[Mistressfreeze]

Xena is a year and a half old. In the beginning of the week I noticed she would have food left in her bowl long after being fed. Mom blamed it on dad giving her too much. Sometimes she does that if she had a treat earlier or when Dad puts too much in her bowl . He doesn’t feed the dogs often. Xena’s a finicky dog when it comes to food I never have to worry about her over eating because she eats a certain amount of food to fill her then stops. I normally mix half dry half wet food. So Tuesday I noticed she was picking out the wet food and leaving the dry so I gave her just the wet food that night and she cleaned her bowl. Wensday my brother gave her mixed food so she didn’t eat much for breakfast or lunch, supper once again I gave her wet food and she ate it. Then Thursday came and even with just wet food I found myself throwing most of her food out and giving her fresh food for each meal. She only ate half her supper. Yesterday I couldn’t get her to eat . She took a few nibbles of her food for breakfast and a few that night. Even with fresh wet food that she normally loves she wouldn’t eat. She has had her busy bone in her room since Monday and she hadn’t touched them. Normally a busy bone barely lasts two days she loves them soo much. I tried giving her a cookie treat stick just so she would eat something last night. She jumped eagerly for the treat but when I gave it to her she hesitated to take it then brought it to her bed but has not eaten it at all. She did not poo yesterday either so I know she didn’t really eat. She has stayed hydrated though.

Aside from not eating Xena is not acting sick or depressed. She is her normal hyper self. She runs laps around the house when I let her out the room, always wants to play and has been licking us like crazy. The only difference in her behavior is that usually morning, evening and suppertime she is at her gate barking to eat a half hour early or on the dot on when its time to feed her. She knows when its time to eat and always whines and barks until she gets it but she has not been barking for food this week.

I have heard that dogs are sensitive to their owners and some don’t eat when they are away. My mother, who normally feeds the dogs breakfast in the morning, got sick wensday. She has been in the hospital since then and my dad has been staying with her. Should I be worried that Xena isn’t eating because she is sick or constipated maybe? Or is she not eating because she is somehow aware my Mom is not here? So when my mother comes home, hopefully in a day or two will she start eating again?