cat.

kalikshama -> RE: Inherited a mutt... (12/28/2010 12:59:19 PM)
quote: the cheapest brand I could find...and it had a shocking impact on my ginger cat with lots of sore spots on his skin, where I read online that this can be caused by allergy to food Commercial pet food is truly disgusting (and unhealthy) http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/jesse.htm Despite the appealing blandishments of pet food advertisements with their claims of providing "complete and balanced nutrition," if you're not exceedingly circumspect, you may end up feeding your pet chicken heads, road kills, spoiled or moldy grains, cancerous material cut from slaughterhouse animals, tissue high in hormone or pesticide residues, and even shredded Styrofoam packaging, metal ID tags and minced flea collars.

AlwaysLisa -> RE: Inherited a mutt... (12/28/2010 1:54:37 PM)
quote: I beg to differ with you Lisa, having a dog "inhale" its food is absolutely not a good idea, they can literally cause their stomachs to "flip over" as my vet said, causing an emergency medical condition that must be treated surgically. i had a rottie/dobie mix that did that, i'd received him from a family that encouraged such behavior and the vet told me to end it by placing a brick in his bowl so he had to slow down to eat around the brick. secondly, small dogs cannot go several days without eating, they have problems with hypoglycemia, low blood sugar, which can cause seizures and even death. if a dog is not eating it can be a life threatening problem. my vet has suggested cooled scrambled eggs in the case of a pet with appetite problems. if drinking is a problem, a little bit of caro syrup in water can make it more attractive. pets aren't just fuzzy people, they can run into trouble faster than people can. and small and toy breeds have a whole set of needs that differ from other pets. Hi DPD, Well, in over 35 years of breeding/showing dogs, I have never had an issue, I believe it has to do with the quality of food also. A few dry food brands swell up to four times their size when wet, so what starts out as 1 cup, ends up as 4 in the stomach. Some breeds are more prone to bloat, such as Danes, Dobes, Greyhounds or Setters, but the OP was a small mutt, not a deep chested breed. I do need to clarify, the difference between inhaling and eating quickly. Inhalers gulp air along with food, also a problem that can possibly lead to bloat. Mine simply eat quickly, lol No gulping, lots of chewing :) A Bichon (half of the OP's dog) is not what I consider a toy breed, such as a Min Pin or Chi. The Chi I inherited survived, and she had hunger strikes that lasted up to 2 days. I also know some of the more tiny dogs can go into hypoglycemia, but again, a Bichon is not considered a tiny breed. Some times I think people forget they are dogs and choose to coddle and pamper them like a spoiled child. Even the tiniest of canines carry the same survival instincts as their wild cousins. Every time I see a Chi being carried around like a fashion accessory, dressed in little outfits and looking miserable, I want to scream and rip it out of the designer handbag it is being carried in! Hope this explains my stance a bit more :)

Phoenixpower -> RE: Inherited a mutt... (12/29/2010 3:33:33 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: kalikshama quote: the cheapest brand I could find...and it had a shocking impact on my ginger cat with lots of sore spots on his skin, where I read online that this can be caused by allergy to food Commercial pet food is truly disgusting (and unhealthy) http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/jesse.htm Despite the appealing blandishments of pet food advertisements with their claims of providing "complete and balanced nutrition," if you're not exceedingly circumspect, you may end up feeding your pet chicken heads, road kills, spoiled or moldy grains, cancerous material cut from slaughterhouse animals, tissue high in hormone or pesticide residues, and even shredded Styrofoam packaging, metal ID tags and minced flea collars. Thanks for that...for the time being I will switch back to the common middle brand and when I get better financially I will go back to their favourite one...Their current food is digested and currys fur started to improve after 2 weeks when he got used to it, but I won't feed him nor any of the others that one ever again...[>:][>:][>:]

LilMichele -> RE: Inherited a mutt... (12/29/2010 9:50:29 AM)
~FR~ Ok update time.... I'm weaning him off of the canned food, so for now he's on half and half, tomorrow a little less, and so on until it's just dry food. He's doing great, even pooped in front of the sliding door while I was out. Stinker. I took that as a sign that he knows where he's supposed to go (outside, right on the other side of that door) and he's not starving if he's able to...um...produce. To clarify...he did not change homes rather his former owner moved out and we inherited the little guy. I did not radically change his diet - I just removed either chicken soup (read the label, gross gross gross) and/or expensive (overpriced really) canned dog foods. I don't have a problem with dry kibble or the kind he's eating. Some of the responses made me wonder if some thought I was a watered down version of Cruella Deville and feeding him sawdust and not concerned if he was eating at all - lol The info on little dogs having issues with hypoglycemia was very helpful, thank you to those that mentioned it! I'm sure if he could speak a language other than Yip he would tell you thank you himself, that's what made me go to the store that night and get him some Alpo. After reading everyone's responses it seems there's more than one way to raise a furbaby, like more than one way to raise a kid. I do promise never to dress him in clothes or carry him in a bag. He's already got a fur coat and legs. Thank you everyone for your thoughtful responses, it was a great help!

MercTech -> RE: Inherited a mutt... (12/29/2010 10:01:33 AM)
I went through a similar experience when my mother died in 2007and I inherited her aging lab. The dog was fat and accustomed to canned food that was killing him. I weaned him from canned food and onto a decent dry food with no corn base. Canines really can't digest cornmeal. No, I don't use the expensive stuff but simply Purina Lamb and Rice formula. To get him to eat the dry food, I kept the dry stuff out for him all the time and twice a day mixed a tablespoon of the canned food with a bit of hot water and poured over the dry. Then went to once a day. Then every other day. Then quit giving him the canned food altogether. It took a few weeks but he quit craving the sweet salty canned food. (They put sugar in the canned stuff to get your dog addicted.) As to treats for the dog, I just occasionally share my stash of beef jerky. I don't buy the sugar laded "Dog Treats" that my mom was accustomed to supplying. William the Furry is a lot healthier and happier these days. Stefan

Phoenixpower -> RE: Inherited a mutt... (12/29/2010 10:33:58 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: MercTech It took a few weeks but he quit craving the sweet salty canned food. (They put sugar in the canned stuff to get your dog addicted.) As to treats for the dog, I just occasionally share my stash of beef jerky. I don't buy the sugar laded "Dog Treats" that my mom was accustomed to supplying. Quoted for truth... I made once the mistake to give my cats (during the years where I had 2...not like now 5 furrys) certain popular cat sausages as treat...they sold 6 of them for almost one pound...my tortie girl pepper was mad about them. Even when I did not buy them she miawoed for them for 4+ days when I have not had them, every time sitting on top of that corner where I usually stored them when I passed it, until I was fed up of it and went out buying her some again just to get my peace. Then I discovered an offer where I get 10 of those for almost a pound and tried out those ones (as before those I had tried a different pack with plenty but shorter ones of them and she didnt like those....fussy puss...)...and by now she barely miawoes for them anymore. I still use that pack as a treat about once a week but she does not have that annoying craving for it anymore which she used to have for the other brand in the past. Optically they look exactly the same...but obviously ingredients are somewhat different [:)] That made me realise how they truly can make pets addicted to it [>:][>:][>:] Glad to hear that it is going well with your lil mutt [:)]

calamitysandra -> RE: Inherited a mutt... (12/29/2010 11:11:38 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: MercTech As to treats for the dog, I just occasionally share my stash of beef jerky. I don't buy the sugar laded "Dog Treats" that my mom was accustomed to supplying. William the Furry is a lot healthier and happier these days. Stefan Dried beef lung is also a very healthy, affordable, and low calorie snack for dogs.

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