Dog Food

In March 2006 Surely Not had to go in for dental work. My vet explained that she will have to be put on soft food for a while.

No problem. I should have known better.

Surely Not is a lesson in the study of being stubborn. I started her on soft dog food and when I thought she was able to handle her dry dog food, I gave it to her. She refused to eat. She went for days without eating. Frantic I gave in and gave her canned dog food. Then I tried mixing it with dry and she only ate the wet, and licked the dry. I thought to myself, “She doesn’t like her dry dog food.” I bought another brand – she ate the wet and licked the dry. I tried another brand of dog food with the same results. This is the battle Surely and I have that has lasted 7 months.

It became comical. I would give her dry and she would walk over to her dish pick up a piece and drop at my feet. She was defiant and I was scared.

It became serious. I would give her dry, demand that she eats it and she would go three days without food. I would give in and she would win.

It became desperate. I would feed her dry dog food with peanut butter on it. She would lick the peanut butter off and refuse the dry and I felt like a fool for hand feeding her.

It became a medical issue. I took her to the vet and she has lost weight...

Then desperation set in and I went out and bought “Iam’s Savory Gravy, Roasted Beef Flavor.” I doused her dry dog food with it and she ate every bite. I was ecstatic and Surely was full for the first time in months.

What she was full of was all over the carpets when I came home yesterday. Then to make matters worse she started throwing up. I did not know a 6 pound dog could be so full. I spent the evening on my hands and knees scrubbing every square inch of carpet muttering why she didn’t use the linoleum. She knew that she did wrong because she cowered under the dining table. I put her in the bathroom with her favorite pillow and she had to spend the evening in there with the exception of being taken outside every 15 minutes.

Today she bounced out of bed. She was back to normal. She walked over to her dog dish but all I put out was water. Later I put a dish of dry dog food and she walked over…. Picked up a piece…. Walked over to me….. And ate. I won this battle but she definitely got the last word in… or the last word all over the carpet.