I'm trying to understand why Fiona is "acting" this way with her cuddly toy. She got a new plushie a few days ago, and she's behaving quite strangely with it.
She hasn't shredded it (which is very rare for her), and she's taking great care of it.
She hides it at the back of her crate and sits on top of it so no one can take it. She also dives under the duvets with it in her mouth, and if we're unlucky enough to take it from her, she jumps up and whines until we give it back.
In the end, we don't actually play with her using this toy because I feel like it's driving her a bit mad.
Then she'll pick it up in her mouth, wander all over the house with it, and look for THE perfect spot to hide it and herself away.
If she can't find the right spot, she whines and paces around in circles.
Does anyone have an explanation for this?
A few photos:
Translated from French
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Hi Zei,
No, I didn't think to check this morning or yesterday. I could always ask the dog walker to have a look, but I think it can wait until I do it myself this evening; I'll probably be able to tell the difference better that way.
EDIT: She’s licking herself constantly, but she’s kept those habits from when she had mange, so I haven't noticed a huge difference there. Her teats, I haven't been able to check those yet, but as for the rest... Well, I have a feeling she is.
"The female starts hiding away and nesting, her teats swell and produce a whitish or brownish discharge (similar to milk), she becomes restless and irritable, obsessively licking her vulva and teats, moving less and going off her food. Some dogs look for dolls, soft toys or cushions to take to their bed or nesting area, and treat them as if they were puppies.
I read these symptoms on a pet advice site. Aside from the soft toy part, does this sound about right?"
Her health comes first, that’s for sure! If the surgery goes ahead on Friday, it’ll be one less thing for us to worry about – as for her, she couldn’t care less, clearly. If the op can’t happen, we’ll push our holiday back to the end of February so we can look after her properly. It’s not that much of a hassle, really.
And in my opinion, out of all the dogs adopted from the RSPCA, your girl must be in the top 10 for best families.
Honestly, you really shouldn't beat yourself up for putting it off. Your dog's health has to come first. It’s not like puppies are going to magically appear just because you’ve postponed it by a month. Her health is what matters most. And you've got even less reason to feel guilty towards the RSPCA. Before you committed to getting her spayed, you committed to looking after her. To be honest, out of all the rescue dogs out there, your girl must have ended up in one of the top ten best homes.
I completely understand... Yeah, I'm sure they'll still understand. Just tell yourself it's better to get this sorted out beforehand so the surgery goes smoothly afterwards :)
Yeah, but the problem is I’ve got an agreement with the RSPCA to have her spayed within six months of adoption at the latest. We’re already past the deadline because of the demodectic mange she had, and this would push it back even further... I mean, they’re not daft, they do understand, but it’s still annoying.
