a reply to:
blend57
If she's cringing, she's been abused, but I can tell that already just by looking at her body language in the photo. The dried blood could be hers,
in that case. If she's been hurt around her mouth area it could be preventing her from eating. My pitbull has broken teeth from trying to chew
through the 30lb chain she was on her entire life, and can only eat very soft things. Also, no...she should not be that skinny, but abused dogs are
often denied food as punishment too. If they've been starved long enough, their stomachs will not send a signal to their brain that they are hungry,
and often they will not eat. I would strongly advise you to take her to a vet to make sure she doesn't have any internal injuries. If she followed
you ten miles at a run, you can bet that she wanted away from her environment.
The cringing may never stop...my pit still does it, and she knows I would never hit her. But it'll be less dramatic if you squat down to pet her and
reach your hand out to her from under chin level...it's less threatening that way, and with patience and time she may drop the behavior. This girl
needs a lot of love and understanding; she has been through a lot. I am an animal communicator and dog trainer...commonly called a "whisperer". If
you need help, don't hesitate to send me a U2U. Thank you for saving her...whether you realize it or not, that's what you did, and she trusts you.
That is priceless.
ETA: You can feed her a simple meal of baked or boiled chicken and brown rice. That is far better for her than any prepared dog food, and will help
her put on weight. I don't feed my dogs anything but food I prepare for them....it is far less expensive than purchasing dog food, and better for
them. I season my dogs' food with a pinch of sea salt, fresh basil and garlic powder, which also repels fleas and ticks...I never put chemicals on
their skin and they never get fleas. She will not eat, no matter how hungry she should be, if food was used as a punishment. You'll have to coax
her.
When we do street rescue, we take cheeseburgers with us, and even the most emaciated dogs will be interested in them. You've got to get her to eat,
because they can and they will starve themselves to death if they have been subjected to punishment involving food. It is one of the cruelest forms
of animal abuse, and we have to euthanize dogs sometimes because they simply will not eat, no matter what we try. She's not that far gone, so it
should be pretty easy to coax her into eating. Try a plain cheeseburger
edit on 31196America/ChicagoThu, 13 Aug 2015 18:19:51 -050031pm31224America/Chicago by tigertatzen because: eta