Hey all,
My partner and I just adopted a small dog, likely a terrier mix, from the local shelter. Her paperwork says she's about 5 years of age, but I'm not sure I believe it; she acts older, her teeth are quite worn, and her energy level, at least to me, indicates that she might be a bit older. We adopted her straight from the shelter, so her history is really unknown; it's just a guess.
I've never had a dog under about 50lbs, so I feel like I'm a little unsure of the needs, specifically nutritionally, of a small dog. My dog Roy, a 70lb chow/Newf/something mix eats Fromm's duck and potato, and he loves it. He has allergies and we've always had such great luck with Fromm's, so I just decided that we'd feed Olive the same thing. The kibbles are small, and from what I've read, that's a big concern, but overall... is there something else that I should be considering?
One of the primary reasons that I'm not sure that this is right food is because she seems to have a lot of tummy upset. In part, I think this may have to do with being crated during the day, and having just general separation anxiety. It seems as though she works herself up into such a state of anxiousness, and then the rest of the night it's difficult for her to eat and drink without vomiting.
When she settles, food and water stay down just fine, but it normally takes a couple of hours. So, my problem is twofold at this point - I'm working on the separation anxiety as best as possible, but nutritionally, should I be feeding her something that is formulated for small dogs?
Basically, any advice you have is welcome. I've just ordered her a playpen so we can see if perhaps the crate, the small space, is just too overwhelming, but I am concerned that the food might be an issue, too.
She's only been home for about a week - she came home last Tuesday night, so it may be that I just need to be patient. But either way, I thought I'd write to see if there might be other things to consider.
Thank you,
Max
My partner and I just adopted a small dog, likely a terrier mix, from the local shelter. Her paperwork says she's about 5 years of age, but I'm not sure I believe it; she acts older, her teeth are quite worn, and her energy level, at least to me, indicates that she might be a bit older. We adopted her straight from the shelter, so her history is really unknown; it's just a guess.
I've never had a dog under about 50lbs, so I feel like I'm a little unsure of the needs, specifically nutritionally, of a small dog. My dog Roy, a 70lb chow/Newf/something mix eats Fromm's duck and potato, and he loves it. He has allergies and we've always had such great luck with Fromm's, so I just decided that we'd feed Olive the same thing. The kibbles are small, and from what I've read, that's a big concern, but overall... is there something else that I should be considering?
One of the primary reasons that I'm not sure that this is right food is because she seems to have a lot of tummy upset. In part, I think this may have to do with being crated during the day, and having just general separation anxiety. It seems as though she works herself up into such a state of anxiousness, and then the rest of the night it's difficult for her to eat and drink without vomiting.
When she settles, food and water stay down just fine, but it normally takes a couple of hours. So, my problem is twofold at this point - I'm working on the separation anxiety as best as possible, but nutritionally, should I be feeding her something that is formulated for small dogs?
Basically, any advice you have is welcome. I've just ordered her a playpen so we can see if perhaps the crate, the small space, is just too overwhelming, but I am concerned that the food might be an issue, too.
She's only been home for about a week - she came home last Tuesday night, so it may be that I just need to be patient. But either way, I thought I'd write to see if there might be other things to consider.
Thank you,
Max
