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Anxiety disorder
My 12 year old Lab, McCabe, recently developed a severe anxiety disorder
that has me and two vets baffled. In the past, McCabe was always a very independent soul, but as of two weeks ago, he's become extremely needy of attention and reassurance, often following me around the house whining and panting. At first I thought something in my apartment spooked him, but ruled that out once I took him to several other homes and noticed the same symptoms manifesting. Next, my vet did thorough blood work on McCabe to rule out anything medical and/or hormonal, and everything came back negative, including the test for Cushing's Disease. McCabe's faculties are still razor sharp: his vision, hearing, housebreaking and general state of alertness are fine, so I'm not inclined to think it's senility. His appetite is healthy, no excessive thirst, no diarrhea, no vomiting. My vet prescribed 5mg of Valium to be administered on an as-needed basis, not to exceed one 5mg dose every 12 hours. Unfortunately, for the last two days, I've had to give McCabe Valium to enable him to relax and to put an end to his pacing, panting and clinginess. Also, without the aide of Valium, when McCabe finally does lie down he often springs up from his repose as though something has startled him. Can anyone offer a suggestion as to what my dog is suffering from? Over the last couple of weeks, sleep for the two of us has been scarce and I'm beginning to get terribly concerned. Thank you. |
#2
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Jon B. Resnik said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:
McCabe's faculties are still razor sharp: his vision, hearing, housebreaking and general state of alertness are fine, so I'm not inclined to think it's senility. Search "Canine Cognitive Disorder" (including the quotes) - there are some symptoms that seen particular to dogs and not the senility seen in humans. -- --Matt. Rocky's a Dog. |
#3
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Jon B. Resnik said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:
McCabe's faculties are still razor sharp: his vision, hearing, housebreaking and general state of alertness are fine, so I'm not inclined to think it's senility. Search "Canine Cognitive Disorder" (including the quotes) - there are some symptoms that seen particular to dogs and not the senility seen in humans. -- --Matt. Rocky's a Dog. |
#4
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Jon B. Resnik said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:
McCabe's faculties are still razor sharp: his vision, hearing, housebreaking and general state of alertness are fine, so I'm not inclined to think it's senility. Search "Canine Cognitive Disorder" (including the quotes) - there are some symptoms that seen particular to dogs and not the senility seen in humans. -- --Matt. Rocky's a Dog. |
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"Rocky" wrote in message ... Jon B. Resnik said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior: McCabe's faculties are still razor sharp: his vision, hearing, housebreaking and general state of alertness are fine, so I'm not inclined to think it's senility. Search "Canine Cognitive Disorder" (including the quotes) - there are some symptoms that seen particular to dogs and not the senility seen in humans. -- --Matt. Rocky's a Dog. It might also just be that he's realising he's not as strong and fit as he once was and is beginning to feel a little vulnerable, a little like older people who have lead strong, independent lives might suddenly start fussing over things that seem quite trivial, though they are certainly not senile. I have a few friends and acquaintances that have been through (and going through) this with their elderly parents and find it quite hard to cope with unless they can treat the situation with a little humour. When my GSD (who was an older rescue), who came with a few anxiety problems, started getting much worse, I started trawling the internet on anything I could find, and found that it really was quite common in older dogs - not senility, just more prone to fussing and getting distressed over very little. If all medical possibilities have been ruled out, I would basically treat all of his fussing with a little humour - whatever you do, don't try and 'comfort' him, as this is sure fired to make the problem worse, but make light of it and laugh at him - dogs seem to learn quite early on in life that people laughing is a sign that things are good and will usually act up to it. Good luck Diana |
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"Rocky" wrote in message ... Jon B. Resnik said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior: McCabe's faculties are still razor sharp: his vision, hearing, housebreaking and general state of alertness are fine, so I'm not inclined to think it's senility. Search "Canine Cognitive Disorder" (including the quotes) - there are some symptoms that seen particular to dogs and not the senility seen in humans. -- --Matt. Rocky's a Dog. It might also just be that he's realising he's not as strong and fit as he once was and is beginning to feel a little vulnerable, a little like older people who have lead strong, independent lives might suddenly start fussing over things that seem quite trivial, though they are certainly not senile. I have a few friends and acquaintances that have been through (and going through) this with their elderly parents and find it quite hard to cope with unless they can treat the situation with a little humour. When my GSD (who was an older rescue), who came with a few anxiety problems, started getting much worse, I started trawling the internet on anything I could find, and found that it really was quite common in older dogs - not senility, just more prone to fussing and getting distressed over very little. If all medical possibilities have been ruled out, I would basically treat all of his fussing with a little humour - whatever you do, don't try and 'comfort' him, as this is sure fired to make the problem worse, but make light of it and laugh at him - dogs seem to learn quite early on in life that people laughing is a sign that things are good and will usually act up to it. Good luck Diana |
#7
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"Rocky" wrote in message ... Jon B. Resnik said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior: McCabe's faculties are still razor sharp: his vision, hearing, housebreaking and general state of alertness are fine, so I'm not inclined to think it's senility. Search "Canine Cognitive Disorder" (including the quotes) - there are some symptoms that seen particular to dogs and not the senility seen in humans. -- --Matt. Rocky's a Dog. It might also just be that he's realising he's not as strong and fit as he once was and is beginning to feel a little vulnerable, a little like older people who have lead strong, independent lives might suddenly start fussing over things that seem quite trivial, though they are certainly not senile. I have a few friends and acquaintances that have been through (and going through) this with their elderly parents and find it quite hard to cope with unless they can treat the situation with a little humour. When my GSD (who was an older rescue), who came with a few anxiety problems, started getting much worse, I started trawling the internet on anything I could find, and found that it really was quite common in older dogs - not senility, just more prone to fussing and getting distressed over very little. If all medical possibilities have been ruled out, I would basically treat all of his fussing with a little humour - whatever you do, don't try and 'comfort' him, as this is sure fired to make the problem worse, but make light of it and laugh at him - dogs seem to learn quite early on in life that people laughing is a sign that things are good and will usually act up to it. Good luck Diana |
#8
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In article ,
Rocky wrote: Search "Canine Cognitive Disorder" (including the quotes) - there are some symptoms that seen particular to dogs and not the senility seen in humans. It generally shows up as a cluster of symptoms, rather than just one. -- Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis - As a result of the Bush tax cuts, taxes on wages are now 2.5 times greater than taxes on investment income. |
#9
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In article ,
Rocky wrote: Search "Canine Cognitive Disorder" (including the quotes) - there are some symptoms that seen particular to dogs and not the senility seen in humans. It generally shows up as a cluster of symptoms, rather than just one. -- Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis - As a result of the Bush tax cuts, taxes on wages are now 2.5 times greater than taxes on investment income. |
#10
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In article ,
Rocky wrote: Search "Canine Cognitive Disorder" (including the quotes) - there are some symptoms that seen particular to dogs and not the senility seen in humans. It generally shows up as a cluster of symptoms, rather than just one. -- Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis - As a result of the Bush tax cuts, taxes on wages are now 2.5 times greater than taxes on investment income. |
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