Connie - How's your QI?

Connie-

I didn't want to trivialize Buddy's condition so I didn't mention this before in case Buddy had something serious going on. My Darling Hoover puppy wolfs his food- he practically swallows those hard, large kibbles whole. As he eats he swallows tremendous amounts of air that have to come out the other end. I find that if I pat him and talk to him he'll eat a bit slower and it also slows down his 'toots'. Maybe watch Buddy to see if he's been eating his food faster than usual?

Leslie, Missy, The Sometimes Stinky Hoover & The Other Furbabies in MO.

Hi Liz! Thank you for askin'!! :)

Buddy seems to be fine now ... ... I'm hesitant to say that 'cause it's only been about 24 hours since his last "outburst." I was going to post an update - but I was waiting to be sure. The local vets are booked up and no one seems to take Buddy's symptoms as worthy of an "emergency" visit - no matter how much sweetenin' I put into the askin'.

He IS playing with the kiddos now, and he's not following me around as much (still follows me - I'm his "mommy" - but not as ... "nervously" as he was before), but he's still "tooting" - there's just no horrible smell anymore. He's eating as normal, too. I really don't know what it was ... I even hunted 'round the backyard to see if there was anything funny out there in his "piles" - and I didn't see anything at all funny.

I have to be fair though ... I more than likely was over-reacting. He DOES get gassy from time to time and has a serious case of the "nerves" - our neighbor mowin' his lawn is enough to send Buddy into a nervous breakdown. However, he's more than happy to tree a Cottonmouth ... so go figure.

Quilty hugs!! Connie :) (And Buddy thanks you for askin', too!)

Well, to be honest, Buddy does that, too. I can't count the times that silly pooch has gobbled up all of his food (he doesn't even really chew - he just inhales and swallows!) and then hwarked it up on the carpet (the living room is his "hwarking" room of choice - I suppose he feels it goes with the color scheme - golds, oranges and browns). I spend probably about $100 a month in cleaning products because of him!

Patting him won't work, though ... if you try to pet him while he eats, he'll just stop eating and walk away. For some reason, he just can't eat and be social at the same time.

I don't know if I ever mentioned that he was abused ... perhaps the whole "can't eat AND be social" thing stems from that. He's been like that since we've had him. He's got a few other "issues," too ... hubby loves him to pieces, but I don't know that he'd let me have my way again if he had a second chance (I was the one who HAD to have him - it was love at first sight - too, he was 1 day from being put to sleep) ... strictly because Buddy has so many mental issues.

(When we first got him, he was afraid of grass, the sun, you name it ... he also didn't bark or make a single sound for over three weeks!!! If you left the room, he'd follow you in a "slinky," "sneaky" way - like he needed to be with you, but didn't want you to know he was there)

And yes, he HAS been eating faster than usual - since we've turned the house upside down decorating for Christmas (and taking down the Halloweenie decorations), and getting ready for my MIL to spend Christmas with us, he's been REALLY stressed out (but then, so have the kids!! LOL!!). It's really been a madhouse here ...

Anyway, I would never have thought that you were trivializing anything ... you're far too much of a dedicated animal lover!! If anything, I could see you making more of a fuss about a critter's situation - going by the credo that it's better to be safe than sorry (and I agree)!!

Hugs!! Connie :)

Then how about giving him 1/4 of his food, wait a little while then give him some more? I've heard of putting things (tennis balls???) in a large dish with their food so they have to nose around and search for the kibble. Just be sure it's nothing small enough he might eat it right down with his food. Can you try hand feeding and just give him small amounts in the palm of your hand, wait a few seconds and then give him more? Could you make a game of that- maybe even make him sit for a handful and down for the next handful? He sounds like a very sensitive dog, so this could take some doing to not upset him further. Good luck.

Leslie, Missy & The Furbabies in MO.

eating:

It's very likely that the holiday preparations are what upset him,> especially with his history.> Hugs back at you both!> Liz

The other thing you can do is to find some large round rocks (river rocks) and put them in the bowl w/ the food. He has to move the rocks around to get the kibble. Make sure they are large enough that he can't swallow the rocks. He might figure out how to push them or take them out, though...

Works on the same premise as this bowl.

Cappy Edgewater, MD

Our QI (aka Gus) was a Rescue Dog also. He was in such bad shape the rescue group didn't expect him to make it. He didn't "chew" his food for months... just swallowed it all at once. [He came from a COLD, outdoor, kenneled (big caged area) that held a lot of dogs.] We finally figured it out that they all had to fight for their food and that if you took time to chew, you didn't get much. Rescues, bless their hearts, come with all kinds of baggage (and sometimes it takes us Humans a while to figure out what's baggage and what isn't.) The dry food we were feeding him caused him to gag a lot (love your "hwarking term" ) We started to mix a little gravy/sauce in with the dry food and let it sit a while to soften the dry stuff up. Gus also has a "gonna kill 'im" attitude toward our son (not a kid - he's

25). He's a journeyman-electrician who works out in some nasty muddy/smelly areas some days.... wears large, heavy boots. Figured, maybe, somewhere in his past, the dogs got kicked around by someone wearing smelly boots and associated the smell with danger. (Or fear of any man when they talk in a loud, booming voice.) But, he's a love! And he was very clingy to us - like if he let us out of his sight, he'd be lost! It's taken several winters before he'd even let us go outside to snowblow without his being there with us! Finally, he was comfortable enough knowing that we wouldn't desert him and that it was o.k. to stay inside by the stove and stay warm.

Don't know if this fits your description of Buddy, but I thought if it did, he's not the only poor fur-ball who's finally found a "forever home" where he's safe, and that sometimes it takes a while to let go of his horrible memories and instant reactions to certain sounds or smells.