Tag Archives: food

We rescued this 5 year old dachshund from a puppy mill. She has had several litters and is not yet fixed. We brought her home, gave her a bath and got her all the necessities. This was Saturday. By Monday, she still had not eaten her food. We were having to use a syringe to get water down her to keep from dehydrating. So I made an appointment with the vet. Before I took her in I kept trying with different food. I was able to get her to eat some wet food. The vet looked her over and didn’t find anything wrong physically, other than a small infection. No pain, no dental issues, nothing. I know sick dogs generally do not eat, but here is the issue (or issues rather). Since she has to eat with the meds, I have to force her to eat with a giant syringe. She hates this and spits the food out. She has gotten to the point where she knows what I’m doing and starts to shake. She doesn’t respond to treats, toys, food, or anything. She is scared and shakes alot.
When she is around other dogs (like my dad’s doxies) she runs with the pack. I know dogs do well with a pack (she is a follower and needs a leader) and I am in the process of finding her a buddy. However, this dog is pushing my limits. I know she is scared and is homesick (even if it was an awful home) but I’m not sure how to handle her. Last time I reached for her to do the medicine thing went nuts, bit me and broke skin. There was blood everywhere and it scared me because I have never had an animal bite me like that. The vet and I have considered all possibilities: puppies taken away too soon, abused/beaten, yelled at, homesick, physically sick, terrified of new surroundings. But here is the really weird part: Put a leash on this dog and she is totally different. I take her on about 5 walks a day becasue they make her so happy. Problem is its 95 degrees here in the good ole south, and with her not drinking I don’t want to risk dehydration. Her mood comes and goes.
One minute she is running and playing with other dogs, and then a switch flicks and she is terrified and hiding-we are sitting in the same spots, the tv is the same, no outside noises, other dogs are just sitting around. I’m a really inexperienced (and sometimes impatient) dog owner and I need help! What do I need to do to show this dog that I care and I’m not going to hurt her. Having someone else give her food and meds is not an option. I’m home with her during the day, so it’s me or nobody. I want her to be happy, but she has snapped at me several times, and seems to be getting more annoyed with me. The bloodshed was my limit. I would never send her back where she came from, nor would I ever take her to a pound, but I also don’t want a dog that is gonna bite me like that. I’m sure she doesn’t realize that I’m helping, she’s just a dog…..so any kind suggestions will be appreciated!!