I have never had a dog that doesn't like to eat dog food. Every single pup that has crossed my door looked forward to a bowl of food, morning and evening. With treats in between. Henry was completely smitten with his meals. Sadey grabbed treats (after finishing her dry food) so enthusiastically, that oftentimes my hand got roped into that mouth of hers. No harm done! I loved her eagerness!
And now along comes Millie, who will take a whiff of her morning food, turn her nose up and walk away.
Oh, I have tried to change things around. Introduce wet food. (She liked it the first few days, but now she treats it as the ultimate insult.) Introduce sensitive stomach food -- both wet and dry. Again, fine initially, disgustingly boring and inedible thereafter. There is still one training treat that she hasn't rejected. I artfully place a few of them on top of the wet food. That worked yesterday. Today, she's not fooled.
(morning song fest)
I do not give her people food (except for cottage cheese on days where she seemed to need protein because she'd been ill). I do not stuff her with treats. She is indifferent to most of them anyway. She gets plenty of exercise -- at doggie daycare or in the alternative, at the dog park. She just does not like dog food.
This is why, after my indoor breakfast...
...I am spending several hours searching the internet on what to do with a fussy puppy. Yes, this may well be a question for the vet, but I am determined to have a week go by where I do not call the dog clinic. Surely I can figure this out on my own?
There are so many suggestions on how to feed a picky eater! Indeed, I've followed some already in selecting her dog food(s). They say that you should stick to one food over time. Well now, Millie thinks that's a terrible idea. She gets bored with the same old, same old... And here's another frustrating bit: her vet prescribed a very expensive probiotic to help her with her digestive problems. I mix it into her wet food which she then does not eat, wasting the very expensive probiotic for the day.
My choice with foods in the end is to try The Farmers Dog meal plan. Real food, cooked and sent frozen. The reviews are all positive. There will be variety. It all seems well suited for a dog that has great disdain for those huge bags of kibble and cans of stuff that has no enticing scent to it. It's obvious to me that in general, Millie is getting to be a very expensive proposition.
Toward noon, she and I go to the small dog park. Just one other pup is there -- a very indifferent to others pup, and he leaves soon after we arrive.
("where is everyone?")
I have to think that Millie hasn't her usual energy. She hasn't eaten at all today. But, she gives it her all anyway.
There's something about freedom that really gets you going!
With an occasional rest stop.
When I think she has had enough, we pick up Ed at the farmette, I gather a bunch of lilies-of-the-valley, and the three of us go to Tati's for lunch.
The place is never crowded at lunchtime, which worries me, since this is our favorite and easy easy meetup place. If it closes or cuts back further on its hours, I'll be heartbroken!
At home, I wait for a tree to show up. One more to place in a pot. And I deem tomorrow as safe enough for planting the tomatoes in pots outside. We'll see how that goes!
It surely is a strange gardening season for me. But in its own way -- not unsatisfying.
with so much love...
