I was hoping to get some help/suggestions with a new issue regarding my 12 y/o brittany. In general, she is a bit of a timid dog- not super socialized with other dogs, more of a people person, has thunder and gunshot fears, and can be a little nervous when cornered by little children. She also is hypothyroid (which is managed by medication).
So- the story. About a week or so ago, she refused to eat. She does this on occasion, and I chalk it up to an upset tummy which usually resolves itself within a day or two, some grass eating and a big poop. She is fed Halo dry food mixed with wellness wet food, fed at the same time every day, and usually is doing the "brittany prance" when she is hungry and ready to eat. However, she is still turning her nose up at her food, and doesn't seem to excited to eat. I thought stomach bug at first, however she is pooping normally, and with alot- I MEAN ALOT of persuasion (cheese, chicken stock, treats, tuna juice) will finally eat her food. She is also just sitting in the same spot on the couch during the day and sometimes shivers with nervousness. However, walks have the same amount of enthusiasim as well as running around in the yard. She is also drinking water ok.
I think something happened in regards to our routine/behavior to make her not want to eat from her bowl in the kitchen. If I bring the food out to her on the couch, she will eat it. She gobbled up some treats and rogue pizza crust no problem yesterday. So she is eating.
The only thing that I can think, is now my 9 month old daughter is crawling all over the place and we have to try to gate areas off. She does have access to the kitchen, just from the dining room, not her usual entry way from the living room. And I also will take up her bowl if the baby is crawling in the kitchen. I think she might just be afraid of the kid? and is now just staying on the couch to avoid the baby chasing after her (I do my best to never leave them alone together). I am really at a loss on how to manage/correct this, make her feel more comfortable about eating normally. At this point she is only eating 1 meal a day, and we have to really work at gettting her to eat it. Its making me and my husband super concerned. Any advice would be helpful, appreciated, since of course we are keeping the baby and the dog and we have to find ways to keep the baby out of certain areas of the house. Thanks!!