calliecritturs
Posted : 3/26/2007 7:08:46 PM
I don't think anything exists that is as concrete as you are wishing for. At least not in my experience.
I too have had many come thru my doors who were in various stages of starving -- and all with very different responses to food. I honestly think it has much to do with the dog's personal temperament, what sort of abuse/neglect went on and the animal's own conclusions as to trust in this new situation.
I had one dog who was a mere whisper but she had been abused emotionally mercilessly -- it had been someone's mission in life to just plain terrify Millie (my name for her -- I took her off the street). This dog was literally 'gun shy' (I took her out of the ghetto) and any strong/loud/staccato sound would send her orbital and leave her trembling for hours.
It took me weeks to get her to trust me enough to eat and enjoy food. Food had obviously been used as part of the terror campaign by humans -- food from your hand was NEVER to be trusted. Kibble made noise -- it was scarey. The idea of having to stand where others were (I don't allow 'stealing' from each other -- everyone pretty well puts their nose in their dish and eats and leaves everyone alone, and mealtime is quiet and peaceful) scared her and it took her days to eat much at all (and only then, I think, because it smelled so good).
Conversely, I had another dog who had been horribly starved. She was a puppy (only 5 months old when we took her) and had been so failing to thrive (mostly from gross starvation) that the mere sight of food sent her into a panic. If anyone even stepped TO the kitchen she would panic, cry and completly fall apart with the anticipation that she was gong to EAT. She would gorge whatever she got and I had to hand-feed her to keep her eating slowly enough so she oculd digest it.
And I have had them in all stages of in between. But honestly when we take in these souls who have known such deprivation and abuse, I think food becomes this incredibly complex issue -- some of it may be 'stages' (where they become so unused to food that they almost can't process it -- that happens in humans who are anorexic and literally can't eat normally for a long time after beginning to eat again), but it think a good share of it is also mental and emotional.
In a normal state most dogs will become aggressive to get food (and kill if need be to feed themselves). But not all have those alpha tendencies. So I think you get this complicated ball of whatever trauma they've been thru -- was the dog simply feral and on its own in an area where there was no natural food source, or was it a victim of abuse by humans or other animals who wouldn't allow it to eat, etc. Add to that their own personality -- if they distrust humans it may be very difficult for them to allow themselves to take food from you, despite the fact that others in your care may have no such qualms about it.
Fear can be a powerful motivator. It can drive a dog not to accept help despite it being freely offered. Or it can also temp an animal to gorge now because it's afraid food will be withdrawn later.
I wish I had something more concrete to offer you. Learning to crawl inside their brains and figure out what motivates them is a life-long study -- at least for me.
As you unravel the mystery of Essie, please share it -- I truly think that what one of us learns can be incredible valuable to others.