My Husky-any advice?

[irinad83]

Hello everyone! Well first off-congrats-we all made it-its FRIDAY!!!!
So ok,  i need some help! My husky is 9 months old now and he is such a stubborn guy!
I've never had a husky-so this is all new to me. I've read all of the books, and I seach online, but I like to get advice from people that actually have been there!
So...he has a eating problem-he wont eat! I have to mix hamburger into his food periodically just so he'll have some-i know huskies are fussy, but sometimes he wont eat for days! Is that normal? He doesnt seem to sick or anything, but I dont know.
He never got his Kennel cough shot (my vet said that they just "forgot"-needless to say-I go to a different place now), so he cought a cold a while back, and I was waiting for him to completely get over it so I could take him to the vet and get his shot, but now he has little sniffles again-he's not coughing, and he doesnt have anything coming out of his nose, so I dont know whats going on.
And last time I went to the vet I asked if it was normal for male dogs to have some puss-like discharge in their uhmmm "boy" area, and he said its very normal, but i've never had a male dog before, so I'm just a worried mom.
I dont have a problem taking him to the vet,  I just hate spending $50.00 that can go for better use (such as toys and fun treats )
Any advice would be appreciated
thank you guys!!!!

[sobe]

It seems to me he doesn't have an eating problem and that he's just a picky eater.
My Fwirly will wait to eat till we are finished, just to make sure there isn't something better to eat than what she's getting.  Never mind that she has expensive dog food and mine is much cheaper quality, lol.

Question : is he not eating dog food for days or really nothing for days? No cookies, snacks of some sort, table scraps...   Some dogs scrounge for their food and thus can afford to be picky when it comes to their own food.  To me the best way to test if he truly not wants to eat is try something else like a bit of meat or cheese or anything. I bet he'll eat that.  The other possibility is that he simply doesn't like the dog food you have. Maybe get a sample of a different kind of dog food and see what he does with that.

My dogs don't get a kennel cough shot as I don't board them. They'll sneeze sometimes when they are sniffing a piece of fluff or when the cotton wood is doing it's thing as they sniff the seeds . Could be as innocent as that. 

[irinad83]

Well I guess I shouldnt say he doesnt eat at all-he does eat his treats, and he ate a whole bowl of food with hamburger meat mixed in it last night so thats good i guess.
I think I might try that BARF thing, I'm not completely sure where to get it though, its just such a challenge for me with him-i've always had great danes, and they would never be so fussy with their food! Live and learn lol-he's a crazy character
And I took him to a different vet and they told me that the discharge was ok-and I just asked someone at work and they said thats normal-thats a relief I just worry all the time-he's like my kid!
My poor kids (once i have'em) wont be able to go out of the house with out 24/7 supervision lol, they will hate me!
Thank you so much for your guys' help and avice, i really appreciate it!!

[lins_saving_grace]

Seems Grace had that problem once.  She had a stomach bateria.   If i hadn't taken her to the vet it would have taken up to 2 weeks to go away on it's own.
Dogs will eat their treats even when they're sick.   It's the good for them stuff they avoid.  I won't tell you how I know that ... just call your vet and ask if you should make an appointment or if they think it's nothing serious.

[lins_saving_grace]

I do that.  I wonder if the "kids" are ok.  What are they doing?  I'm nuts

[lins_saving_grace]

I do that.  I wonder if the "kids" are ok.  What are they doing?  I'm nuts

You're not nuts Lins, you're just a good doggy mommy.  Its normal to worry about them ... they're our furbabies!!!

Yup!  My little stinkers!    Only thing is we can't call the sitter and ask if they're ok.

[irinad83]

Haha thats funny-cuz I when I go the store or anywhere and leave Koa at home-I worry the whole time! Ok - I'm not crazy lol - there are other people like me m" width="273" height="315" class="bbc_img resized" />

[lins_saving_grace]

Yup!  My little stinkers!    Only thing is we can't call the sitter and ask if they're ok.

We have a new pet sitting service in town ... they will even come to your house and walk your dogs at lunch.  I thought about how bad I would feel for those people if they took care of my pets.  I would be on the phone with them fifty times a day, "Did the dog eat okay?" "Did the cat have any hairballs" "Are they playing with their toys?" LOL

I've heard of doggie daycare...but expensive.  I'd love to do it.

[sobe]

have any of you ever been convinced there was something wrong with your pup and made an emergency appointment at the vets, only to sit there looking stupid with a dog who's just fine and decided to start acting normal in the waiting room???
Now THAT's embarrassing ...

[lins_saving_grace]

have any of you ever been convinced there was something wrong with your pup and made an emergency appointment at the vets, only to sit there looking stupid with a dog who's just fine and decided to start acting normal in the waiting room???
Now THAT's embarrassing ...

I did ... when I first brought home my dog Lexi.  I was convinced that she had stomach cancer b/c she was restless, has belly problems, and was very swollen.  Guess what???  She had gas.

DOH!!!!!! 

Then they look at you like...why am I at the Vet mommy?  I'm fine.  And they give you this look like ... the car car ride was GREAT! 

The vet looks at you like...you could have called first you obsessive pycho dog mommy.

[irinad83]

we take our guy to day care-and its only $15.00 a day (includes night if we go out of town), and he loves it there-and i'm <almost> stress free when he stays there

[lins_saving_grace]

we take our guy to day care-and its only $15.00 a day (includes night if we go out of town), and he loves it there-and i'm <almost> stress free when he stays there

That's not bad!

[lins_saving_grace]

Yeah, I get an exasperated sigh from the vets when I call about my "emergencies".  Normally this is followed by an eye roll once I get to the vet's office.

Eye rolls should be unallowed.  Or the dog should get a free wet willy for each eye roll. 

[Kermit]

Is it very hot where you live? My old husky girl Porscha would hardly eat a thing all summer long in Georgia. She would lose about 10 pounds every year, then gain it all back once it cooled off in October/November. It was just one of those things. All my dogs now have voracious appetites and I love it- I remember trying to get Porscha to eat and I would sit there with her at every meal time and hand feed her kibble to try to encourage her! Ever since then I love the sound of dogs eating.

[irinad83]

It is really warm here now-gets to about 90+ most days, and he does play alot-still wakes us up every morning with a loud bark/yupping kind of sound by jumping on our (usually my) stomaches-I think he likes the reaction he gets out of me-the sound I make trying to gasp for air lol
well I feel sorta stupid-but much better now, sounds like he's just going through the heat/being a husky/teenager stage lol
Thanks guys!
I'm gonna try not to give him so many treats-I feel bad, so I give him treats when he's not eating-he can manipulate me - now that i think about it-he is smarter than me!
Yeah I didnt think it was kennel cough-he had that, and I remember the coughing, poor boy!
Ok now that I feel better, i might be able to get some work done!