She is wholly uninterested in puzzle toys, I think mostly because she's not really food motivated. When it's difficult to get the food out of a kong, for instance, she just loses interest. She does like chewing on rope, though, so I've been giving her those!
That's what I've been doing re: the pill... it's tramadol and she just acts like it's the worst thing ever. Horrid :( It's gotten better in the last few days, though, I think because I've been trying to put it back farther.
I would second puzzle toys, as well as stuffed, frozen Kongs. You can try "find it!" in the house with her too (take some strong smelling treats and hide them around the house so she can go hunting for them). She shouldn't be eating any meals out of a bowl right now. I might also start training some goofy, low-key tricks to get her mind working (pick up a dumbbell, put away your toys.) I taught my dog to play "inside catch" (where she sits, I toss the ball in a slow arc and she catches it when it gets near her mouth) which is a good, low-key fetch substitute on rainy days.
Also, as far as the medicine goes, try putting it in butter and then sticking it in the back of her mouth. Dogs tend to like the taste, and it also makes the pill slide down their throat quickly when you pill them.
She's not really food-motivated, so puzzle toys haven't interested her in the past (incidentally, this is probably why butter didn't work with the pill, either -- tried it!). I will definitely try to teach some new little tricks! I've been okay at the norm -- sit, stay, "hurry," -- but not great at teaching her other things. I have a clicker, so I might start a little program with her!
I sympathize with you on the tramadol: my pup had to be on a maintenance dose for quite some time, and it sucked, probably because it tastes so bitter. She never liked the butter method, but it was less traumatic.
I think anything you can do to work her brain right now will be helpful. It's not exactly the same as physical exercise, but it wears them out much quicker than you'd think! There are lots of tricks books out there if you need inspiration: I loved training 'pick up your toys', since a) helpful! and b) it required many steps and it was fun to work through all of them together.
Finally, while I'm definitely not recommending starving your dog or anything, I find that even non-food motivated dogs tend to be more interested in toys when they contain the only source of breakfast. One of my dogs is generally not up for eating in her crate (out of either a toy or a bowl) if she's had other opportunities, but a frozen Kong + no breakfast generally guarantees that Kong will be empty when I get home.
I'm sure you're totally right, but she seems so skinny/un-food-interested right now (I can't tell if I'm just being paranoid or if she's losing weight) that I think my anxiety prevents me from trying. Maybe I'll give it a go when I can be here with her some weekend and make sure she eats.
I think part of my anxiety is that my parents' toy poodle is now elderly and so, so thin -- sort of wasting at this point despite eating tons -- and so I'm always trying to gauge whether Byrd is doing the same. Ever since I realized she wasn't that into food when I got her, I've been trying to ensure she eats enough every day :P
I'm probably going to be one of those parents that flips if their kid refuses to eat breakfast.
Thank you! Finances are SUCH an added stress. I hate it when folks don't have the money to take care of their pets, but of COURSE no one "plans" for their young (only 3!) dog to have double knee surgery!
She's not super food-motivated, so I wonder if she'd stick with puzzle toys for more than a few seconds (she totally ignored the kong). I do think some little training sessions would be fun, though. Our interactions have been so negative lately because I'm stressed and overwhelmed and she's obviously not happy that I'm not happy, and I just hate that.
I do massages too! It was in her physical therapy recommendation so I started, and just kept going. I'll keep on, because she likes it ;)
Is she free-fed? Switching to meal feedings may make food more interesting, and therefor make puzzle toys and Kongs more motivating.
What kind of treats are you using? Make sure they are SUPER high value, such as smelly liver treats, hot dogs, or string cheese. The smellier the better!
I started with meal feedings, determined to never free-feed . . . but she was SO uninterested in food that I found she just wouldn't bother to eat sometimes before I took her bowl up. Thus, now I "free-feed" in the sense that I keep her bowl down, but still only feed her a set amount a day (she never eats it all) and make her sit at mealtimes to indicate that we're eating then.
I used to use soft treats but then she got sick once and the vet (who was probably milking me for $$$ honestly) said it could've been pancreatitis from fatty treats. So then I started feeding her NO treats. I've recently been giving her straight up sausage after her pill because I feel so awful :P
Oh, she's also on Previcox, but that pill isn't as hard for her to take. It's the Tramadol that makes her gag like it's just awful.
I've been trying to call the vet. They called me back during teaching hours and don't seem to EVER be available when I am :P But I'll keep trying!
Ugh, that's exactly how it feels. I'm so sorry about your pup :( I'm so afraid that it'll just be this waiting game with my YOUNG, ACTIVE dog and she'll waste years of her life that she deserves to be fetching. One of my main drives in making the financial sacrifice and the time/energy sacrifice for the surgery was giving her the MAXIMUM number of active fetching years I could, so this is so disheartening :(
I don't know how small the pills are, but I've read about "pill shooters" which are a sort of syringe looking thing that you stick in the dog's mouth and it shoots it back where they have to swallow it.
I agree with short training sessions to do something not too stressful on her body. Even just shaping her to touch things with her nose, lay down, roll over, or the like.
I know you said she's not food motivated but sometimes (not always!) it's a matter of finding the right food. Something super yummy like beef or chicken might be more of a motivator than some other things. Even my parent's non-food motivated dog will do things for chicken!
I'm sorry you're going through this, especially with such a young dog. She's a trooper and she (and you!) will come through this fine Byrd is adorable.
She DOES like sausage! I'm afraid of feeding her something too fatty since (see above) she had a nausea scare where the vet (prob milking me for $$$) threw in that it might be pancreatitis. Everyone ELSE'S dog gets fatty dog treats from time to time, but my vet acted like she should never get them and scared me to death. I feed her bits of sausage now after her pill, though, just because it is truly an awful experience for her. The pill-shooter thing is kind of what I'm doing with my finger. I've used one of those before on a cat (well, tried to) and I'm sort of trying to mimic that. Ugh, and hold her little snout shut until she swallows. It's awful :P
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That's what I've been doing re: the pill... it's tramadol and she just acts like it's the worst thing ever. Horrid :( It's gotten better in the last few days, though, I think because I've been trying to put it back farther.
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Also, as far as the medicine goes, try putting it in butter and then sticking it in the back of her mouth. Dogs tend to like the taste, and it also makes the pill slide down their throat quickly when you pill them.
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I think anything you can do to work her brain right now will be helpful. It's not exactly the same as physical exercise, but it wears them out much quicker than you'd think! There are lots of tricks books out there if you need inspiration: I loved training 'pick up your toys', since a) helpful! and b) it required many steps and it was fun to work through all of them together.
Finally, while I'm definitely not recommending starving your dog or anything, I find that even non-food motivated dogs tend to be more interested in toys when they contain the only source of breakfast. One of my dogs is generally not up for eating in her crate (out of either a toy or a bowl) if she's had other opportunities, but a frozen Kong + no breakfast generally guarantees that Kong will be empty when I get home.
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I think part of my anxiety is that my parents' toy poodle is now elderly and so, so thin -- sort of wasting at this point despite eating tons -- and so I'm always trying to gauge whether Byrd is doing the same. Ever since I realized she wasn't that into food when I got her, I've been trying to ensure she eats enough every day :P
I'm probably going to be one of those parents that flips if their kid refuses to eat breakfast.
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She's not super food-motivated, so I wonder if she'd stick with puzzle toys for more than a few seconds (she totally ignored the kong). I do think some little training sessions would be fun, though. Our interactions have been so negative lately because I'm stressed and overwhelmed and she's obviously not happy that I'm not happy, and I just hate that.
I do massages too! It was in her physical therapy recommendation so I started, and just kept going. I'll keep on, because she likes it ;)
Thank you!
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What kind of treats are you using? Make sure they are SUPER high value, such as smelly liver treats, hot dogs, or string cheese. The smellier the better!
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I used to use soft treats but then she got sick once and the vet (who was probably milking me for $$$ honestly) said it could've been pancreatitis from fatty treats. So then I started feeding her NO treats. I've recently been giving her straight up sausage after her pill because I feel so awful :P
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I've been trying to call the vet. They called me back during teaching hours and don't seem to EVER be available when I am :P But I'll keep trying!
Ugh, that's exactly how it feels. I'm so sorry about your pup :( I'm so afraid that it'll just be this waiting game with my YOUNG, ACTIVE dog and she'll waste years of her life that she deserves to be fetching. One of my main drives in making the financial sacrifice and the time/energy sacrifice for the surgery was giving her the MAXIMUM number of active fetching years I could, so this is so disheartening :(
Thank you for your help!
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I agree with short training sessions to do something not too stressful on her body. Even just shaping her to touch things with her nose, lay down, roll over, or the like.
I know you said she's not food motivated but sometimes (not always!) it's a matter of finding the right food. Something super yummy like beef or chicken might be more of a motivator than some other things. Even my parent's non-food motivated dog will do things for chicken!
I'm sorry you're going through this, especially with such a young dog. She's a trooper and she (and you!) will come through this fine Byrd is adorable.
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Thank you for your encouragement and help!
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