Dennis acting peculiar

[Josie]

Dennis will sometimes do some very unexplained behaviour. I will try and explain it as best I can to you....

Out walking this morning and everything is going well then all of a sudden I can see his behaviour change (as you do when it's your own dog) it's hard to describe but his tail lowers, his head lowers and he starts to pant. He keeps running back to me and having a cry, then running ahead again. He was desperate to get home.

Now we are home he won't settle and wants to go in the garden, back inside, upstairs, downstairs etc. and still panting.

The times that he has done this before I have noticed is when he has been playing with another dog or when we went running (we don't anymore obviously)

I'm sure I've heard somewhere before that Labs are deep chested... could this be causing the problem? Is it just his old age and I'm pushing him too much? has anyone else's dog had this problem? He is 10 now.

I'm giving him a few hours to calm down and if nothing has changed I will of course take him to the vets. I'm just not even sure what I could tell them the problem was!

 

[JoanneF]

If you can, take a video for your vet. It certainly sounds like something is making him uncomfortable.

 

[arealhuman]

Aside from medical reasons, could it be something he heard/smelt/saw that scared him, that you didn't pick up on? I say this, as I was out with Jimmy last night and there was a bang in the distance, hardly audible to me, but Jimmy just stopped and froze, turned around and took me back home and indoors and was very reserved. He's back to normal today. It just made me wonder if Dennis had a similar experience, that's all.

 

[Caro Perry]

Oh poor Dennis. I think I'd take him anyway to get him checked out for your own piece of mind. Could he have developed some sort of plant allergy that affects his breathing like human asthma?

A definite yes to the videoing that @JoanneF suggested. I did that when Harri was having the severe tremors a while ago as I was sure they'd stop when we were actually at the vet.

 

[Josie]

Thank you all for the replies.

Great idea about the videoing. I will definitely do that next time.

It’s not the same reaction he gives like when he goes past the butchers. But then it could be as I didn’t see anything visibly that would upset him.

Again an asthma type reaction is possible.

He’s finally calmed down and is fast asleep on his bed so I will keep an eye on him.

No more walks for today.

Will keep updated.

 

[JudyN]

I hope he's OK. Maybe a tweak that catches him every so often and gives him a sharp pain would cause this sort of behaviour - he's scared as he doesn't know when it's going to happen next. A bit like a shock collar, I guess

 

[Josie]

Thanks @JudyN - That's more the lines I was thinking of - I think he tweaks something but he doesn't limp so that's why I was thinking it was the chest area.

This is him now. I've moved his bed into the office so he can be nearer me

 

[arealhuman]

I do hope he's OK.

 

[Violet Turner]

I hope he is doing well. It sounds very asthmatic but only a vet exam will be able to determine it. If it happens again get an appointment at the vets. You can walk him tonight if you would want to, but only walk him for 10-20mins but keep him on the lead. Sometimes if a dog smells another dog they can react like this... Check his paw pads just incase and also give his hips a rub see if he licks his nose/lips if so get an appointment asap with the vet. If you have a look in the 'every dog' book on pg322-323 read the health problems in the bottom left corner. I was reading it and he could have heart problems really hope not! Hope this helps x

 

[leashedForLife]

.

not trying to be a scaremonger, as it's definitely treatable, but is there Lyme disease in Ur area? -
the anxiety & panting sound very much like the behavior of my childhood-into-college dog, who had untreated misdiagnosed Lyme [my eejit vet did not even test, just told me it was "rheumatoid arthritis" without so much as an x-ray!... ].
Lyme can cause heart arrhythmias, which are uncomfortable & scary, as they also affect breathing rate / O2 saturation.

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If there's any possibility he picked up a tick, perhaps while traveling out of the home area, i'd get him tested.
Early infections are easier to knock down.

all paws crossed,
- terry

.

 

[Josie]

Thank you all for your replies!

He’s pretty much back to his normal self just a bit subdued.

The incidents do seem to occur after a burst of energy (like when we used to run or when he’s been playing with another dog)

I will definitely film it next time and get a vet appointment booked in. I don’t know how beneficial it would be to go without visible proof as there could be so many different reasons (like all of the above possibilities mentioned)

 

[JudyN]

I will definitely film it next time and get a vet appointment booked in. I don’t know how beneficial it would be to go without visible proof as there could be so many different reasons (like all of the above possibilities mentioned)

Even without a video, the vet would probably be able to have a good feel around for tweaky/sore bits, and listen to his lungs though, so may be able to rule a few things out. And they might want to do a blood test to rule a few more things out.

 

[Josie]

Good point!

 

[Whippylove]

I hope Dennis is ok x
If it was me i would make an appointment for the vet just to give you piece of mind x

 

[Flobo]

My old boy pants when he's in pain/uncomfortable, maybe Dennis at 10years is getting an odd twinge/sharp pain somewhere that may not manifest with a limp and because it may be a new experience for him he's obviously worried hence his behaviour.

 

[Josie]

My old boy pants when he's in pain/uncomfortable, maybe Dennis at 10years is getting an odd twinge/sharp pain somewhere that may not manifest with a limp and because it may be a new experience for him he's obviously worried hence his behaviour.

It’s probably my fault for walking too fast and forgetting he’s an old chap and it’s causing him some pain. He’s completely fine this morning and we’re out walking but I’ve slowed my pace right down so he’s not having to play catch up with me.

 

[Flobo]

I know it's easy to do, especially when they look fit and well as Dennis does, I was always taught the 1 year in humans is 7 years in dogs rule, approx... so yes at 70 he may well need to slow down a wee bit
Does he take any joint supplements? Arthritis is a possibility at this age, I've had Jake on YUMOVE for the last 3 years (usual ingredients, glucosamine, chondroitin etc), maybe worth thinking about for Dennis? For Jake though it's pretty heavy meds now, we've taken the supplements, massage, Reiki as long as poss but it hasn't been enough this year, Tramadol zonks him out too much so now he's on Gabapentin, with good results thankfully as I thought that awful decision was looming about 6weeks ago... (but he has bad arthritis in joints and sadly in spine, so just the fact he's comfortable and still enjoying a bimble is a blessing!)

 

[Josie]

No he doesn’t at the moment @Flobo - he only gets stiff if we’ve had a really big walk that day. I didn’t know whether it would be a good idea to start him before he showed any real signs?

Oh bless him. It’s horrible watching them get older :-(

 

[Flobo]

If he is showing signs of stiffness after a long walk it may be worth starting him on the glucosamine/chondroitin rather than waiting until it's bad and he needs other meds. I would read up on these supplements, they can really help, and maybe talk to your vet. There's also a tumeric supplement called 'golden paste' that suits some dogs, though Jake didn't take to it, but for others it has really helped. There is a lot of information out there, but as always go to a few different sources to cross reference. I'm lucky with my vet that he's open to alternative options and I know he uses both Yumove and golden paste for his dogs too and also he knows, like I do, when it's time for something else...

 

[JoanneF]

tumeric supplement called 'golden paste'

We used this after Timber struggled to shake off an elbow injury a couple of years ago, using the recipe here.
Golden Paste - Turmeric Recipes

It may have helped - the limping stopped although of course it might have been on the point of going anyway.

I made a batch and froze it in ice cube trays. It also made a rather nice marinade for prawns!