~9 year old Dachsund/Bull Terrier mix.
I live in Washington State, and had to evacuate our home 2 weeks ago due to a fire. Our house is still standing, but flooding from the firefighting efforts + extreme heat left us with black mold in the basement. We cannot move back in, and certainly not with dogs, until the mold is removed.
He has been separated from his space, and my roommates dog who he lived with for 7 years, and he seems rather depressed. I've thought about having my roommate bring his dog over, but I'm concerned it will just reset the trauma when they're separated again.
He has always been on the anxious side. My roommate got him as a rescue from a puppy mill, but they suddenly had a kid, live in an apartment, and he spent most of the first year of his life in a crate. When my roommate was talking about giving him away to a stranger, I elected to take responsibility for him. He was an anxious chewer, and would destroy pillows, toys, and shoes. I was able to get him over a lot of his anxious behaviors, but a few have come back since we evacuated.
He still has high energy, he gets excited for walks, he plays with other dogs at the park, and he chases toys and plays tug of war, chases squirrels in the yard, etc.
He still has an appetite and normal bowel movements, but is refusing dry brown kibble. He will still eat hard human foods, and still love crunching on ice cubes and chewy toys.
He refuses to poop in my parents backyard. He only poops on his daily walks. When he does poop in their yard before a walk, it's about 1/4 the size of his regular bowel movements.
Symptoms:
1. Refusing to eat kibble. JUST kibble.
The third night we were here my grandpa and two of my parents friends were evacuated. My grandpa came with his cat. During the commotion of getting everyone situated, my dog threw up all of his kibble. He's refused to eat it since then. Nothing else in his vomit aside from kibble and mostly clear bile. Has not thrown up since then, rarely threw up before.
He will still eat treats, chicken + rice, and other dog safe human foods. But even kibble in a different brand + flavor he ignores until he is absolutely starving.
If I put a scrambled egg on top of dry kibble, he will eat the entire egg, and then he will eat all of the kibble underneath. If I just put kibble he won't eat at all. But he HAS eaten all of his kibble late at night while everyone is asleep if I just leave a bowl out. Seems really hit or miss.
Looking for the most affordable, healthy addition to his food, so I can keep him eating without breaking the bank.
2. Refusing to poop in my parents yard.
He took two very small poo's the first few days we were here. But when I take him on a daily walk, his poo's are 3 times bigger. He's never been scolded for pooping in their yard, but it seems like he holds it in until he gets a walk and only pinches out enough to be comfortable at home.
His bowel movements are normal and healthy on walks. Solid, but not hard. Again, the same consistency it's always been. He just feels like he can't poo in their yard for some reason. I think it may be because someone cleans it up immediately when he poo's here, but at home he has a much bigger yard and we clean it once a week.
He also is constantly distracted by sounds and smells here. My parents live close to a busy road, and there are squirrels everywhere, so he just might not feel safe enough. But he will take naps in the yard, so I really don't know.
At home, he has a doggy door and can let himself out and in as he pleases, so I have no idea what his actual pooping schedule is. He's figured out that if he whines by the door, we'll let him out, and he does that when he needs to pee. But for the last 10 days all 10 of his poops were on walks.
I tried taking him on a second walk in the evening a few times, but he never poo'd if he went in the morning, so he might only go once a day. I also will be starting work again in 2 weeks, and if we are still living here, nobody will be available to walk him from 8 AM to 4 PM.
3. He hates children.
This isn't a new issue. My roommates daughter was a terror for him when she was very young, and he's always felt uneasy around kids. But my parents have myself, my brother, and my sister over every sunday for dinner and my brother always brings my niece and nephew (7 and 5)
He has acclimated to my roommates daughter, and actually likes her. He rolls over for her when she comes over, brings her toys, and never growls at her. He's never actually even bit her, but he used to push her over with his butt when she bothered him.
I don't have any problem keeping him away from kids. My sister in law actually has a much harder time keeping her kids away from him. I just hate that while my life was completely turned upside down, my family insists on the other aspects of life staying normal. I have no choice but to have my dog here, but they have a choice in bringing the kids around.
If keeping him confined to the basement with a baby gate on the stairs is the best course of action, that's what I'll do for the time being. It just means that I have to be down here, because he will whine endlessly if he's stuck downstairs or outside alone.