Pet Food Mysteries

Hi folks! I'm back! The art shows were a bust, don't bother asking. But
we had fun anyway.

Remember, I won those free food coupons for Persia's prescription x/d
formula? Okay, no problem there. But when I dropped her off there was just
a dribble of kibble in the bag I had at home LOL So I asked them to open a
new bag for her, which I'd be "purchasing" and also make sure I had a 2nd
bag to bring home as well.

When they brought out the bags of Hill's x/d, the one they'd opened from
which to feed her only had about a quarter of the food left. She eats 1/2 a
cup a day on *their* orders. One of those bags lasts a month. I was only
gone 2 weeks. I commented on it, you betcha. The response was, "Hmmmm.
Dunno. They were using a measure to feed her." I don't want to suspect
them of disregarding her feeding orders. Nor do I want to suspect them of
feeding another cat from *my* bag of food. But something definitely isn't
right. No way did she eat 3/4 of a bag (4 pound bag!) in 2 weeks. But what
more could I do? If I were actually *paying* for that bag I'd probably have
raised hell.

Takayuki...

That's odd. Does she look fluffier? Well, two weeks off her diet
probably isn't too bad. I'm glad you're back!

jmcquown...

She actually looks more slim in the fact and around her tailbones but she's
still fat, er, fluffy, around her middle. She's been sticking to me like
glue so it's hard to tell, really. I need some distance to get perspective!

Jill <--not complaining because she's right there in my lap!

jmcquown...

I will pull out the motor again (yes the impeller is in place)... the motor
doesn't run at all when I plug it in :( And yes, I tried different outlets.
I'm afraid I'm going to have to buy another one and my budget really doesn't
allow for it at this time. But Persia loves her fountain! I'll find a way
if I can't get it going again.

Magic Mood Jeep©...

I *think* you can order replacement parts. According to the PDF listing on
their web site, the part is the motor with impellor and 'o' ring, costs
$18.50 - I don't see anything about shipping/handling though. The form

jmcquown...

I took it apart again and cleaned it as though I'd never cleaned and drained
it before I left town. This time when I plugged it in, the motor whirred
and the fountain is operating now! YAY! I guess it just didn't like being
left empty for 2 weeks?

states:
To place an order, call 866-322-2530 (toll free) or mail this form with
payment to:
P.O. Box 19717 - Reno, NV 89511
Make checks payable to: Veterinary Ventures, Inc.

and there are 3 links to PDF forms: parts list/order form, fountain manual,
reservoir manual

Also, their "Contact Us" page gives 3 emails (in addition to address &
phone/fax #s): Customer Service, Export Assistance and Trade Shows - two of
these emails appear to be the same.

Hope Weeb's Precious Persia gets her fountain back in running conditions
soon!~

Then I got home. Let's see if I can explain this so it makes sense.
Peaches' open bag of pellets had torn and I was sealing it with a big rubber
band rather than the zip-top. Rather than have them deal with that, I took
an unopened bag of food for her. So now I'm back home and I go to take the
bag of Pretty Bird from the plastic shopping bag. I had to look twice; it
was *never opened*! HUH? I looked in her food dish; yes, I recognize it as
the food I normally feed her and it's been freshly filled.

They don't treat birds. Yes, they board them; they have an avian vet from
down the street on call should they need one. They would have no reason to
have a bag of Pretty Bird Select laying around.

So, Persia's food was scarfed by feline spirits? And Peaches' food just
magically appeared without them having to open the bag I brought for her?
I'm totally confused.

I'll take a little time to go through the posts now that I've gotten Persia
settled down. She's still doing the occasional her tour of the apartment
and letting out the occasional "I'm HOME!" yowl ;) Can't promise to read
all the posts after a 2 week absence so of course, purrs and prayers to all
who need them. That's a given!

Jo Firey...

You have said before that after a stay at the vet, Persia seems a bit extra
fluffy and also complains more about her limited rations?

I'm guessing that yes, maybe they measure her food, but that somebody is
giving her extra treats as well. Or more than one person in measuring out
her food.

And if more than one bird was being boarded perhaps they both brought Pretty

Jo Firey...

Really glad you got it going again. Its so frustrating when something like
that won't work. Especially when you are pretty sure it isn't broken.

jmcquown...

Thanks, me too! All I did before I left was drain it, clean it and then not
refill it or plug it back in. So naturally I got a little frustrated when
it wouldn't start up again upon my return.

Bird Select with them and only one birds bag got opened.

Somewhere there is someone else wondering just what happened to all her bird
food. And why her cat food is all still there.

jmcquown...

I just called and talked to the office manager, Candy. She's the one who
orders the food for all the animals.

She said it's entirely possible no one checked Persia's chart about the 1/2
cup of food a day. (Normally when I bring in a bag I have a sticker on it
with a note 1/2 c. a day; this was a bag newly opened by them.) She also
said if the food was untouched they would normally throw it out and replace
it with fresh which could possibly account for the excess usage. I can
certainly picture Persia being upset and off her feed a little bit during my
long absence! But I do call every few days to see how both she and Peaches
are doing and no one mentioned her not eating. And she (luckily) loves this
prescription food!

They had no other birds boarded during this period of time; she was
completely stumped as to why the bag I brought in was unopened and yet the
food dish was freshly filled with her normal food when I picked her up. She
doesn't keep bird food in stock so she was as puzzled as I am about that.

tension_on_the_wire...

So either she wasn't eating and they didn't tell me when I

tension_on_the_wire...

I have a theory: they fed the bird using the cat food! 8^P

The groomers are the ones who also handle the feeding of boarded pets. They
are off on Wednesday; she's going to ask some questions tomorrow and will
call me back.

mlbriggs...

As long as your pets are well and happy, does it really matter?

count your blessings that none got sick in your absence. Best wishes.

jmcquown...

This is a post which reappeared from 2 months ago. Not an issue any longer!

mlbriggs...

Yep! Just popped up from outer space. MLB

MLB