Funny story, a couple of weeks ago we went to PetSmart to get a different kibble since suddenly Sparky was being picky with his food. There was a Purina rep there and she was trying to play with him. She pulls out her little bag of treats. Sparky refused most of it. Mind you we have been taking away his kibble for a day now since he has been refusing to eat it. No treats or table food either. So he must be pretty hungry. Nope. Sparky didn't like the Purina stuff. Felt bad for the lady. We stopped all extra treats and table food. A couple of days of taking away his kibble ended him from refusing it. I even at one time opened the garbage in front of him and showed him it was being thrown out. Now the most he would do is stare at his food and look at me, then when I go to bend over to pick up his bowl he would go ravage it. Funny guy! We have been using Blue Buffalo Wilderness Large Puppy Chicken. We switched it out to Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Red Meat. Similar calcium content so I figured it wouldn't do too much of a harm and he would only be on it for just 3 more months until we switch to adult food. I wanted to switch to Orijen because of all the rave reviews, however my wallet doesn't like it.
We like to think he's happy with us. I mean he seems happy. I try and make a excuse for a car ride somewhere daily before my wife goes to work so he gets his car ride in which he loves. I don't drive because of medical issues and a couple of the medications im on. Im with him 5 days a week when my wife works. When she gets home at night he's dead tired which for him seems to be between 830pm and 930pm. This past Friday he did stay up till past 11pm chewing on his rawhide bone. On her days off he has us both to play with and do things with. My sister in law who lives with us thats mentally handicapped has a set routine she likes to stick too and she likes Buddy but isn't to interested in him. The Cat stays close to her which she likes. I try and take Buddy on 2 long walks a day but winter showed back up here today so he just got the one and it was on the shorter side. He's like a new baby to the family and eventually will be my service dog. We start that process starting March 20. Eventually we do wanba get him a playmate since he does get along well with other dogs. We will give him the life and love he deserves. He's a great dog and needs to be spoiled
That is a funny story. My wife said there must be something in the Purina One Dry stuff that Buddy just doesn't care for. The wett stuff its another story. I know alot of people use the Purina stuff and live by it. I also have seen alot of great reviews on the Blue Buffalo stuff which is why i don't understand why the Vet's against it. If we see tonight was a fluke event then my next step is Blue Buffalo stuff and trying whatever samples i get of the other diffrent brands. If in fact what i did tonight works more then i will stick with it till he's a year old before going to Adult food totally. I never realized how much dog and puppy food could be till we got Buddy. He's worth every penny but we aren't made of money so his pickyness needs to stop. I have thrown away his food in the garbage in front of him and that didn't phase him any. He's not one for to maney treats eaither. His main love treat is the rawhides. Maybe if this continues i need to take that away. Hopefully i broke the barrier tonight though. My wife thinks its been harder on me trying to get him to eat then him. We won't give in to his begging for table food since we are confident he got plenty of it from his previous owners. He might be getting used to being feed like he should be too and his tummy just needs time. We really don't know alot about his background other then the people we got him from said he was skin and bones when they got him from a guy who had him in a cage and was threatening to end his life if they didn't take him. They had to get rid of him because they said they were moving and there wasn't enough room for him. They said he did great with there young kids and he spent alot of time next door at the guys brother's who had a couple of pit bulls that he played with. Once he gets his boosters in 3wks he will be allowed to go to our local dog park thats walking distance from the house and he can play with the other dogs there. The people we got him from said he was all up to date on everything but didn't provide his record so he's getting it again with our vet to be safe incase they weren't telling the truth. Im very thankful that he is in exceptional health the vet said. I got a book comeing from Amazon tommarow on Labs that im looking forward to reading. Other then his food issues hes a perfect dog and smart as well. Thanks for sharing your story with me
Yep. People seem to like buying him treats at the grocery store, and you know they only have Purina stuff. Everytime we gave him one his poop would be a big glob of plasticky looking poo. I think the reason vets say nay on Blue Buffalo was because of previous recalls, someone else can chime in on that. Also, perhaps he is still getting acclimated to his new environment and is slow to warm up. I don't think rawhide actually makes him full. You can let him chew on that supervised.
Yeah i have noticed a ton of Purina stuff out there. I have been paying attention to his poop to make sure it didn't look abnormal or anything and it looks fine. Even had my wife check this afternoon when he was running crazy in the backyard in the snow and stopped to go and she said it looked fine as well. He's just being a picky adolescent like a kid can be...Im going to need to look up the recall stuff on the Blue Buffalo stuff. I wasn't even aware of it until you mentioned it. Then again we are first time dog owners also and never payed much attention to that type of stuff but i can assure you that we will now. I have devoted the last 12 days to pretty much him. I had to ask my wife today if she was upset i was spending more time with the dog and stuff then her and laughed and said no. She understands the importance of getting him settled and on the right track. She said she's actually enjoyed doing not much of anything today on her day off besides play with him abit and a few morning errands. She was working with him trying to teach him shake and lay down and he started learning shake pretty fast He's got free reign of the house and is welcome on the furniture as well but he doesn't stay on it long and goes back to the floor on his own. He made the corner in the liveing room by the front door his. He naps there during the day and we got him a bed there as well. When we go to bed at night he sleeps at the foot of our bed on the floor or the side of it. We had been moving his bed from the liveing room to our room at bedtime but got another bed for him for the bedroom so we dont need to keep moving it. We have tried getting him to sleep on our bed with us but he only stays a few min before getting down. For some reason he likes it better on the cooler floor but i agree he could still be getting used to us and the environment. 12 days with a new dog who's in his 3d home already in 8mo is alot for a dog and i understand if thats what the issue is.
I put my puppy's kibble in one of those feeding balls which she chases around the kitchen and it comes out sporadically. She loves rushing around eating it all up but then she likes her food . Might be worth a try.
That sounds like a fun toy I will try and find one of those and see how he likes it. He's even picky with his treats but im noticing more he's eating more of the puppy formula type bones then anything. He's one confusing kid that's for sure. Things i know for a fact he likes is walks,car rides,playing tug a war, roughhouseing, being outdoors and waking me up at 730AM
Poor Buddy sounds like he's had a tough start to life - but it certainly sounds as if he has landed on his paws with you! It could all be part of settling in with you and just getting used to all the new stuff in his life. Everything will come in time. If he likes his kibble scattered on the floor, so be it, he may not have been used to having food in a bowl, you never know! My vet told me that dogs can go several days without eating, this was when Bailey was at his pickiest and would not eat his kibble at all. I just don't like the idea that he may be hungry - but he is certainly thriving on his raw diet, as soon as he is back from his walk he goes and sits by his bowl while we get his breakfast ready. He still does not wolf it down like my old lab used to, but hey, he seems to love it so I'm happy! I've also noticed if either my OH or I are not around Bailey doesn't eat - my OH went out early this morning and although I walked Bailey as usual, and he sat by his bowl, when I put it in he walked away...as soon as my OH came in, after the five minute ritual greeting we get, Bailey went directly to his bowl and ate all his breakfast funny little guy! Keep us updated on Buddy and upload more photo's of him - we love puppy pics on here!
Hi Daniel.....Blue Buffalo Wilderness is a 5 star kibble and they have it for Puppies and Adults. Wonder why vet did not want you to get this. I know it is very concerning when our pups don't eat....specially Labs!! Mine now wolfs down his food....I even had to buy those "slow bowls" to get him to slow down! Luckily you do have some foods that he enjoys....you will find a food that he will love ... just have to go with trial and error AND patience!! Our pups just like to worry us, don't they????? You are doing a great job. Just hang in there!!
I agree re Orijen....Cooper loved it but it's too $$$$.....he is on Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon or Duck or Red Meat. I also give him 1/4 can of Blue Buffalo Red Meat WET with 3/4 cup of Blue Buffalo Wilderness Red Meat....what I have noticed is that he has "gas" with one of them but dont know which so tonight am going to give him some of the Red Meat wet with Salmon and see which is giving him that!! Not too pleasant!! ha, ha!!!
Good morning Samantha thank you for the message and compliments. Before i totally forgett how do i upload pictures on here? I had no problem doing it for my profile photo. I get on here threw my phone. We don't have a laptop or tablet or anything. We can do everything we need with our phones. I can switch between mobile version and computer version with it. Do i need to upgrade my status on here to be able to add photos? I will if that's what i need to do. This is a great site and im fine with paying alittle to help support it Yeah i feel bad for the poor guy for haveing such a tough start. He's so loveable and sweet and a great dog that i don't understand how his first owner could basically starve him and leave him in a cage and threaten to shoot him if his 2nd owner's didn't take him. If i knew his first owner's name and everything id have him investigated in case he has more animals and there bad off. I don't tolerate animal cruelty at all. It's as bad as child abuse with humans in my eyes. If he eats and it's from the bare floor I'll keep doing it. Just not with his wett food. He's been eating that outta a cereal type bowl. I'm sure some of this is definitely him getting adjusted as well as if he got more table food then the food he should be eating and we arn't budging on the no table food rule. (Sunday i did give him a scrambled egg with nothing on it, just cracked the egg and whipped it up and put it in the microwave and once it cooled off gave it to him). We have also sprinkled alittle shreeded cheese on his dry food a couple times and mixed it in and he managed to get most of the cheese out without eating much of the kibble. He's very smart and picks up quick if we try and trick him abit. Since we are trying to get him to eat and find what he likes i offer him his food maultipal times a day. I know from what I've read not alot of people would agree with this but i just want him to stay healthy and get everything he needs. To me he's like a newborn baby is to a new mother. He's already my bestfriend besides my wife So far today we have tried breakfast with his wett stuff and he doesn't want any. He ate a few bits of kibble but not like last night when i was ecstatic with how well he ate. I'm really hoping it wasn't a fluke thing. Im like you and don't like the idea he's going hungry. Sounds like Bailey was another Buddy when it came to food. It's tough i must say. I think it could be affecting me more then him. I'm just a concerned Dad who wants the best for him. I have to heard they wont starve themselves and can miss a few meals. Its just frustrating and hard on me cuz i begin thinking im the one doing something wrong. We have noticed he eats the most in the evening. I don't like that he's eating basically a meal a day but as my wife tells me i cant force him to eat and he will when he wants. Maybe he only got fed once a day before us. I mean the people we got him from said his original owner wasn't a good person and was skin and bones. But as ive said we are convinced he got tons of table food with them and they weren't to specific when asked what he ate. Just said Chow. I should be happy he's atleast eating something at night but id prefer he got 2 meals in him but hopefully in time. I know i ramble alot and repeat stuff to. Im sorry just a new dog owner who loves his pup to death as does my wife. The more i hear about the raw stuff im beginning to seriously consider it. My wife says wait it out abit more. She's the main Boss Bailey sounds like a great kid They all have there own different personalities and attitudes He's getting impatient with me right now. He's wanting his walk and ive been stalling abit since it's so cold. Winter's came back with a vengeance. Most of the winter its been mild with little snowfall and now that we changed our clocks ahead a hour this past Saturday and spring being so close old man winter is showing hes still in charge and we are haveing a week in the low 30s and 20s for highs and teens for the lows with abit of snow t Im going to bundle up and take him now. I most definitely will keep everyone updated on how it goes with this food deal and will probably have maney other questions about other topics. This place is great and i greatly appreciate everyone's great suggestions as well as advice. Have a very wonderful fun and safe day
There are two options. The first is free, and that's using a third party host such as Flickr, Photobucket or Imgur to host your photos. There's information about that in the technical section. Alternatively, if you'd like to be able to upload directly, there's a £10 a year subscription to make you a Forum Supporter. You do that by tapping your name at the top right of the screen and choosing "Account Upgrades". I hope that helps!
Hey Yvoone i hope you and your baby are doing well today Thanks so much for the positive feedback and reassurance that im doing a great job with him. I do have general anxiety so that could also be playing a role with my patience as well with this but after reading the great suggestions as well as feedback im beginning to feel abit better. Now once we do find what he loves and begins eating like a lab should then I'll feel 1000xs better. How long did it take you with yours? Yes it is good hes atleast eating something. If he wasn't eating anything period he would be into the Vets probably daily. Im exaggerating when i say that but im sure you know what i mean. The women i talked to yesterday at the Vets over the phone was just a tech and didn't go into detail about why not to get the Blue Buffalo just basically said it wasn't one of there top choices. I'm going to talk to another vet this afternoon and see what they say or suggest. Since we got him microchiped the company that does those have a Vet you can talk to about anything with his membership to there program. I just want another professional opinion. If it was for me and i had something going on with my health or whatever id get 2 opinions and go from there. I will post what they say after i talk with them Yes they do like to worry us like a kid would. They are our kids just with 4 legs and a tail
Thanks so much snowbunny i greatly appreciate it. I will subscribe and become a forum supporter. That's not a bad price at all especially for a great site as this is. Once i subscribe and get a few things done here at home i will post maney more pictures of Buddy. I just finished his walk which he enjoyed and going to see if he wants alittle food. I hope everyone is doing well and having a great day
Hello everyone i hope everyone is doing well and having a great day. Sorry i didn't post anymore yesterday, i was just dead tired. He got 2 45min walks in and alot of playtime in the backyard despite the temps being in the low 30s- high 20s but it was sunny till his evening walk and partway threw it began to snow heavily. He does love the snow. I talked to another Vet and they basically told me the samething our family vet did. They said he's fine to be on adult food. I told them what he is eating now which yesterday his food intake was a 13oz can of Purina One classic ground beef and brown rice entree and between 2 feedings 1 cup of Pet Pride Puppy formula dry food. I personally don't agree with him eating Puppy Dry stuff and Adult Wet stuff but it's what hes showing to be consistent with while he's still adjusting to us and the new environment then thats what we have to do since he's being so so fussy eating. Yesterday he ate around 4-5PM and again around 830PM. I offer him food threw the day like after he gives me morning hugs and kisses and a tummy rub as well as going outside to potty while i smoke and he doesn't want it. I try after our first walk of the day and still no. Yesturday i even gave him a small can of Tuna fish. I tried mixing alittle dry food with it and no but given plain he ate it right up. Tommarow on my wife's day off we are going to get some different samples of food for him and see if we find "The one" that he gobbles up. He's beginning to show signs he's the usual lab when he does eat hes not leaving anything behind. My wife reassured me that we will get him on the right stuff and not just low quality food that he seems to like. He's starting to eat better the last 2 days. The only thing that came back slightly off last week was his white count was slightly elevated and the vet said it most likely is seasonal allergies. This winter has been so abnormal it isn't even funny. She said she had been seeing alot of dogs and cats who have seasonal allergies start having flare ups as early as late February. It's just been a very wacky winter. My own family Dr had me start mine in January if that says anything. Usually mine dont start to flare up till April. Buddy has been sneezing daily maultipal times and has had 4 episodes of reverse sneezing. That was scary as heck to me and my wife and we were ready to run to the ER with him but it stops within 20 secs and he's back to his usual self. I called the vet this morning to tell her about the increased sneezing and she said eaither get benadryl or claritan and if those dont seem to help call back and he may need something else. I wonder how long it takes them to get used to there surroundings and new owners. He seems very happy. Always wagging his tail and excited to see my wife when she gets home from work. My wife says its baby steps and we just gotta take this a day at a time. Here's more pictures of him that ive taken recently. I hope everyone has a wonderful fun and safe day. Again thanks for all the great advice and help. I need to resize my pics ive taken of him then i will post them since i upgraded my account last night. If i dont post them here they will be in the media part of this site once i figure out how to resize them with my phone. Daniel and Buddy
Hi Daniel, I have a rescue boy Charlie who is a Labrador cross Pointer, he's 6 years old now but came to us at 9 months old and he's err … shall we say been challenging . It varies from dog to dog with how quickly or not they settle in. Your wife is right, it is baby steps and continuety is important too. I'm glad Buddy is happy and enjoying life with you and your wife. Keep training little things each day, obviously recall is extremely important and play too x
Hey Charlie thanks so much for the reply. I think it's wonderful you got Charlie as a rescue. I feel so bad for all the poor Dogs and Cats in the pound as well as the ones in rescues. From what I've read though Rescue's are good places. Atleast they arnt euthanized in Rescues. We think Buddy's a Border Collie and Lab mix. Looking at him though he's got majority Lab in him then anything if infact he is mixed. A DNA test would tell but we don't need one. He acts like a lab and looks like a lab. Im glad Charlie's got a great life with you guy's Yesturday Buddy was a Royal terror but today he's being a saint and even ate breakfast which is a first. Im getting ready to take him for a walk. He's being alittle inpatient but i wanted to wait till it warmed up alittle first. The cold weather is a nightmare for my body. With his history that we know about im sure it will take him abit to adjust and build trust with us. He accually layed in my lap on the floor earlier which is a first. Every days a new day and im sure 6mo from now ill look back and laughat the stuff ive worried about with him as well as see all the progress he makes. Im learning recall and makeing a point to try a introduce new things daily as well as actives. Ive ordered the Happy Puppy Handbook, The Labrador retriever Handbook and Total Recall this morning It's been a fun 2wks i gotta say though Have a awsome day and i hope Charlie keeps getting better Daniel
