Westie Is Afraid of Her Food?

lmlmgf · 11-18-2009, 08:57 PM

Our 13 year old Westie has had failing eyesight and hearing for the past year or so. She is also on estrogen for Urinary incontinence. In the past couple of weeks she goes to her food bowl, takes a piece of her food and then runs away...all the way upstairs. We have to coax her back to the bowl and then she takes a bite and runs again. It's almost as if she is scared of her food.

Any ideas?

K9companions · 11-18-2009, 09:08 PM

It may not be the actual food itself. Instead of waiting untill feeding time, just put the empty bowl on the floor and she if she has a reaction to it. It could be the bowl she is afraid or, or where she is eating. Take her to where she eats, if there is no food there, but she still runs away, it might be something around where she is eating that is scaring her, not the food. It seems like she wants to eat, but her fear drive is taking over.

lmlmgf · 11-18-2009, 09:11 PM

We did try moving moving the food bowl upstairs for a couple days, but she still did the grab a piece and run thing. She does eventually finish the food, but the behavior is odd.

Oh, and we are using the same bowls we have used for years and they are cleaned regularly.

K9companions · 11-18-2009, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmlmgf

We did try moving moving the food bowl upstairs for a couple days, but she still did the grab a piece and run thing. She does eventually finish the food, but the behavior is odd.

Have you tried an entirely different food bowl? Also make sure it's not a specific person. Dogs can sometimes aquire weird behaviors from one drastic thing that now makes them fearful. Something might have frightened her while she was eating or she had a bad experiance with someone.

If it's all foodbowls or feeding time, you might have to associate good things with feeding.

lmlmgf · 11-18-2009, 09:20 PM

My husband just reminded me that he has tried giving her a treat by putting it on the floor in front of her, away from her bowls and feeding area, and she takes a nip of it and runs from it.

There haven't been any new people around her that i can recall either.

Dog_Shrink · 11-18-2009, 09:21 PM

A few thoughts on this one... my Toy fox does that eat and dash thing at times too esp. if I don't stand in the dog room with the dogs at feeding time. Second does she have tags on her collar that might be banging against the bowl causing her a wierd feeling? Third... is she eating on a hard floor or carpet... if it's a hard floor try putting a carpet sample under her dish for better traction. Fourth... since she is losing her sight and hearing she could just be feeling vunerable when she puts her head down to eat. Try feeding her off a dish insted of a bowl that way she can make better use of what little vision she does have left. lastly... maybe for about a week try hand feeding her meals near her feeding station... then graduate to dropping the food on her plate and constantly praise her when she takes a bite and doesn't run.

Michiyo-Fir · 11-18-2009, 10:41 PM

Some dogs just do that.

Nia sometimes takes a kibble, goes to her favorite spot to eat it, then comes back for another piece, and so on. Especially with raw, she will always take the piece to a place she likes (my carpet!!!) and then eat it there and come back for more.

Are you sure she's actually afraid?

Kathyy · 11-19-2009, 09:15 AM

If this is a new behavior, you are worried and she hasn't had a recent check up take her to the vet. I have no idea what this could be but maybe there is something new going on. Her teeth? A tummy ache? Hard to swallow? Is she eating, she could be losing weight doing this.

Sassy's 15 year old stainless steel food bowl has been retired for a couple of years now as she couldn't take the noise it makes moving around the hard floor. She also prefers to eat from a low wide dish. She still shoves it around plenty but the sound apparently doesn't hurt her ears now. Guess that isn't what is going on with your dog though.

spotted nikes · 11-19-2009, 04:09 PM

Old dogs often develop arthritis in their necks. Bending to get food can cause a sharp pain. Try putting the food on a raised surface like a phone book or shoe box. If that helps, they make raised bowls for dogs. A vet visit would also be in order. There are many NSAIDS and supplements for arthritis. A Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM supplement would be a good idea. You can get it at the grocery store in the vitamin section.
I had an old dog that would act like he wanted to eat, but when he'd try to take a bite, he'd just turn around and go to another room. He ended up having spinal arthritis. The raised bowl helped.

The other thing that comes to mind is static. You can try feeding out of a plastic bowl or putting the food on a bath mat turned upside down with the rubber side up.