Thursday, August 13, 2009

DOG

That's all I can bring myself to call her tonight. While I just love our little.....DOG, I don't much like what she does. First of all she's an itchy puppy. Always has been. Sometime worse than others. The vet says we need to keep her on only dog food with a protein she has not been exposed to before. So Salmon is the winner for the food challenge. (FYI - salmon dog toots are a BIG PU - the "clear-the-room" kind).

No other treats. No dog treats. No food from the table (fat chance). Only vegetables & fruit. She likes green beans & apples. Which leads me to....no bones. She is a chewing dog. Worse lately. I don't know the schedule of dogs getting teeth, like I do with kids. I was bragging on her and how good she was now that she was a year old. Out the window.

She likes bones. Those are out. And things that squeak. Those are out......outside. Cause she only likes the really LOUD squeaky ones. She does NOT like carrots. Found the barely nibbled carrot under the couch. In the evening, the dog just needs to chew. She's bored. Kids are in bed. I'm not paying much attention. She's bored and NAUGHTY !

While putting the kids to bed, she chewed up a pencil. Then she continued to chew up the pieces that remained & swallow them. She.....AKA... DOG has a "garbage gut". I remember my sister-in-law saying that about her kids. Well that's our dog.

Here's her favorite chew toys....including, but not limited to.

  • Lovies. Stuffed animals. Chloe's in particular. Such a selection. She loves to be chased and yelled at. DOG is currently outside, so lovies are not in danger.
  • Toilet paper. Off the roll or from the trash. No preference. Knows how to lift the lid on the bathroom trashcan. Extra money spent for cute little lidded trash in downstairs bath....waste of money. Someone said I should shut the door to the bath. I do. No one else does.
  • Paper cups. Go nicely with a side of toilet paper.
  • My Little Pony. A tasty favorite. Except the hair. She eats around it.
  • Nerf gun darts. If she could, she'd plead self-defense.
  • Herself. Because she is such an itchy puppy, she attempts to eat herself. Chew areas to the point where she makes hot spots on herself. Or itch the hair off of the back of her ears. Or licks.....OK, we're not going there.
  • Hydrocortisone cream. Yummy.
  • Ant bait. Now that's a story. Mental note, to include that in the next post.
  • Pencils. Which is still currently shredded by the sliding glass door.
  • The traditional shoes.
  • and the list goes on.......

I'm convinced she will be the first dog in history to consume.....herself. Poor puppy. Which is why we are doing this food challenge. She is probably in need of another steroid injection and I'm not convinced that the salmon is the best choice for her.

Mr B says put her on Alpo. Junk food. McDonald's for dogs. Mr B says, "all my dogs ate that growing up and they were just fine. Stop all the designer food and give her Kibbles n Bits".

Until then, I'll get her some.......ICE ! That'll give her something to do until she chomps it up, it melts or she loses it under the cabinet. She sits by the refridgerator until you throw cubes of ice on the floor.....and "oh goodie, look at me, look at me."

Until the 6 months are up to determine if she's truly allergic.....yup, you heard me SIX months for the food challenge....I'll be looking for things for her to chew on.
DOG says, "But why master would you try to find me something to chew on, or why should I eat the food in my bowl.....when you provide me a daily buffet of choices all throughout the house?"

The lid to the trash just went clunk. I know, I know.....who left the bathroom door open this time ?

Grrrrr......

That's me. Not the DOG.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Poor "Star" she must be miserable.
Oh yes I can see her getting the paper cups out of the lided trash can. Wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it.
Hope you and she can stand it for 6 months.

Shannon said...

Oh poor baby - you, not the dog : ) No I feel sorry for your smoochie poochie too. Can't be fun to itch all the time. Hope you find something that works for your sanity and hers too. I am trying to keep things in perspective with Harry. All in all he's doing pretty well, just a challenge none the less.

Unknown said...

Dawn,
It sounds like your 3rd child is going though the terrible "puppy 2s". Hang in their mama with her eating habits. At least she is potty trained! (I assume).
Say hello to DOG for me. As always your blogs crack me up ... keep blogging:)

Sarah Callender said...

Girl you just saved me the trouble of getting a dog any time in my kids' near future! Thank you!!!

p.s. something that was a good chew toy for a past "bad dog" of ours was a rubber thingy with a hole in it that you put peanut butter in. The dog spent forever holding it down and trying to lick the p.b. out - loved it and kept him busy!

Mary Witt said...

What Sarah is describing is a "kong." Some dogs like them, some don't.
Try some Nylabones (NON-edible version). Get several -- yes, they are expensive, but I have some that are several years old. Give DOG one nylabone at a time. You can rub a little peanut butter or squeeze cheese on it occasionally. Put the other nylabones away, out of reach. When DOG loses interest in current bone, take it away. After a while, bring out a "new" one -- they come in various flavors also. When she chews on the nylabone, praise her. Make her really believe you are happy to see her chew it. I'm telling you... spending $50 on nylabones now will improve your relationship. She really does need to chew. God made her that way. :-)