[papasangel18]

I got a dog from my mother in law whom got her from a guy who got her from someone who couldn't take care of her. Well I believe she was beat and starved. When she got here she wouldn't eat or drink. She peed everywhere, and she is terrified of kids and loud people. She rarley goes to anyone beside me. She has a very bad odor that and can't get rid of. Anyway, she will not eat any kind of dog food she looks at it and then tipps it over. I have got her to where she will eat cat food, but she'd prefer table food. What should I do? I think she is very old could this be good for her? She also will only eat in the living room. And she takes her food out of the bowl to eat it. I need some answers.

[Emland]

Besides your vet, there are shelter organizations that could probably give you guidance on abused pets. My sister used to try to find homes for small dogs and cats that had been abused out of a bizarre sense of love on their owner's parts. Try googling for pet rescue in your area. The people that run the rescues will gladly pass along any info they have.

[Jessyfay]

I'm so sorry to hear that, your doing a great thing by giving this poor soul a home, please be patient it will get better as the trust builds, I volunteer and work with abused cats, so I don't know much about abused dogs.
I would maybe try mixing some table food with his kibbles, or even pooring some homemade chicken broth or liquidy table food over his kibbles, and than over time slowly reduce the amount of table food in the kibbles.
What I do know about abused animals is that it takes a lot of time and love and more time so keep your head up, GOOD LUCK!

About the odor I would take him to the vet for a checkup, he might need his teeth cleaned if he's an old dog, and maybe the vet can recommend some kind of food for him.

[labman]

Thank you for taking the dog in. You are correct, you do need to get the dog eating a dog chow. Any decent modern chow is carefully formulated to give dogs exactly what they need. An older dog might need a senior formula light on the calories to get enough other nutrients without the calories a younger dog would need. The get tough regimen in the ''My dog won't eat.'' sticky at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post254171 may not be the best for an older dog that has eaten mostly table scraps much of it life. I would choose one of the major brands dry meat based senior chows. I don't think any of the recalls have included them. I know that Pro Plan and Iams haven't had problems. Perhaps continue mixing in a little cat food for now and slowly reduce it. Cat food is formulated for cats' slightly different needs, perhaps too much protein for dogs.

A healthy dog eating a decent chow and getting brushed regularly, shouldn't have an odor problem. Get him eating a dog chow and have the vet clear up any health problems, and with a little luck, the odor problem should clear up. Have you checked the ears? If the vet finds an infection, antibiotics should clear it up. Old, neglected dogs often do stink. My 13 year Aster does fine without even a bath in the last 3 years.

[papasangel18]

Thank all of you for your help. I will definitely try eveerything that has been said. Starting with a vet check and the food.

[DocWill]

Can I gamble that the odor is from the teeth? This is very common in older dogs as well, bad teeth smell bad an don't make it very easy to chew hard food. Simple little look at the teeth and gums just might surprise you.

DocWill

[jillianleab]

Definitely check the ears for the source of the smell, it's a pretty common thing. As far as getting the dog to eat, there are some human food my vet has told me are "doggie safe", at least in moderation. Boiled chicken, plain rice and cottage cheese are a few that come to mind. My sister-in-law was told to feed her dog a can of green beans a day (this was part of a diet, and instructed from a different vet than I see). If the info you find here doesn't give you what you need, call the vet and see what they suggest. If you do feed human food, however, try mixing in regular kibble so the dog gets used to it, and increase the amount every so often until you are only feeding kibble.

Good luck!

[DocWill]

I am still dying to know the oral hygiene on this little pup.