taking care of my friends dog while she is in the hospital

[aggie49]

i do not mind doing it but she is a pain in the butt she wants up on my furniture and i won't let her up on it she won't eat for me i know she is missing her mom but i don't let me own pets up on my furniture so she will not get up on mine either but i do worry about her not wanting to eat her food if you have any ideas let me know please

[betlynjua]

It can be frustrating to say the least when pet sitting under the circumstances that you are experiencing. 

As far as not wanting to eat, just try to be patient and give her a little time.  If she is the type of dog who likes a calm environment, try creating that for her.  Talk to her calmly and quietly.  Hopefully this will re-assure her that everything is fine. 

I'm convinced that pets can easily sense when things are not quite right.  Your friend's pooch needs to know that she is cared for and loved. 

Wishing you all the best.   

[Penwoir]

I would recommend bringing a little "home fom home" with her. For instance, does the dog have a favorite rug or dog bed that can be retrieved from her original home. Then she can connect your home with her own home. You might want to keep the dog beg close to the sofa, so she can be near to it (and you), but not on it.  Dogs don't know the rules until you tell them. So when you see the dog on the sofa, use a firm, low tone in your voice to say "No!". Make a fuss of her when she has followed the rules and gone to her own bed. As far as not eating is concerned, she absolutely knows something is up and as with humans, when there is upset in the house, the first thing to go is your appetite. That's okay even for quite some time, so long as she is drinking water. I recall a vet advising me to feed plain chicken and rice for a pet with appetite issues. Let us know how you get on.

[SherylsShado]

Penwoir had alot of excellent ideas!!

You Tube has music made for pets to help with anxiety, & to help them relax...just go to You Tube & type in "music to relax my pet" and up will come alot of choices, I use the 8 hour one alot for my cats & dog...they LOVE it.

I adopted a dog whose owner passed away unexpectedly about 5 months ago and the first few weeks, he wasn't eating much and all he wanted to do was sleep.      He's doing much better now but still has some emotional issues that need work.  Their routine has changed, they miss their humans, they miss their "lives"...they get "homesick" just like people.  Patience, extra attention, daily fun excercise, and some healthy "goodies" help make it not so bad for them.

Good luck!! 

[Sendmicheck]

That's a good thing you are doing for your friend by taking care of her pet.  I hope she will feel better soon.

[colbtrist]

I hope your friend gets better and you are a nice person. It sounds like a sad situation.

[sak4kat]

I commend you for taking a dog into your home for a friend.  We watched a dog in a friends home and that was hard enough.  Poor doggie was so nervous of us.  I hope your friends gets better soon.  I think the idea of bringing something home would be reassuring?

[Bigpar31]

That was very nice of you to take care of your friends pets.

[nmbrown863]

I think it is really nice that you are doing that for your friend. My husband was out of town for 3 days the other day and even though I was there with my dog she still only ate her dog food once.

[tantricia44]

Separation issues, bring some familiar items to your home. Try to get the owner to call or video call so the dog can see & hear her owner.

[minioncookies]

Hope your friend gets better soon and I that is very sweet and generous to take care of there animal while there in the hospital

[lhz123]

Pray for you friend to get better and good job for you.