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Mitzi got her stitches out on Friday and now Toby is acting strange. He keeps refusing to eat unless I hold the bowl for him. At first I though he had something wrong with his throat but saw him pick a treat off the floor and swallow with no problem. He stands back from his food bowl crying and acting as though he is afraid of it. He will only eat as long as I pick the bowl up and don't get it too close to the floor. Then I heard him crying in the back room, I went to see what was wrong and he is standing back from the water bowl acting afraid, when I picked it up he drank like he hadn't had water in some time. After about 5 days of this, I called the vet, he asked a lot of questions as he said behaviour like this was seen in cats with high blood pressure as it affected their eye sight. None of the questions seemed to be problems, he can track his ball, and wasn't having difficulty peeing. So he said it was probably emotional, maybe as I had been giving Mitzi extra attention after her surgery. So now I don't know if I should keep feeding him until he gets over this stage or just ignore him. So far as you might guess I can't ignore him. Does anyone have suggestions or has any of your dogs acted this way?

Maggie does....she flips out over the stainless shiny bowls I bought. The reflection would make her jump back and she
would eat a little kibble at a time snatching it from the dish before the dish could bite her. I had to get a non shiny
dish. The waterdish was the worst cause of course when she drank the water wiggled and it scared her.
Is it possible that the dog got scared over something...maybe a mouse or a bug in the food bowl just when they were
going to eat? Course we know anything is possible.
When Maggie or Scout (he's a glutton ) don't want to eat I pick up the bowl and let them be hungry, then the next
meal they are famished and eat good. Now...if Maggie doesn't eat on the next go around, then I sense something is wrong.
Thats my two cents.

Toby really doesn't want your life to get boring does he? There could be some negative association that happened in a flash....Knowing how skeptical Toby is about the overall safety of his world it might not take much... I don't have an answer for what is going on but I liked Ava's suggestion of switching out the bowls as a simple try.... Or maybe placing them on top of something else so that they are not sitting directly on the floor.

I think Ava's comments are spot on but here's something to try: a client of mine has a greyhound-they are tall and she wanted to raise up the dishes so she got 2 of those plant stands like you put a large potted plant on and put her bowls on that. The ones my client bought have a raised edge so the bowls fit inside and can't be knocked off easily. Probably was cheaper than those raised bowls you buy from the pet stores. It could be possible that he's hurt his neck and doesn't like to bend down?

http://www.avantgardendecor.com/store/p ... cbps1015-b

Here's one that is similar to what my client has, you get the idea.

I actually "used to" have a dish that fit right into a coffee can that raised it off the floor just enough so Bandit wasn't
laying down to eat.

Thanks for the suggestions. He has been eating from a heavy blue ceramic bowl but water is in stainless steel and always has been so don't think the stainless is a problem. I did put his food on a white plate and changed locations. I put it outside on the patio and left him with it, walla he ate He still seems to only drink when I offer it maybe, I'll put water out with him and hope this is a phase that passes soon!

I just think Toby is very sensitive to perceived threats. You may never know what triggered this one. A very superstitious dog and maybe not able to figure out cause and effect so he avoids any suspected object or place......???

BirdbyBird wrote:I just think Toby is very sensitive to perceived threats. You may never know what triggered this one. A very superstitious dog and maybe not able to figure out cause and effect so he avoids any suspected object or place......???

I think you are right Tina, I'll probably never know. I didn't take away his food (which normally I will do if they act like they aren't hungry) when I saw how afraid he appeared to be, particularly at first as I couldn't tell if it was physical. One thing I can think of is that maybe a bird hit the window while he was eating, it is a long almost to the floor, window and his bowl sits in front of it.

I would love to know how others in his litter are doing and if they have problems but doubt I would receive an answer.

Superstition is an accurate description for this. Many years ago, I had a dog that yipped as she walked past a particular chair. Who know why; maybe a flea bit her or something??? Anyway, she always eyed that chair up as being suspicious and likely to bite her again. Would not walk past it without keeping her eyes on it.

Hopefully, changing the bowl and location will cause her to forget whatever it was that made her fear that bowl.

When I first got Shadow I had his water and food under the refrigerator. I thought it was a good spot (being in a 5th wheel it was one free spot) left if there for a long time but I'd watch him tip toe over grab a bit run back to the carpet and eat...he hated walking on the linoleum...go figure I still don't know...finally I moved it it's on a matt...and now he eats better...when at home..when we went places I just took two metal bowls he would drink a little but not a lot...he ignored the food a lot finally my daughter's boyfriend asked what he eats out of at home I said plastic so he thought perhaps that was why he wasn't eating else where..I got a plastic bowl to keep in the truck for when we are out and about...right now it's in the place of his regular bowl so he can get used to it..but I think when I go to someone else's house I'm going to just take his regular bowl so I'll know if that is the problem...silly dog!!! but they get a bee in their bonnet and we don't know why..I go to open the cupboard doors and he runs to a safe place like the bedroom...I've not dropped that much out and this was instant when I brought him home... so thinking something happened that you didn't see to upset him or perhaps he just wanted some attention...I personally don't think humans give animals enough credit...
sheila

JudyJB wrote:Superstition is an accurate description for this. Many years ago, I had a dog that yipped as she walked past a particular chair. Who know why; maybe a flea bit her or something??? Anyway, she always eyed that chair up as being suspicious and likely to bite her again. Would not walk past it without keeping her eyes on it.

Ok, you gals can laugh all you want at me for this, I don't mind. I really feel that animals are more attuned to the spirit world and often perceive things that we don't or can't. I've seen many instances of animals reacting when there is nothing/no one there and no obvious cause for them to react to. So go ahead and laugh, somedays I laugh at myself!

gingerK wrote:

JudyJB wrote:Superstition is an accurate description for this. Many years ago, I had a dog that yipped as she walked past a particular chair. Who know why; maybe a flea bit her or something??? Anyway, she always eyed that chair up as being suspicious and likely to bite her again. Would not walk past it without keeping her eyes on it.

Ok, you gals can laugh all you want at me for this, I don't mind. I really feel that animals are more attuned to the spirit world and often perceive things that we don't or can't. I've seen many instances of animals reacting when there is nothing/no one there and no obvious cause for them to react to. So go ahead and laugh, somedays I laugh at myself!

I totally agree I've had dogs for 50 years and some have amazed me. Charley my last standard Poodle and Nickel, my first I swear could read minds. I didn't notice it with Nickel so much but others did and commented on the fact that it was spooky the way she knew what I was going to do next. Charley I did notice many times. One day in the afternoon I decided to take a walk which was an unusual time. Before I got up from my chair, he was at the closet door waiting for me to get my shoes. I've seen the dogs also communicate without any bark or outward sign. One morning I said to which ever dog was with me at the breakfast table that he should tell the others they better come for treats. He walked to the door to the living room, turned around and came back with the others following him. Another dog, an Irish Setter tore up a doll that sat on my bed. I was so shocked as she never bothered anything. Then I remembered that morning I had said, I really am tired of that doll and I'm going to get rid of it. Tessa a Standard Poodle picked up on the fact that I didn't like bad smells, if we were out walking and someone was painting their house or had recently had their yard sprayed she would stop and look at me long before I smelled it. I learned to watch her and pay attention! So yes, I believe dogs are extra sensitive in many ways. I find it odd that there has been so little research done on dog behavior!

One day I'd gone to visit with Kerry, Tina and Anita not sure who else was there
got time to go and I had a heck of a time getting Shadow in the truck when I did he was practically in my lap
we looked thinking a spider a horrors a snake (had left the door open) couldn't find a thing have no idea
but what ever he wasn't having anything to do with it
sheila

I thought of the spirit thing too. They do have more sensitivities than we do. They see, feel and sense things we don't. They use dogs now to warn their owners of seizures that are about to happen, and there are dogs who can sniff out cancer cells. Just amazing! Some pets know when their owners are on their way home before they can see or hear them at all. We had a Siamese cat growing up who always knew when my dad was coming home from his work trips, even when my mom didn't know exactly when he would be arriving. The cat would sit on the kitchen table staring at the door an hour or so before my dad walked in the door. I had a cat who could see spirits... Just talked to one of my customers this morning about his dog who "saw" his dad's spirit moments after his dad passed away.

Could Toby have seen his reflection in the window in front of his bowl?