could i please have

[Ciren]

some words of support, i am standing firm. i just put down something for lunch she sniffed and ignored and is now back on the sofa asleep.

i know i am probably over reacting but currently i am feeling a failure. maybe people were right she isnt the right dog for me. maybe i shouldnt ever own a dog.

oh before i forget i have got a dog training book and am reading the website Karlin linked me. i will get a ian dunbar book asap but no money on paypal atm.

[Karlin]

I am sorry you are feeling this is difficult -- really, I think you might want to go back and talk to the rescue, which should be giving you full support and talking you through these issues as they will not want either you or the dog to be in a situation where people feel they cannot cope, especially so soon after getting the dog.

Had you talked to the rescue about the challenges of taking on a rescue dog? I am just a little concerned as there are generally many behaviour issues as well as health issues that arise, really with any dog, over its lifetime but there are higher risks of both with a rescue dog from a puppy mill background. You will need the financial commitment for that and it can rise very high with dogs (into the hundreds or sometimes even the thousands). You also will need to work on training and so on.

If you are finding this a really hard situation, please do call the rescue and talk honestly to them. You are looking at up to 10 years of having a dog and you need to feel absolutely sure you are ready for the emotional, time and financial commitment and know that it is the right decision for you. There is nothing wrong with realising it isn't the right choice -- that happens regularly with me and with every rescue that places dogs.

[Dublin]

Dont feel like a failure, just think when she's eating properley in a few days how well you did standing firm - if you don't she'll be finicky all her life & she'll be like this forever.

I had a few set backs when I got sparky (bad stomach issues) & felt bad when nothing seemed to fix it, but now he's grand & life is good you know!

Just keep going, she will eat eventually, she's just setteling in.

[Ciren]

i don't want to send her back. there is times like when i came in from the supermarket earlier when she was over the moon to see me. its just this eating thing thats got me worried. i am trying the centre now but its engaged.

[PennyLane]

How long has she been home?

It might just take a bit... Chesney is still off on his eating schedule - too much else going on to want to eat!

[Ashley]

At the end of the day, if she is hungry enough she'll eat!

Holly can be rather fussy at times, and I stick to the 15 min rule...

Food goes out, if she doesnt eat it in 15 minutes I take it away and she gets NOTHING until the next meal. She soon caught on!

With a rescue it will be different. When Murphy first arrived here he was a bit unsure with feeding... but soon realised that he either ate what he was given or he was getting nothing. That meant no chews or treats or anything.

Both scoff their meals now. Murphy has been with us 2 weeks tomorrow!

Good luck, and hugs! x

[*Pauline*]

Even new puppies coming home from breeders don't always eat for a while. It's really not so important, she will eat if she was hungry. I know its' really stressful. Just don't act all stressed in front of her, she'll play on it. You know she is just testing you so she gets some chicken. Really you don't want to go down that route.

You clearly care so much about Peaches, so you will be ok. Feel free to PM me if you want some support. You're doing good so far.

[Daisy's Mom]

I think she will eat, but not before she completely stresses you out! If she was a puppy mill dog, I wonder if she wouldn't prefer eating inside her crate? Maybe it just seems to "exposed" eating out in the open? I don't really have experience with puppy mill dogs, but it's just an idea that occurred to me, based on what her prior life was probably like.

These are rough days, but I think a positive, confident attitude toward it all will go a long way. She's definitely going to take time to trust and get used to "the good life." And she apparently ate all those years in the mill, so I would feel pretty confident that she will get it all figured out, barring any sort of health issues that could cause the problem.

I know how scary it can be when they don't eat. We had a dog sitter stay at our house last summer when we were on vacation. Daisy slowly stopped eating and even when we came back, she still refused to eat. I'll never know if it was because she was upset, or if she had tummy issues. She wasn't eating quite like her normal self a couple of days before left, so I'm not sure if it was something brewing before, or whether it was the stress of us being gone.

When we got back and saw she still wouldn't eat, we took her to the vet repeatedly, did an ultrasound, barium series, blood tests, etc to see if she had an obstruction or other problem. We never found out why, but I eventually got her eating again using the Satin Balls that are often mentioned on this board. That did the trick. Over the course of a few weeks, I got her back on her regular food. So I know the anxiety you are feeling very well. The vet tried her on all the normal canned prescription diets and she would not have any of it. He kept her overnight for 2 whole days and nights because I think he didn't believe me that she wasn't eating. He said he had 5 kinds of canned dog food lined up in front of her and she wouldn't even take a sniff. That's when he got really worried. He said eventually we would have to start force/tube feeding her. That's when I tried the Satin Balls.

Good luck and hang in there!

[Ashley]

Thats a good point being made by everyone about not stressing.

I didnt stress when my two didnt want to eat... I just though "oh well, tough cookie... you're not getting anything".

I didnt stress out... just thought "your loss".

[CavyMom]

I know it's stressful when a dog won't eat, especially a new dog, but hang in there! I've had alot of puppy mill rescues, back yard breeder rescues, and dogs that where in less-then-desirable homes. Often the stress of moving them from a bad situation into a good situation leaves them stressed for a while, and it's not uncommon for some of my rescue dogs to go a few days, one even went almost a full week without eating, I always have an in depth vet exam to make sure there's no underlying reason (which I do on new rescues anyway), but so far none of the dogs have had a medical reason - Just stress! Give her time to settle in, and stick to your guns. Also try feeding her in her crate as someone else suggested - I often find puppy mill dogs like the comfort of their crate (after all, that's all many of them are use to!), and will sometimes eat in the crate when they won't eat otherwise.