Ask the Animal Communicator: My Dog Is Always Hungry!

by Shannon Cutts

Updated: November 23rd, 2022 Published: October 31st, 2022

Dogs are not the world’s most popular companion animals for nothing. A dog can be the most loving and devoted pet you can imagine. But this can also make it even more painful to deal with when your pet dog develops “problem” behaviors like begging at the table, staring at you while you eat and pestering guests for food. What else can you try when everything else you’ve tried fails? You can ask the animal communicator, of course!

Photo credit: Jaromir Chalabala/Shutterstock

Dear Shannon,

My dog, Maxie, is a seven-year-old Border Collie. She is a delightful companion – smart, sociable, and very gentle with our kids and their friends. There is just one problem. She is a bottomless pit. I swear she is never not hungry! We’ve had to dog-proof the refrigerator because Maxie figured out how to open it. We can’t store food in the bottom kitchen cupboards or the lower shelves of the pantry because Maxie will steal it and make such a mess. And when our family sits down for meals she paces and stares and whines and visits each of us, nudging us with her nose and paws and just generally being a pest. We don’t have people over that often, but when we do we have to confine Maxie to the bedroom to keep her away from the appetizers….and the guests. I’ve tried feeding Maxie more often (she gets a special kibble that her veterinarian recommends for her age and life stage) and we’ve tried using treat toys and slow feeders, but nothing works to take the edge off her hunger. Her vet says she is healthy and her latest labs look good. I don’t know what else to try.

Can you talk to her?

Polly, mom to Maxie, the all-you-can-eat dog

Shannon’s reply:

Hi Polly,

First things first – I want you to know I can personally relate to what you share. We have a dachshund who acts like we haven’t fed him in a week every time he eats….and every time we eat. Just so you know I get how irritating and frustrating your situation can feel!

It sounds like you have an excellent canine veterinarian who is doing all the right things to make sure Maxie’s constant hunger doesn’t point to an underlying health imbalance. I think when you hear what Maxie had to share with me, her behavior will make more sense and generate some new ideas you can try.

Maxie does come across as very intelligent, high energy and playful. She is a joyful being who loves her life and her family – you. But when I asked her about food, her energy turned chaotic. By that I mean – she showed me that she is clearly as frustrated by the situation as you are.

I asked Maxie what her favorite food is, and she showed me a big plate piled high with all kinds of different colorful foods. The platter was steaming hot and had the most enticing aromas. It definitely looked a lot more like “people” food than dog kibble. This food had a lot of different tastes and textures and she showed me herself sitting around the table eating with you just like she was a person instead of a dog.

When I showed her a mental picture of herself eating the kibble you described out of her dog bowl, her energy suddenly felt very subdued and sad. When I showed her a mental picture of the yummy platter again and her sitting at the table with you, her energy perked back up again.

Next, I used some applied kinesiology to ask Maxie if she would benefit from more of a home-cooked diet rather than dog kibble and got a strong “yes.” Of course you should talk with your veterinarian to choose the best fresh food diet, whether raw, reconstituted fresh or something in between.

Then I asked Maxie to tell me about her begging behaviors and she showed me an image of a whole group of dogs gathered together having fun. Then off to the side, away from the happy group, she showed me herself looking sad and lonely. The feeling that came with this image was one of being left out rather than hungry. Maxie comes across as a dog who loves to be the life of the party and chairperson of the guest greeting committee. She wants to have a part to play in your family – it almost feels like she is asking for a job to do and a way to participate. You may want to brainstorm some special “jobs” Maxie could do when you have parties and even when you are preparing daily meals. For example, if she knows how to open the frig, perhaps this could be a job she does for you to “help” you as you are getting dinner ready.

Polly, I truly hope this information helps you to find some balance between mealtime harmony and meeting Maxie’s needs for meal variety and socialization. Please do keep in touch and let me know how it goes.

From my heart,

Shannon

Shannon Cutts

Shannon Cutts is an intuitive animal communicator and Reiki master practitioner with Animal Love Languages. Shannon works through the universal love language of all species to connect with her pet clients – deep listening. Deep listening activates empathy, allowing Shannon to literally feel what an animal is feeling, listen in to their thoughts, experience what they are experiencing and then relay all of that information to the pet parent. Visit Shannon at www.animallovelanguages.com

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Cancer doesn’t discriminate – it affects all creatures around the world, including our cherished pets. Learning that your  dog has cancer can be such a devastating thing, but sadly, it is so common nowadays. John Robertson, research professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics at Virginia Tech says in his interview for  WTOP News  that “one in four dogs will be diagnosed with cancer,” and that “by the time they’re middle-aged, 50% of dogs will die of cancer after the age of 10 years.”Professor Robertson is part of a vast research team that has developed an innovative new noninvasive rapid test that utilizes a dog’s urine and allows potential early detection of cancer. “Usually, when a dog gets diagnosed with cancer, it’s usually quite advanced, with visible signs — we’re trying to detect cancer before these physical symptoms appear,” said fellow researcher Ryan Senger, associate professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. “Cancer is going to change overall metabolism inside the body, and it’s going to change the way the kidneys function, which can be observed in the urine screening process,” Senger added.Through samples of dog urine, the research team discovered that cancerous subjects amongst the observed molecules had a unique “fingerprint” that could be used to indicate the presence of cancer. “We would like to be able to have dogs screened earlier, before cancer develops, throughout their lifetime, perhaps a once-a-year urine specimen,” said Robertson. “That tells us what the molecular fingerprint of the urine is, so if it changes and falls into that realm of fingerprints that define cancer, we’d be able to pay more attention to figure out what’s going on with the dog.”Robertson also added that there are 12 breeds of purebred dogs that have a much higher incidence of cancer. “We’re going to focus on being able to institute early, regular screening that’s going to help pick up earlier when they’re developing cancer, in the hopes that we can get better outcomes.”However, veterinary care is typically subsidized by the owner, Robertson emphasized, which is opposite to medical care, which is often paid for by insurance. “So, we intend to make our tests readily available at a price point that everyone can afford to regularly have their dog examined and screened.”, the professor added. Robertson said that urine screening is currently being researched, to determine whether it could be applied to humans as well, potentially bringing great changes to the discovery of cancer cells. The team’s findings were published in  Frontiers in Veterinary Science and make us very optimistic for the future of preventive veterinary medicine – an inexpensive, accurate way to screen for a potentially fatal illness could be life-changing for so many pets and their owners. Not to mention the implications if such a test could be adapted to be used on humans, as well! 

A Former Elvis Impersonator Adopts Elvis, the Dog Who No One Wanted

Elvis, the only dog who didn’t get adopted at Anti Cruelty’s Fall in Love adoption event, finally found a forever home with an owner who used to work as an Elvis Presley impersonator. A three-year-old pit bull terrier mix was the only pooch out of 22 dogs and 39 cats who didn’t find a forever home at the November 11 adoption event. After the event, Elvis had to be sent back to his kennel which served as his home for around four months.Shortly after the event, the shelter took to social media to ask for help finding this handsome boy a forever home. The post that has gone viral said: “Elvis is the only dog that didn’t find a home during our Fall in Love adoption event. He met a lot of potential adopters but sadly did not get adopted. Help us find Elvis a family to love!”In the post, the shelter described Elvis as a “three-year-old meatball” with “the silliest personality.”“His giant smile lights up every room he enters. Elvis is a snuggler, so he hopes you’re okay giving up your personal space.”Elvis arrived at the shelter as an injured stray dog. Since the pooch didn’t put weight on his hind leg, the shelter took X-rays which showed a fractured pelvis. Although the fracture healed completely during his stay at the shelter, Elvis might be prone to arthritis in the future. A few days later this handsome boy found his forever home! And this is where things get really interesting. The couple who adopted the cute pup has a special connection to him - one of them used to be an Elvis Presley impersonator.Loren Agron, one of the pup’s new dads, worked as an Elvis-impersonating waiter at Ed Debevic’s, a 1950s-themed diner where staff entertained customers with choreographed dance routines. Agron dressed up as Elvis Presley and called himself Elvis Parsley.“I wore a black cowboy shirt and quintessential giant Elvis sunglasses, I had long sideburns and my hair was all pumped up and slicked back,” Agron told The Washington Post.“Elvis has always been a big part of my life because I’ve always loved music from that era,” he added.First, Agron went to the shelter to meet Elvis alone, and then he came back with his partner, Drew Wilhelm. “While we were sitting in the waiting room to meet him, I felt like a father waiting for his newborn son to arrive,” said Wilhelm. “As soon as I saw him, I knew that was our dog,” he added. “He couldn’t stop jumping on us, he was so excited we were there to see him.”The couple adopted Elvis that day and took him to his forever home.  “Elvis has left the building,” the shelter wrote alongside a photo of the happy family. “His adopters have been waiting for the right time to welcome a dog into their family, and once they saw Elvis on the news, they couldn’t deny that it was fate.”The couple plans to keep the handsome pup’s legendary name and smitten with their new four-legged companion. “The couple is head over heels in love with their new family member and already has a dog bed and tons of toys waiting for him at his forever home,” the shelter wrote in a post. “Loren is a dedicated ACS supporter and has hosted many of the ACS’s fundraising events at Chicago’s fabulous drag queen, Debbie Fox. We couldn’t be happier for Elvis who finally got his happily ever after!”Join the PetGuide community. Get the latest pet news and product recommendations by subscribing to our newsletter here.

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