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ink-e-fox · 6 years

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All He Needed Was a Spark

Commission/Art trade with @axis-intercept!! It took FAR too long, but here it is! My first attempt at Medic x Pyro for the artist that never fails to make me smile ---- Before Pyro, the doctor was an old man. At least, that’s what he told himself- or, rather, that is what the evidence seemed to tell him. Before the Pyro, he was an apathetic divorcee who had very little interest in the world outside of his medical work.

He woke up in the morning and scrubbed a large hand down his face before he took his vitamins, the large pills old men take, for no other reason but to keep a routine. He fed his doves before he brushed his teeth, cooing quietly to them in affectionately soft tones.

Toothbrush in mouth, he hunted for his glasses, not difficult to find, but a hassle when he forgot to place them in their rightful spot before sleeping. 9 times out of 10, he finds them on the floor beside his bed, puts them on, and walks to spit the foam from his mouth.

Then, he dressed. A monotonous and lonesome procedure, wishing he could call out to ask where his socks where instead of having to trace back his mental steps.

He was more lonely than he would like to admit, the greatest joy in his life being the experiments he performed on the other mercenaries stationed at his base, discussing theories with Archimedes perched on his shoulder as he operated, earning odd looks from the other 6 mercs who seemed to be unable to comprehend companionship even if it were to crawl from their chest after an operation.

Days seemed monotonous, nights seemed far too long, accordion was too happy, violin was too sad- the balance of the universe seemed so out of place.

He considered starting over.

He considered social arson.

He considered going back on the run.

When he met the Pyro there was… fascination. There was the figure sitting on his operating table, playing with tongue depressors like faceless puppets- and then there was the man in his file.

The figure was reportedly unwilling to show their face to the world, finding the comfort of the suit to be far more pleasing than properly socializing, though he did try from within the suit, to his credit.

The muffled murmurs could be translated in time, so far the Spy had been able to make out “Good morning,”, the Scout claims to have heard “I will set fire to all things you hold dear,” (though there is some debate about this,) and the laughter was unmistakable.

But, here he was, sitting cross legged on the operating table and murmuring to himself as he played with the tongue depressors and made them speak to one another, seeming to believe he was alone in the room. The action was childlike, fitting with the images the team had caught of unicorns and rainbows in their locker, but the phenomenon seemed more interesting than simply a childish... person.

Medic expected the tongue depressors to go flying out of embarrassment when he made himself known, clearing his throat loudly to signal his presence, but the tongue depressors simply stopped loving, his hands finding a nice place in his lap, his head turning to that the reflective glasses of his mask showed the doctor his own nervousness.

He steeled himself up, held his breath for a moment, then let it out. Things might be easier if he used this as a sign. Back in Rottenburg he had been a hit with the children, to his ex-wife’s surprise (since he seemed to complain about them incessantly,) but he hadn’t put on that smile in years-

He let out all the air in his lungs and breathed in a smile, taking a lollipop from inside one of his desk drawers. “Guten Nachmittag! I am so glad you have come, honestly most of zhese mercenaries seem to be frightened of me,” He actually felt an honest smile poking its way through the falso one. “I cannot understand vhy.” The figure seemed to chuckle a bit and let themselves be distracted by the lollipop in hand “Ah! So you do like sveets! I do too, but I have a proposition for you. If you will take off your suit for zhirty minutes so that I may examine your health, You can have as many lollipops as you would like.”

The figure’s posture changed and Medic felt an honest laugh squeeze out from his lungs in soft clicks as he imagined the eyes beneath the mask going wide with wonder.

“Do we have a deal?”

The figure nodded, reached back to unfasten the mask, and froze in hesitation.

“Perhaps I can take off my coat in a show of trust?” He offered softly, and did nothing to hesitate when he watched the Pyro nod. “See?” He gestured to his arms, bare because his shirtsleeves were rolled up. “I’m fine. Now, you try.”

The man under the mask took the doctor’s breath away. A beautiful creature of pallor and freckles, a tuft of auburn curls growing from a darker base of closely cut hair on the sides of his head. Long lashes fluttered as the man’s green eyes focuses on the new level of light they were being allowed, and his posture seemed to correct itself as he took in a deep breath of unfiltered air and let it out with a self calming sigh.

Medic swallowed “See? Zhat vas not so hard. Ve are going to have to remove most of it zhough, I need to do a full physical if you vill be staying vith us, und I hope zhat you are, ja?”

The redhead looked at the doctor and took another steadying breath before standing and unzipping the suit, letting it fall to the floor, and surprising the doctor when he picked it up and folded it again before he clambered up onto the table once again.

“Very good, very good” The German murmured to himself and pulled his gloves on to begin his medical evaluation.

The younger man jumped when he felt the cold of the stethoscope, huffing out a laugh to himself for that first moment of cold metal shock. He grinned out of one corner of his mouth when he heard the doctor praise him softly for having a strong heart.

“Ve vill have to do some research on your lungs, zhere is a bit of a wheeze zhat shouldn’t necessarily be zhere…” He was taking notes on his clipboard, standing basically between the Pyro’s legs as he did. His eyes found the burn scars on the man’s neck and shoulder, focussing for a moment and then ignoring them completely, a fact that seemed to intrigue the lad being studied.

“You can ask, I don’t mind.” There was no rasp, as one might expect, the Pyro’s voice was obviously used on a regular basis, and it was honestly pure in a honey smooth way.

Medic choked when he heard it. “I vould rather not pry, it looks healed enough to be simply mentioned in a preliminary.”

He walked around the table to view his back, warning him about the cold tool he was using. The Pyro paused in thought “Would you believe I fought a dragon?” He asked curiously.

Medic smiled and chuckled honestly as he scribbled down another note “As fantastic as zhat seems, I doubt you fought a dragon. Lay back?” Pyro did as told and giggled a bit as his body was gently probed for muscle formation notes “Well the dragon was a friend of mine who ate too many spicy candies” The ginger’s grin was infectious, finding the Medic’s mouth and eyes as he quirked a brow

“Oh?”

“Yeup. A few years back we found a candy that was made from ghost peppers and it was so spicy he breathed FIRE!” there was a mischievousness in his eyes and his brows wagged in a knowing entertaining way.

To Medic, the transformation from childish to casually entertaining was fascinating, his subject’s mind seemed to work slightly differently behind his mask, or perhaps there was a feeling of accepting anonymity- that was for another time.

“I have to ask, did your friend survive breathing fire?”

“Oh, he had some chocolate milk and was fine. I was the one who ended up in the hospital. That one, there was no nice doctors to offer me candies for sitting still.” He grinned wide, like middle school-er who had told the funniest joke he’d ever heard.

The child and the man were united, the Pyro had a spectrum of behaviors, and it was drawing the Medic in, not simply as a study subject but as a personality. “I think that all doctors should have candies, for adults and children-” he paused with a laugh “And everyone in between.”

Laughing was an odd sensation now, he did not have many chances to do so since he started with the violence of his current job, but the casual childishness the pyro emitted was intoxicating with his relaxation.

“I think you can put the suit on, but I need to ask you a few questions, so leave the mask off, ja?”

His companion gave him a thumbs up and stood to slide his legs and arms into his suit, zipping it back up before sitting back up on the table. As a reward, the lollipop was given to him and he immediately popped it into his mouth “Do you have any allergies you know of?”

“I’m allergic to bullshit” He said around the stick of the candy and Medic choked on air, doubling over in laughter.

“Vell, I believe ve share zhat allergy. But I meant food or medicinal, along those lines” He removed his glasses to wipe his eyes.

“Um, I think I’m allergic to bees, shellfish, and probably the French because my trigger finger itches when that spy is around.”

“Gütt Gott” he whispered with a smile “You are witty, I vill give you zhat.”

“Well, most just call me hot headed, but I’ll take the compliment.” He shot finger guns at the Medic with a sly smile and he crunched the lollipop “Oh, damn, I always do that-”

“Any past injuries zhat I should know about before ve do your x-rays tomorrow?” “I suppose you mean if I've broken bones?”

“Ja”

“I assume I am to exclude in bodies other than my own?”

Medic snorted and the glint in the green eyes told him he was looking to find what made him laugh, as if he liked to watch the sight. “Ja. In your own body.” “I broke my arm at 5, my leg at 10, and a rib at 15. With the pattern I’m following, I shouldn't be in danger again for another 3 years. I’ve avoided it the last three cycles.”

Doing the math in his head, medic corrected his age on the paper. They conversed that way for quite a while, by the end of the session the doctor felt like he had worked out his abs more in that hour than in the last year just from laughing.

The pyro grabbed his mask and medic stopped him with a gentle touch to his wrist. “Why do you wear it even off the battlefield?” The smile he received was a bit sadder than he expected “It makes life a little bit more bearable, honestly. When I find something that does the same job, I’ll take it off more.”

He pulled the mask on and fed the stick of his newest lollipop through one of the grates in his mask. He threw the doctor a thumbs up and walked out, leaving that empty feeling from before sinking back into the room.

It was almost a sign.

After the Pyro is the best time he’s lived through. Now, he wakes in the morning feeling refreshed and with another’s scent on his pillow. His lover smells like s’mores, sweet and ashen all at once, making him crave another day of candied smiles and fiery touches.

He sighs deeply with content the moment his alarm rings and his grip tightens on the smaller man before him. His nose buried in auburn locks of hair, to which a hand that is not his either pulls him closer or pushes him away with a murmur of “Oh just ten more minutes…”

He climbs out of bed and dresses, glasses on the moment he wakes so he can see those green eyes every moment he isn’t right next to them. His figure clad in blankets curls to watch the doctor dress and smiles, cracking soft jokes and making them both laugh and hum tenderly to each other.

He has someone to coo at other than the doves while he brushes his teeth, though it leads to lewd “Mouthful” jokes from the Pyro and has him choking on his own laughter and trying not to spit toothpaste all over the mirror.

More often than not, he crawls back into bed, sans his boots and coat, holding the lad with a chuckle and a smile, listening to stories and begging him not to make them late to breakfast again. His greatest joy is watching his lover smile, watching his eyes light up with happiness when playing a game or telling a story.

The doves adore him too, landing on his shoulders and nesting in hi hair when he stays still long enough. Some days they have identical “nesting hair” that the others mistake for “sex hair.”

It was a new beginning.

It was the spark his life honestly needed.

He was never running again.

And the realization came to him all at once as their lips met before both getting up to finish redying for the day- Pyro wore his mask far less often in the past few months. Perhaps he helped Pyro as much as his little spark helped him.

#axis-intercept #medic x pyro #fic #fanfic #art trade #i'm so so sorry #I hope you like it #I'm sorry if it's garbage

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puckish-saint · 7 years

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Scientist reader helping Mei, Mercy, Winston and Torbjorn in science stuff because why not

Mei

Whenever you’re in Mei’s lab youfind yourself vaguely surprised that the orange juice on her deskisn’t boiling. She runs around in only a pair of loose slacks, herbra and her lab coat tied around her waist, brushing across the floorlike peacock feathers. The cold unsettles her.

You greet her by lifting up two boxesof Chinese take-out, the only real food you get when everyone who’scapable of and willing to cook is off base.

“Oh! You thought of me, that’s sonice. Thank you.” she sets her tablet aside and makes some room ather desk, guilty throwing away a handful of candy wrappers, her solesustenance when she can’t be bothered to cook a full meal. Which isalways.

It’s nice to get away from work for abit even if you’re spending the time in the boiler room for one ofthe lower circles of hell. After some brief consideration you slipout of the sleeves of your work overall and tie it around your waist,much like Mei has with her coat. It’s still stifling hot in here,but with one layer of clothes less it becomes endurable.

“So.” you say, coming after a bitof small talk to the real reason you’re here. “I checked thescanners this morning and saw one of your weather stations wentoffline.”

She groans at being reminded of it andpulls up her overview window. She has about a dozen of stationaryautomatic weather stations in her immediate vicinity. Or as immediateas she can afford them to be, what with her being one of the fewscientists still pursuing her research. One of them has a red markermerrily blinking ‘offline’ at you.

“It’s A-02, the one I set up in theAlps. It was probably damaged by falling debris. It’s going to be ahassle arranging transportation and trekking all the way up there torepair or replace it.”

You take a sip of your drink, hummingas if you’re just now deliberating her predicament.

“You know, I could fly you up there.We’d be in and out, no trouble.”“Really?” she asks, eyeslighting up at the prospect of being spared a whole lot ofinconvenience. Then, just as you think you’re getting away with it,her eyes narrow in suspicion. “Wait a second. Haven’t you beenworking on new climbing gear? You’re just looking for a guineapig.”

Guilty as charged. You shrug, smileapologetically.

“I need to see how it works with morethan one person attached. It’s safe, I promise!”

“If you knew it’s safe you wouldn’tneed to test it.”

She agrees in the end. There’s atoken argument, because only a crazy person would crawl around theAlps in experimental safety gear without it, but in the pursuit ofscience, she’ll do it.

Right up until theory turns intopractice.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” sheasks over the soft hum of the plane engine. It’s one of Overwatch’sstealth models and it barely disturbs a snowflake as it hovers overthe small plateau close to Mei’s broken weather station.

“If it were safe, there’d be noneed for testing.” you give back cheekily and receive a fond slapon the head in return. After a last check of the equipment, makingsure you’re both as safe and secure as you can be with equipmentthat’s never left controlled environments, you jump out of theplane and into the knee deep snow. The plane’s autopilot moves intostandby and you start the few but arduous steps towards the mountainwall.

“I should probably have asked thissooner.” Mei says. “But why are there no ropes?”

You stop short, patting your pockets asif the rope will miraculously turn up. The search yields no fruit andyou turn around, eyes wide in a beginning panic.

“Oh my God, I forgot the ropes.”

“What?” She squeaks, standsstockstill, untethered on the stormy alpine mountaintops. Then shesees your face and places her hands on her hips.

“That’s not funny.” she says asyou support yourself on your knees to keep from doubling over withlaughter.

“It’s a little bit funny.”

She looks utterly unimpressed, waitswith her lips pursed until you’ve calmed down enough to start theactual climbing.

The system is deceptively simple.Instead of ropes you’ll be anchored to the mountain side via smallgravity wells set on hooks that drive themselves automatically intothe surface beneath them. If you fall the gravity well will surge upand pull you in. It’s a design adapted from Zarya’s particlecannon and in theory it should be safer and more convenient thanstandard climbing gear. Although it doesn’t prevent you fromfeeling like you’re climbing utterly unsecured several thousandfeet above ground.

But even with the nervosity of notwearing any climbing gear you make faster progress than you wouldwith it and soon both you and Mei stand atop the plateau that shouldhave sheltered her weather station. It’s gone. So is most of theplateau.

“Avalanche?” you suggest while shescans the area for any remains of the device. The scanner showsnothing.

“Probably. I’d hoped I could bringit back to the base for repairs.” Mei says as she prepares to setup the replacement.

You help her, holding the base steadywhile she drives the anchor points deep into the stone below. With awhirr and a beep it comes alive, sending up a small drone to hoverabove it, taking preliminary readings.

The way to and from the site takes thelongest, setting up the weather station is a matter of minutes.Afterwards you both move to the edge of the plateau, staring down thealmost ninety degree slope.

“You know.” you say, checking ifthe gravity well is ready to travel back down its anchoring pointsthe same way as it has traveled up. “Theoretically the well shouldbe able to safely slow our decent and keep us close to the mountainside. I designed the system to allow the users to jump all the waydown in an emergency.”

Mei shakes her head before you stopspeaking.

“No.”“Please?”“Noway. I’m not jumping down a mountain on nothing but your assumptionthat some tiny gravity well will catch us both mid motion while we’rehurtling past it at terminal velocity.”

“For science?”

Mei glares at you. Then she curses andadjusts her equipment.

“Fine. For science.”

Mercy

For weeks all field agents areencouraged to bag all their used medical supplies in specialcontainers and have them sent up to the lab. And by ‘encouraged’you mean they risk facing Angela’s wrath if they forget.

Thus you shouldn’t be surprised tosee the boxes and boxes full of used bandages in her lab when youenter that morning, asked here with sweet words and the promise ofcookies. Although you get the feeling that when this is over you’llhave lost your appetite for good.

“We get hurt too much.” you say andAngela agrees, hoisting the first box on the table.

While you unpack the individual bags,vacuum sealed to keep them fresh, she explains what she’s hoping togain from this.

“Our bandages are covered in gelinfused with biotic particles. I want to enhance their efficiency,get more healing with less paste, but for that I need to see wherewe’re at currently. We need to pull the bandages apart to get atthe gel that will have trapped all bodily fluids, dirt and dead cellsinside, then count the remaining biotic particles under themicroscope.”

Simple work but tiresome, as issurprisingly much of science.

You get to work, coffee maker chugginghappily along.

As you suspected opening the firstbandage fills the air with the repugnant stench of old blood, pus anddirt. Both you and Angela scrunch your noses, then dive in, eager toget this done soon.

One possible venue for optimisationreveals itself within the first hour.

“Another seminar on basic first aidmight be due.” you say as you check the origin of the latestbandage, unsurprisingly marked J.McCree. The biotic particlesseem to have attacked dirt more than worked on the actual woundhealing. Some of them are still attached to something you have agrowing suspicion may be a part of a fingernail.

“I spent three years persuading Jesseto use our medical supplies instead of whiskey and honey. He used tosew his own wounds shut with threads he ribbed from his serape.”

You spend a happy few minutes notthinking about that hygiene nightmare.

The pattern, biotic efficiency reducedby foreign contaminants, repeats itself. With Jack they worksplendid, as he applies his own first aid with military precision.Hana doesn’t bother cleaning them at all, preferring to slap on abandaid to stem the bleeding and jump back into her MEKA.

During the course of the day you findother options to increase efficiency. Reprogramming the geneticstructure of the biotic particles may allow them to coordinate witheach other, focusing less on areas that are already being tended to.For all that it’s smelly and tiresome, it will give you a fewpercentages of extra healing in the end.

Noon rolls around and passes unheeded.You only get up to get more coffee for yourself and Angela and by thetime you’re finished it has gone dark outside.

Neither of you has much appetite.Instead of cookies Angela offers a walk to stretch your legs. Youreview the data together as you amble along the balcony surroundingthis level of the base, enjoying the warm evening breeze that carrieswith it the wonderfully clean scent of salt and seaweed.

“Professor Halldórsdóttir from theUniversity of Iceland developed a prototype particle not long ago.”Angela says, pulling up the related article on the web. It’ssimilar to your project, although it intended for the particles to bedeployed in cancer treatment. You wonder if the Professor spent a daygoing through old tumours. At least she wouldn’t have had to talkto someone about cleaning wounds by spitting on his thumb and rubbingat it.

“There seemed to be an issue withallergic reactions.”

The data is extensive, saves you bothseveral weeks of work, even though you’ll have to adapt it for yourown purposes.

All in all it was a productive day,spent in pleasant company. And now that the disgusting parts are overand done with you don’t mind extending it a little.

“What do you think, should we draw upa few genotypes before bed?” you suggest and Angela, checking ifthe caffeine supply holds steady, agrees.

Winston

He pings your comm at 3 am in themorning and, after you blearily fish it from your bedside table andhold it in the general direction of your ear, asks: “How large areyour hands?”

You open one eye to stare into the darkof your quarters as if an explanation might turn up out of thin air.None does, requiring you to request clarification.

“What.”

“Your hands. Could you measure themreal quick?”

If you were marginally more awake youwould have answered with something sassy or sarcastic, like that youforgot to keep the measuring tape for late-night measuring close by.Or that you’re sure they’re the same size they were during dinnera few hours ago, when it was still a reasonable time to chat.

As it is, you’re not even a littlebit awake and so what you do say, after some careful, sleep-addleddeliberation is:“What.”

Winston patiently explains why he needsto know the size of your hands. He has a project that resists hisfine motor control and he needs someone with smaller hands. However,seeing as it is late at night, he wouldn’t want to drag you out ofbed and into his lab just to discover that your hands are also toolarge for the task with which he needs help. That’s why he thoughtof having you measure them beforehand.His monologue takes a fewminutes, after which sleep has handed in its resignation. You mightas well get up.

Winston welcomes you with coffee and abox the length of your forearm, attached to a screen displaying anerror message.

“It’s just an issue with thewiring. But the space is too small for me to reach it and I don’twant to take the whole thing apart again.” he explains and, whenyou cast a look inside the box you see why he would have trouble. Theopening is barely big enough for your hand, nevermind the fiddlingyou’ll have to do inside. You give it a try, have Winston light thespace with a flashlight.

“How did you manage before theRecall?” you ask while you fiddle with the wires.

“Long tweezers and a lot ofpatience.” he says, with the long suffering sigh of someone whobroke a lot of the former due to a low supply of the latter.

It sounds tiring and even more so whenthe wire yields under your comparatively dainty fingers and snapsinto the right place. The error message is still there.

“Huh.” he says, pushing his glassesup his nose.

It’s coming on 4 am but being up toyour wrists in the project already, you have an interest in seeing itsucceed.

“Show me your blueprint?”

It’s a mess, the product of too manylate nights and not enough pairs of eyes that could force some senseinto it. But after following the video log and having the finished,albeit non-functioning, object in your hands, you work your waythrough it.

By the time the rest of the baseawakens the error message still blinks, but it does so for adifferent reason, which is what in scientific jargon is called a goodthing. The box has a lot of new holes through which a few combinedmetres of cables run, attached to various extra hardware anddiagnostics equipment. When finished it’s supposed to replace yourcurrent black box system for your flight computers, as well as theserver rooms downstairs.

Right now it’s serving as a coffeetable.

Winston puts his mug down on it andleans back in his tire, going over the schematics yet another time.

“We may need help.” he says andyou’re inclined to agree. As one you reach for the comm.

“Zenyatta. Yes, good morning. Just aquick question. How large are your hard drives? Could you measurethem real quick?”

Torbjörn

Sometimes science means braving hostileterrain to gather readings that may not be useful in the long run.Sometimes it means exposing yourself to dangerous and unbelievablygross biohazards and sometimes it is impeded by the limitations ofyour own body.

And sometimes it means sitting in alawn chair and throwing tennis balls over a cliff.

“We’re testing your new turretcalibration, right?” you ask, taking a sip from a colourfulcocktail with an umbrella in it.

“Yup.” Torbjörn says, equippedwith an equally colourful cocktail as well as a tablet remotelyconnected to about half a dozen turrets, all calibrated to differentsettings. You chuck another tennis ball, four turrets vaporize it inmid-air, one shoots too late and one falls over and beeps distressed.

“Good. Just so I’ll know what totell Winston when he asks where I’ve been all day.”

Two turrets help the fifth one upright.The next test involves two flying objects, for which Torbjörnreluctantly sets down his drink to take the tennis ball you’reoffering him.

“Helping me develop better defensesystems is more important than your usual duties.”

Together the balls fly over the cliffand into the net he set up below as none of the turrets can decidewhich ball to focus on.

“I wrote the software from scratch.”he says. “With the new hardware I’d just have mucked around withthe old code.”

He makes adjustments even as he speaks,pretty much the only indication you’re doing real science here.Which is what you’re doing. It would be cruel to let him do all ofthis hard work alone. Overwatch is supposed to be a team effort. Youwill sacrifice your time and energy to help out a friend in need anyday.

You toast your own integrity withanother sip of your drink.

One of the turrets mistakes a passingseagull for its target and fires wildly. Luckily the targetingalgorithm fries as it tries to reconcile its orders with the factthat the actual target isn’t small, round and yellow, leaving theseagull startled but unharmed.

Just to punish the machine for itsalmost accidental animal abuse you throw the tennis ball at its head.It targets it, fires and takes out the turret next to it.

“They’re like drunk babies. Withguns.” you say, beginning to realise where his attachment to hiscreations comes from.

He nods, pretending to wipe away atear, and tells you to throw three balls in quick succession

Turret number five seems to think threetennis balls are a threat too great for conventional ammo andlaunches its small rockets at them.

Your cocktail umbrella protects thedrink from being covered in yellow fuzz. So that’s what those arefor. Another mystery is solved. Today is a good day for science.

Jack comes by in the afternoon, rubbinghis back from scrubbing bird droppings off their satellite dishes allday. He questions your need to assist Torbjörn in this vital effort.

“We each contribute to science in ourown way.” you intone and let a tennis ball sail over Jack’s head.None of the turrets react, which was to be expected since they’reall shut down for the moment. It still serves to give him a littlescare and make him go away.

“Those turrets ... “ you saythoughtfully. “You said you could adjust projectile velocity.”

“Among many other things, yes. Why?”

“Enough to, say, match them to theattributes of your average paintball gun?”

He laughs when he catches on to yourplan. Together you set out to adjust the settings and procure somepaintball ammo.

A day later you both sit on therooftop by the main courtyard, laughing maniacally at the cursing andrunning members of your team ducking from turrets shooting paint withdeadly accuracy, while Winston swats at you with a broom.

Another great day for science.

#overwatch imagines #torbjörn #winston #mercy #mei #reader insert #iamanemotionaltimebomb

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kathydsalters31 · 4 years

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Why You Should Rotate Your Dachshund’s Food and How to Do it Properly

Besides bringing variety, and a “thrill” to your dog’s taste buds, there are many reasons why you may want to rotate your dog’s food.

Why Should I Switch My Dog’s Food?

Dog Food Advisor sums it up perfectly,

“Since there’s no such thing as a perfect dog food, it’s reasonable to assume every product is deficient or excessive in some way.

So, built-in flaws tend to be magnified when the same food is fed continuously… day-in and day-out… for a lifetime.”

As my blogger friend who knows more about dog nutrition than I do so eloquently put it, “Every single dog food out there is wrong for your dog.”

Her point is that too much of a good thing is still a bad thing (click to read why).

If your dog eats a variety of foods, it gives them a chance to get different nutrients, in different ratios, and doesn’t allow any one “bad” ingredient to build up in their system.

I believe that switching foods is one of the best things you can do to help keep your dog healthy.

When It’s Necessary to Switch Your Dog’s Food

Besides generally wanting to improve your dog’s health, there are some specific signs that now might be the time to switch your dog’s food.

Your dog’s favorite food is discontinued or unavailable

Your puppy is over 12 months old and you want to switch them off puppy food

Your small breed dog has become a senior (generally 7-9 years old

Your dog is pregnant or nursing

Image Credit: Depositphotos/lineartestpilot

Your dog is allergic to one or several of the ingredients in their current food – this could be something you just discovered or a reaction that recently developed

Your dog’s health issues may benefit from changing to a prescription diet

Your dog doesn’t like his food anymore

For variety – if you want to try a different nutrient profile (ie. diet rotation)

Whatever the reasons, if you’ve decided to switch, or rotate, your dog’s food, here are the steps for doing it properly.

Note: I am not a veterinarian or a certified dog nutritionist. I’m just sharing what I’ve learned over the years during the process of switching (rotating) my dog’s food regularly.

How to Switch Dog Food The Right Way

Each time I switch my dog’s food, I generally use the method below.

I say generally because I’ve done it enough times with Gretel and Summit to know they can transition to a new food pretty quickly. In fact, depending on which food I’m switching to, I can usually do it within a couple of days.

The first couple of times I switched their food though, I did it over a period of one month.

Given it’s done slow enough, most dogs are able to adapt to a new food pretty easily.

Follow these steps to do a fuller, slower transition.

Step 1: Check with Your Veterinarian (Optional but highly recommended)

Before you switch your dog’s food, you may want to check with your veterinarian.

If your dog is healthy, you should be able to switch their food using the below method with no problems.

However, if you think your dog may have any underlying medical issues, or has known issues, you should run your food choice by your vet to make sure that it will fit your specific dog’s needs.

Step 2: Make Sure You Have Enough of Both Foods

Transitioning your dog’s food involves feeding both your dog’s old and new food together over a period of time.

You’ll start by feeding only a small amount of the new food mixed in with your dog’s regular food and then change the ratio as time goes on.

Depending on whether you plan to go with the 1-month or 7-day transition schedule, you’ll need to make sure you have enough of both foods on hand.

Exactly how much you need of each will depend on what kind of food, the calorie density of the foods, and the amount your dog generally eats each day.

For example though, if you are switching your dog’s food over a period of one month, a 15 day supply of each food, plus a little extra, should be sufficient.

Step 3: Make a Transition to the New Dog Food

If you are going to switch dog food, you will want to transition to the new food over a period of time.

Depending on how your dog handles the change, it could take less than 2 weeks to transition or it could take over a month.

The safest way to transition to a new food is to do it over the period of a month.

A 1-month transition schedule looks like this:

Days 1-7: 1/4 new mixed with their old food

Days 8-14: 1/3 new to old

Days 15-21: 1/2 new to old

Days 22-28: 3/4 new food

Days 29+: 100% of the meal will be the new food (until you change next time)

If you have had positive experiences with switching your dog’s food before, or you think they have an “iron stomach”, you might be able to get away with transitioning your dog to a new food over 7 days.

Basically, you’re taking the 30-day schedule above and moving to the next phase faster.

A 7-day transition schedule looks like this:

Days 1-2: 1/4 new mixed with their old food

Days 3-4: 1/3 new to old

Days 5-6: 1/2 new to old

Day 7: 3/4 new to old

How to Change Your Dog’s Food Quickly

If you really wanted to speed things up, you could make the transition in 5 days.

Keep in mind though that the quicker you change your dog’s diet, the greater the chance your dog could have a negative reaction to it.

I don’t recommend switching your dog’s food cold turkey. Only use this method if you’ve changed your dog’s food several times before with no issues.

A 5-day transition schedule looks like this:

Day 1: 1/4 new mixed with their old food

Day 2: 1/3 new to old

Day 3: 1/2 new to old

Day 4: 1/2 new to old

Day 5: 3/4 new to old

Generally, there is no reason to switch your dog’s food over any less than a 5-day period.

An exception might be if your dog has a serious health condition and your vet recommends it.

In that case, you will be given direct instructions on how to do it and things to watch for.

Switching Your Dog from Canned or Kibble to Raw Food

Oh, boy! Raw dog food is a VERY controversial topic and there are many theories about transitioning a dog to eating a raw diet.

Photo Credit: Depositphotos/belchonock

I’m definitely not an expert on this topic or, or as comfortable sharing my knowledge about switching to raw, as I am about switching dry or wet processed food.

Instead, I’ll just share a few tips from others who are more knowledgeable.

First though, I’ll tell you what I did when I switched my dogs to raw dog food.

It may not have been the “right” way but it worked for us. However, keep in mind, my dogs have stomachs of steel and can handle just about any food switch I make quickly.

At the time, I’d heard some advice that it’s not good to feed a dog raw and kibble foods in the same meal because they digest at different rates in the stomach and the raw food could “spoil before it’s digested”.

On the other hand, I heard plenty of advice that it didn’t matter if a dog ate kibble with some raw dog food mixed in.

Because I figured my dogs would handle the switch easily and quickly, I went with the 7-day plan above and DID mix kibble and raw in the same meal.

Watch this little video from Darwin’s Raw Food – one of the first pre-made raw dog foods we tried – for a good explanation of how to transition.

[embedded content]Note that the video recommends soaking your dog’s kibble in water during the transition.

I didn’t do that and things went fine. It’s probably a safer bet to go with their recommendations though.

If you want to hear a detailed, first-hand experience from someone who changed their dog’s diet to raw, and all the benefits her dog’s experienced, check out the book A Novice’s Guide to Raw Feeding for Dogs(this is an affiliate link so I may get a small commission if you purchase).

Step 4: Keep an Eye Out for Warning Signs

It can take up to 6 weeks, after you’ve made the full switch, to see any positive benefits from switching your dog’s food.

During that time, you could see some issues pop up.

Some signs that you might need to slow down, take a step back in the new/old feeding ratio, or reconsider your new food choice are:

Your dog refuses to eat at all, or picks around the new food, leaving it in the bowl or dropping it on the floor (still, after a couple of tries)

The your dog develops diarrhea or an extreme amount of gas

If your dog becomes constipated and has to strain to go to the bathroom

Your dog is constantly itching, licking their paws, or you notice newly-developed rashes or hotpots (which could indicate a food allergy)

Your dog experiences rapid weight loss or weight gain (get to the vet because it’s likely something underlying causing this)

While most of these changes, besides maybe the rapid weight loss or gain, may not be anything to be concerned about, it’s always best to check with your vet if you have event the slightest concern.

I know my vet office has helped me over the phone several times (unrelated to switching food). When I was worried, I called them and explained what was happening.

While they couldn’t diagnose my dog over the phone, they were able to tell me if I should just keep an eye on my dog or bring them in to be examined.

Most of the things on the list above are easily addressed at home.

Your Dog Refuses to Eat the New Food

If your dog refuses to eat the new food, it could be as simple as your dog being unsure of the new food or not liking the taste.

Depending on the food, you can try hand feeding them. I find dogs to be more accepting that way.

However, dogs have a keen sense of smell and instinct. They may not want to eat it because they can smell something in there that is “bad” for them.

I don’t mean bad as in there is anything wrong with the food but bad in that they might be allergic or know a particular food/ingredient may make them sick.

After trying a few times, if your dog still refuses to eat the new dog food, you can choose a different one to switch to.

Your Dog Develops Constipation or Diarrhea

Sometimes, switching a dog’s food can cause temporary stomach or intestinal issues. These are most commonly gas, diarrhea, or constipation.

Image Credit: Depositphotos/izakowski

Sometimes adding a bit of canned pumpkin (unsweetened), or probiotics, to your dog’s food can help balance their gut.

The issue should resolve itself after a few days. If it doesn’t, you may want to take a step back in the transition to a mix that didn’t cause issues or switch back to your dog’s old food.

If the issue persists, you may want to consult with your veterinarian. There might be an underlying case causing the issue instead of the food transition (ie. it’s just coincidence).

Your Dog May Be Experiencing a Potential Allergic Reaction

It is possible that a dog can be allergic to a food ingredient that you weren’t aware of before because it wasn’t in the old food.

Common allergy signs are constantly itching or licking their paws, newly developed rashes or hotpots, watery eyes, scratching their face (with their paws or by rubbing it on the carpet), and shaking their head a lot.

The most common dog food allergens are beef, dairy, wheat, egg, chicken, lamb, soy, pork, rabbit, and fish.

If you think your dog may be experiencing allergies, the first things you should do is switch back to the old food and consult with your veterinarian.

Check the ingredient list of the new food against the old one. One of those differences is likely the culprit.

You can take both the old and new food in the original package, or your list of the “new” ingredients, to your vet to discuss potential allergies.

Once you have determined if your dog has an allergy to a specific food or ingredient, you can choose one that doesn’t contain those and try switching foods again.

How Often Should I Rotate My Dog’s Food?

While there is no hard rule on this, to get the benefits of rotating your dog’s diet, you should make a switch a couple times a year at a minimum.

I’m a firm believer that you can’t switch a dog’s food too often.

Humans eat several different foods a day and, in my opinion, the longer your dog eats one food exclusively, the higher risk for deficiency of beneficial nutrients and or build up of harmful ingredients.

As concerned pet owners, we hope that the foods we feed don’t overtly contain any harmful ingredients.

However, as we’ve seen from the recent Hills Pet Nutrition recalls, too much of a good thing can be bad.

Also, as many pet parents have recently discovered, trying to do the right thing by feeding boutique, exotic, or grain-free (BEG) diets may be unwittingly damaging our pet’s heart health (read more about that HERE and HERE).

How often you switch your dog’s food can depend on personal preference and your dog’s gut-tolerance to change.

Personally, my dogs have gone through several food transitions so I can switch pretty quickly now.

I buy several different dog foods at once and switch between them as often as weekly. More typically though, I make a significant change monthly.

Not only do I switch pet food brands, I often switch the forms of food they eat, with commercial raw and canned being the most frequent forms that I feed.

I’m not against throwing a quality kibble in the mix from time-to-time though.

It can take up to 2 months to see a change in your dog due to a new diet, positive or negative. Every dog is different.

If you are switching your dog’s food because you are hoping to see positive health benefits, don’t get discouraged if you don’t see a change right away.

However, if you haven’t seen the positive health benefits you were hoping for within 3 months then It’s probably safe to say you may want to move onto a different food.

The opposite is true for negative changes.

Watch your dog closely for up to 2 months after switching their food for signs that it might not be the right food for them like continued loose stools, itchy skin, or hot spots (and the things to watch out for I listed above).

For most dogs, switching their food every once in a while is easy and beneficial.

Have you ever switched your dog’s food? How did it go?

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barryswamsleyaz · 4 years

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Why You Should Rotate Your Dachshund’s Food and How to Do it Properly

Besides bringing variety, and a “thrill” to your dog’s taste buds, there are many reasons why you may want to rotate your dog’s food.

Why Should I Switch My Dog’s Food?

Dog Food Advisor sums it up perfectly,

“Since there’s no such thing as a perfect dog food, it’s reasonable to assume every product is deficient or excessive in some way.

So, built-in flaws tend to be magnified when the same food is fed continuously… day-in and day-out… for a lifetime.”

As my blogger friend who knows more about dog nutrition than I do so eloquently put it, “Every single dog food out there is wrong for your dog.”

Her point is that too much of a good thing is still a bad thing (click to read why).

If your dog eats a variety of foods, it gives them a chance to get different nutrients, in different ratios, and doesn’t allow any one “bad” ingredient to build up in their system.

I believe that switching foods is one of the best things you can do to help keep your dog healthy.

When It’s Necessary to Switch Your Dog’s Food

Besides generally wanting to improve your dog’s health, there are some specific signs that now might be the time to switch your dog’s food.

Your dog’s favorite food is discontinued or unavailable

Your puppy is over 12 months old and you want to switch them off puppy food

Your small breed dog has become a senior (generally 7-9 years old

Your dog is pregnant or nursing

Image Credit: Depositphotos/lineartestpilot

Your dog is allergic to one or several of the ingredients in their current food – this could be something you just discovered or a reaction that recently developed

Your dog’s health issues may benefit from changing to a prescription diet

Your dog doesn’t like his food anymore

For variety – if you want to try a different nutrient profile (ie. diet rotation)

Whatever the reasons, if you’ve decided to switch, or rotate, your dog’s food, here are the steps for doing it properly.

Note: I am not a veterinarian or a certified dog nutritionist. I’m just sharing what I’ve learned over the years during the process of switching (rotating) my dog’s food regularly.

How to Switch Dog Food The Right Way

Each time I switch my dog’s food, I generally use the method below.

The first couple of times I switched their food though, I did it over a period of one month.

Given it’s done slow enough, most dogs are able to adapt to a new food pretty easily.

Follow these steps to do a fuller, slower transition.

Step 1: Check with Your Veterinarian (Optional but highly recommended)

Before you switch your dog’s food, you may want to check with your veterinarian.

If your dog is healthy, you should be able to switch their food using the below method with no problems.

However, if you think your dog may have any underlying medical issues, or has known issues, you should run your food choice by your vet to make sure that it will fit your specific dog’s needs.

Step 2: Make Sure You Have Enough of Both Foods

Transitioning your dog’s food involves feeding both your dog’s old and new food together over a period of time.

You’ll start by feeding only a small amount of the new food mixed in with your dog’s regular food and then change the ratio as time goes on.

Depending on whether you plan to go with the 1-month or 7-day transition schedule, you’ll need to make sure you have enough of both foods on hand.

Exactly how much you need of each will depend on what kind of food, the calorie density of the foods, and the amount your dog generally eats each day.

For example though, if you are switching your dog’s food over a period of one month, a 15 day supply of each food, plus a little extra, should be sufficient.

Step 3: Make a Transition to the New Dog Food

If you are going to switch dog food, you will want to transition to the new food over a period of time.

Depending on how your dog handles the change, it could take less than 2 weeks to transition or it could take over a month.

The safest way to transition to a new food is to do it over the period of a month.

A 1-month transition schedule looks like this:

Days 1-7: ¼ new mixed with their old food

Days 8-14: 1/3 new to old

Days 15-21: ½ new to old

Days 22-28: ¾ new food

Days 29+: 100% of the meal will be the new food (until you change next time)

Basically, you’re taking the 30-day schedule above and moving to the next phase faster.

A 7-day transition schedule looks like this:

Days 1-2: ¼ new mixed with their old food

Days 3-4: 1/3 new to old

Days 5-6: ½ new to old

Day 7: ¾ new to old

How to Change Your Dog’s Food Quickly

If you really wanted to speed things up, you could make the transition in 5 days.

Keep in mind though that the quicker you change your dog’s diet, the greater the chance your dog could have a negative reaction to it.

I don’t recommend switching your dog’s food cold turkey. Only use this method if you’ve changed your dog’s food several times before with no issues.

A 5-day transition schedule looks like this:

Day 1: ¼ new mixed with their old food

Day 2: 1/3 new to old

Day 3: ½ new to old

Day 4: ½ new to old

Day 5: ¾ new to old