Poppy Eats...Everything!

Poppy is SO spoiled! He eats out of raised (shh, cat) food bowls that match our household decor. He is fed a quarter cup of lamb based rice meal natural dog food for small breeds twice a day. Meal time is 10:30am and 5pm because he will not eat before 10am. He has a bed located in the livingroom as well as the bedroom, but starts off at night in our bed and later migrates to the floor. He has 3 leashes, 2 body harnesses, a ball, a Kong, and 2 small squeeky toys. I bought him a fleece lion costume and 2 sweaters that my mother is altering to have velcro instead of paw holes. Poppy also uses my son's foam back/arm rest (like you'd put on a poor recliner. It has a cup holder) as an incline for hopping on/off the couch. He partakes in tiny pieces of soft and chewy liver-based treats to equal about a half a bone per day, but we recently introduced some carefully chosen snacks to his diet.

Cheese - We had been giving Poppy cheese wit his meds. I may give him a nickle-sized piece of cheese when I'm making myself a sandwich, but I don't really want to experiment with cheese. I think it might make his stool loose, which isn't something we need right now at all.

Peanut Butter - We put peanut butter in Poppy's Kong last night and I'm telling you he reacted like a kid on espresso shots after he ate it all. My bf used a knife to put a small amount in the kong, but mama knows how to do it. I washed my hands and rubbed another small glob up in there with my finger, smushing it on the sides. What? It's clean! Poppy went crazy last night, not sure if even he knew whether he wanted to sleep in bed or run from my side to my boyfriend's side. He has to be picked up to get in bed, so it was loads of fun...for Poppy. He's dog napping in his livingroom bed right now, waiting for his 10:30am feeding. Poppy will not be getting a small glob of peanut butter after 5pm from now on. I don't think he'll get it very often, since it's not meat protien.
I've deemed Peanut butter responsable for a "Doggy hangover" because poor Poppy is dog napping today via his sugar-induced sleepless partying last night, 'Serves you right, you party animal.' lol

Carrots - I researched the heck out of them first! Online says they're much healthier than treats and pretty much all dogs love them. They make stool orange because my lil carnivore doesn't digest them as much. I picked up some baby carrots today and he seems to enjoy them. He eats meals so fast, but has to actually chew a carrot. I'm thinking of making him some carrot puree to freeze in his Kong, but I want to see how things come out before giving him anymore carrots. I bet he'd prefer carrot chips instead of whole baby carrots, so I'll add them to our grocery list. I'll probably steam some carrots for the family to help speed up the bag I bought today. There's no way Poppy could eat that whole bag before they go bad.

Here's a list of Foods To Avoid from a website I seem to end up on a lot: http://www.chihuahuainfoonline.com/2009/05/foods-chihuahuas-should-avoid.html
Common sense says don't get your dog drunk or high, but this list also includes garlic, potatoes, and onions. It notes that dairy products can cause diarrhea. Ahh, ok.

An ezine article says:

Many fruits and vegetables are dangerous for dogs to consume. They can cause liver damage, breathing problems, heart problems, and more. Grapes, onions, tomatoes, avocados, and apples should all be avoided.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1758428

I concluded that apples would come out like sauce, but I've heard other people feed their Chi apples sometimes.

Our boy would eat anything handed to him from the counter, including any medicine you poorly squished in a square of cheese. He's not picky; he's ravinous. If you stick your hand in his bowl during the 2 minutes it takes him to eat, he will scoot to the other side of the bowl and continue to chow quickly.  I love watching Poppy carry his kibble towards me for approval as he eats. I also love that he carries every treat to his bed to gnaw on, even though I shake his bed out to be sure nothing is able to rot or crumble. There's never any crumbs of course. 

Poppy is recovering from diarrhea from all the Doxy the shelter gave him and from the stress of adoption. He finally has been having about 2 bowel movements a day, early morning and lastly in the evening, so I felt confident to experiment with new foods. I gave him the peanut butter yesterday and his bowels were of equal consistancy this morning. I gave him two small carrots today and I've learned to bring a flashlight on our night walks to look at the poo poo, so we'll see. As a mom, I'm a firm believer in two things: 1. Time intake and output will follow closely and 2. Knowing the color and consistancy of poop/vomit are vital signs as to whether the person/animal is healthy.  As gross as this may sound, every parent should know this.

Please note that our little guy is 6 pounds and looks rather thin, but we're certainly not rushing his weight. Instead, we're experimenting slowly with thuroughly researched foods. I'm not concerned with whether he earns his treats right now because he's 4 years old and has never soiled inside. I can't ask much more than that from him right now. Maybe he'll earn treats later? Poppy gets snacks about once or twice a day in very small amounts. I'd say he gets about a nickle to quarter sized amount of something twice a day at most.

JUST IN CASE: I've questioned what to do if Poppy eats something bad. The best answer I've gotten came to me from my neghbor, whose dog ate some of a Christmas poinsetta. His vet said to let the teany dog lick a half cap of peroxide. The dog will enjoy eating it and vomit the entire contents of the stomach. I researched this and found that it's certainly sure, true, and recommended in emergency cases. It sounds quite painful, but well worth it to save your pet's life. I hope I never have to do this to Poppy!

Poppy did eat a cigarette butt off the grass on a bedtime potty break once. This and Poppy's love of tasting unattended poo are major reasons a flashlight goes with us on dark potty breaks now. I thought the pinch of cheese stick I gave him did him in, but I found the butt within the dry clump in the trash the next morning. Shame on people who chuck their butts off of their porch! I go out there and clean our stairs and grass of butts and sometimes kid foods often because it's so over-littered it looks gross. I've found pizza crust, watermellon, super salty goldfish crackers, and sometimes candy wrappers in our alcove. I've routinely cleaned the alcove and property area long before Poppy's arrival because of OCD and embarrassment, so Poppy's diet is just another incentive to make me appear less crazy when I clean.

I don't mean to trash talk or gossip, but I suspect these litter bugs are the ones who abandoned the kittens I found before adopting Poppy. They let their very adorable, well-behaved puppy go untreated for fleas and bowel worms without a leash! He follows super close behind his polite friendly 20-something year old owner. I think these neighbors are sloppy and not entirely as responsable as I'd think they should be, BUT they all hold jobs and occasionally have casual conversations when we cross paths. You can't damn them for trying! They will get an ash tray, flea collar, and something nice like an orniment or a nice candle set for Christmas from us. That reminds me, when the rain drys up, my son will have to walk Poppy while I go on a butt clearing rampage.