Need Help Again... Advise

[Angel Sweet Pea]

Still having trouble feeding. Tried some suggestions on this site. I put shredded chicken cutlet over the kibble and she picked out only the chicken... She drinks water often but her nose is dry... I am worried. May have to try the Cesars again... I hate that food but she was on it prior to when I adopted her. I also am using Tropiclean twice a day ... just a bit of it on her teeth... finding no more blood on her chew toy but wonder if it is having a negative effect on her... She played a lot today... but I am still worried... She also appears to be scratching a lot but she has always done that... I am hesitant about giving her a bath since she did sneeze once or twice and it is still cold in NY... I want to build her up first. geez...could really use some advise... when I brought her to the local vet, she did NOTHING and gave me NO advise at all. She listened to her heart and just looked her over and cut her nails and that was it and that cost me 84 dollars for nothing.

[Maximo]

Did the vet check her teeth or skin? A lot of scratching indicates something is going on. Is she scratching any particular place? How does her skin look?

[Angel Sweet Pea]

Her skin looks ok [not red...just pale pink but I do need to bring her for a dental to remove some tartar on back teeth.. but she does not seem to have trouble chewing... she chews her chew treats like purina meat in the center mini chews or zukes dental chews... she eats her treats like the wellness hard mini bites... but does not want her dog food.. She did eat some of the shredded chicken... but left the kibble... saving up for the dental and now that weather is better, will try to find a competent vet to bring her to. She licks her paws a lot. Nose seems try today... when she is playing with her treat she sometimes rubs her nose on the floor in a forward motion.. This is all so new to me...

[Maximo]

Finding a better vet sounds like a good plan.

A little nose rubbing on the floor with her treat sounds normal -- sounds like it is all about the treat and the scent. The paw licking is often a sign of allergies. Usually allergies are environmental and not food related, although some dogs will do better on non-grain foods or non-chicken foods. Figuring this out can be tough.

At least you know that she is not afraid to chew, although this is not an indication of dental health. It's good that you plan to have her teeth cleaned.

[Angel Sweet Pea]

I also have been dealing with a lot of stressful stuff... My business is in serious debt and both my parents are ill, my dad with severe parkinsons... I am alone and am struggling a lot... even with my own health... I do not know if my yorkie senses it ... I tried several dog foods and just want to get her to eat something so I am less stressed about it. I do love her very much and care so much for her... She has been with me since january ... The people who gave her to me never gave me her papers and I couldn't get the vet to release her old vet records... and old vet will not discuss anything with me becaue I am not the owner of record... My local vet [who is useless] told me my yorkie needed a dental. Every day or every other day... I gently wipe the gunk out of her eyes with a moist cotton ball and small comb... I wipe her down with baby wipes twice a week and brush her, massage/scratch her ... and play with her for about 20 mins a day . She sleeps with me in my bed... She goes potty on wee wee pads mostly and I have only one down in the bathroom... I have a deck she can go out on but there are huge holes she can fall through on the sides and I don't know what kind of outdoor gate or fence to put around the deck. I am trying my best with very little to no extra resources. She was never taught to walk on a leash... never given a dental, is about 3 or 4 years I think.

[Maximo]

I am very sorry you are under such stress, especially with your parents being ill. Dogs, especially these little ones, are very sensitive to our emotions. She is very likely sensing your stress about her eating too.

Sometimes this and trying to offer to many food choices can make matters worse. Make her feel good about meal time and the food. Use a happy voice to announce meal time, or to ask if she is hungry. Make a production out of preparing her food/putting it in the serving dish. When you put it down on the floor for her, say something like "Yummy" and then go about your business. If she doesn't eat right away, leave her alone. Leave the food down. (if it is something other than kibble, don't leave it so long that it spoils).

If she doesn't touch the food for half an hour, you can try playing games/doing trick training (sit, down, whatever she knows) and use the food as rewards. I had to hand feed Max his kibble his first year. We also used a Kong to put the food in to make a game out of it.

The point is to convey the message that the food is good and not to make her feel self-conscious about eating.

For vet/dental care, try shopping around for prices and look into Care Credit. Make sure the vet's office accepts it. If you don't qualify yourself, ask if someone will co-sign with you. It takes minutes over the phone to apply. The monthly payments are very small and interest free for large purchases like a dental cleaning.

Best wishes for brighter days ahead.

[apple718]

Originally Posted by Angel Sweet Pea

Her skin looks ok [not red...just pale pink but I do need to bring her for a dental to remove some tartar on back teeth.. but she does not seem to have trouble chewing... she chews her chew treats like purina meat in the center mini chews or zukes dental chews... she eats her treats like the wellness hard mini bites... but does not want her dog food.. She did eat some of the shredded chicken... but left the kibble... saving up for the dental and now that weather is better, will try to find a competent vet to bring her to. She licks her paws a lot. Nose seems try today... when she is playing with her treat she sometimes rubs her nose on the floor in a forward motion.. This is all so new to me...

That sounds like to me she's picky & finicky just like my dog's after they get a taste of better tasting stuff like human food or chicken. Both my Yorkie & Maltese will NOT touch their kibble if I just give it to them just "as is".

I have to let their kibble soak in some soup or stew, which we always have every week for ourselves like chicken soup or some broth. You could just buy a whole chicken on sale add few carrots & potatoes let it simmer for couple hrs. Now you have a big pot of broth with chicken & vegs to add to their kibble. Just freeze the rest away in portions plastic containers and bring out as you need it.

When feeding times come, I just microwave their bowl with the broth then put some kibble in it for about 10 min so soak it up. Then I chop up the chicken pieces & vegs to really small itty bitty pieces so that it all mixes up with the kibble they won't be able to pick form it.

If you do that, the bland dry kibble is now softer & has more flavor soaking in all that broth plus the chopped up chicken/vegs they should eat it like mine all of it everytime. Oh, if you have some leftover meat like pork chops or steak chopped them up too with the chicken they will devour it. If it has some salt or seasonings I just soak the beef or pork in a some warm water for 15 min that should remove most of the salt/pepper etc.