My 8 year old boxer had to be put to sleep last night. His partner dog is a terrier ***** - they have shared a large dog bed since they were puppies together. She always needed to be in contact with him while sleeping. Although she saw him ill I am unsure today wether she knows he is dead or just not come home yet. Should I take the over-large for her on her own bed away ? Will this help her to understand that he`s not coming home or just distress her futher?
2007-02-13 06:44:36 · 8 answers · asked by vivi-mac 3 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Don't underestimate what an animal understands. I had the same problem when my 8 year old german shepard/austrailian shepard died. My dog seemed to know as soon as we came home from the vet. I think they can feel what you feel, and if you have the strong feeling of loss that I'm sure you have (I'm very sorry and I empathize) your dog will feel that and have a general idea. Like all creatures, including humans, it takes a while to set in. My dog moped for six months. It was very sad. Taking the bed away probably would do more harm than good, because if your dog does know, or will soon, seperating her from her connection to her friend might cause her stress. Also, nothing aside from time will eliminate their ability to smell the other dog in the house. I would watch her closely to see what she does and how she copes; if she doesn't seem to want to lay in the bed, it probably upsets her, so I would say get rid of it. If she sleeps in it, I would keep it. I'm so sorry and good luck.
2007-02-13 08:19:51 · answer #1 · answered by FlowerChild 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's fine as long as the food you're giving him has high protein content. Check the ingredients and make sure the first ingredient is some form of meat. If it's not you should switch both your dogs' food so they get proper nutrition. As for the puppy give him calcium supplements, that's pretty much the only real difference between puppy and adult food (besides the size of the chunks) Large breed puppy chow isn't all that great for em anyway honestly, it's got stuff in it that slows down their growth and if they stay on it too long will actually stunt the growth. For the Calcium supplements, you can actually use human calcium vitamins you get at the store, just give em a smaller dose than a human. This will help him build big strong bones and can also help prevent hip issues when he's older.
2016-05-24 05:55:15 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
First, I'm very sorry about your boxer. Second, I wouldn't change the bedding. It's probably comforting.. If your best friend died and you had only 1 shirt that smelled like her wouldn't you want to keep it and smell it? Maybe the other dog doesn't know the boxer is dead, but she probably knows something is up. She will realize and take comfort in the bed. Also, maybe get a stuffed animal in the bed since they slept together. The stuffed animal will start to smell like him and maybe she'll like snuggling up to that. Best of luck to you.
2007-02-13 07:34:14 · answer #3 · answered by Shassica 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't change the bed yet, they can still smell them there. And yes they will notice the absence. for awhile your dog will mope around the house and maybe not even feel like eating. We had a similar situation, we just gave the dogs we had still a little more love and attention. In time they do forget. In my case I think it was a few weeks before they quit looking for their friend. sorry to hear about your dog...:(
2007-02-13 06:56:46 · answer #4 · answered by shorty 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i'm sorry for ur loss ; ( i also have 2 chihuahuas who do just about everything together (they're brother & sister), including sleeping on the same doggy bed. the brother almost died & i'm so grateful he didn't. u should talk to ur dog & tell her what happened. when mine was deathly ill i talked to him, comforted him & encouraged him to get better. he's doing great now. let her sleep on the old bed that way she can smell his scent. at least that can comfort her w/o her partner being there.
2007-02-13 07:03:15 · answer #5 · answered by DoMeStIc GoDdEsS 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Im not to sure about if taking the bed away will distress her, but I just wanted to say Im very sorry for your loss :(
2007-02-13 06:52:45 · answer #6 · answered by Brother Daz 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that happened to me i had litter mates when the male died at the age of 9 the female wouldnt go into their old bed so i just took it away
2007-02-13 07:25:49 · answer #7 · answered by Lupita06 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would give your dog lots of love
2007-02-14 05:18:46 · answer #8 · answered by TJ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋