My dog is behaving strangely

The Samster

My dog is a rough collie, about 5 yrs old. He is a nervous dog at the best of times and on a number occasions when we were at work he went beserk in the house jumping up on the kitchen table, windows, getting into the bath etc, we found him salivating profusely and panting when we returned - it looked as though he was desperately trying to get out of the house. We thought it was our neighbours gate banging that was spooking him as when this happened before while we were there he became quite panicked. but tonight for the first time he displayed this behaviour in front of us and continued to do this for a couple of hours. There were no noises we could hear and the weather was ok i.e. no thunder so we're very confused. In the past we thought he might have been bored but we have another dog in the house that keeps him company. The vet has seen him, taken bloods and nothing showed up. Can anyone suggest what may be wrong with him? I'm at my wits end with worry. Thanks in advance and apologies if I've posted this in the wrong area (my first time using boards.ie).

evilmonkee

Sorry to point out the worst first but...
I'd be going for brain scans, symptoms like the ones you described (for no apparent reason) can be indicative of tumors, mental and neurological disorders to name a few. So I would definitely get that checked out first.

Also, check about for anything which could have let out some high frequency noises that humans could not hear, reflections off dishes on ceiling etc. anything your dog could be alarmed by or view as a "threat".

My girl is a rescue who was an abuse case, she used to wake up panicking and freaking out as you described, glassy eyes and all, until she realized where she was and that she was safe.
After doing some research it appears that it is not uncommon for a dog who has suffered traumatic experiences it is not uncommon for them to "dream" of these and wake up panicking, but it should stop happening once they feel at home and know they are safe.

The Samster

Thanks so much for your feedback - I don't think it's down to any traumatic experiences as we've had him quite a while and I know the previous owner who had him since he was a pup and had no problems with him. He's had these episodes for about a year now but with no deterioration in his general health.

Also, I've tried keeping a diary to track any patterns but up until tonights episode we really thought he was just panicking on his own in the house because of loud noises.

He has definitely become more nervous in himself also- i.e. around other dogs (which he was fine with before).

I think your suggestion of the scan might be the next step. Thanks again for your advice.

anniehoo

The Samster wrote: »

The vet has seen him, taken bloods and nothing showed up.

This was most likely a "general workup" and would only show up problems with his organs(liver,kidney etc),whether he was dehydrated,anaemic or had an underlying infection etc. Great that they're all good. But...

For "behavioural" issues where it still could be medical and possibly neurological they need to be testing for the likes of Neosporosis,Toxoplasmosis and thyroid function for example.

MRIs cost huge...and i mean HUGE money so a good vet wont suggest that route unless they really feel its necessary.

Binka

The Samster wrote: »

he went beserk in the house jumping up on the kitchen table, windows, getting into the bath etc, we found him salivating profusely and panting when we returned - it looked as though he was desperately trying to get out of the house.

Have you had any thunder or lightening in your area recently? it might be worth seeing if there is a pattern.
My lurcher senses electrical storms from a great distance and displays very similar symptoms. He becomes very agitated, paces, hyperventilates and tries to get under the bed frame (which he doesn't fit under) but usually heads straight for the bath for some reason that we can't work out and it's very distressing to watch. My other dog doesn't bat an eyelid.
Quite often we never even see or hear the storm ourselves, it is so far in the distance. If it is overhead and the peals of thunder get very loud he gets very bad. All we can do is comfort him and try to calm him down until it passes.
Maybe your dog has been alone when a storm has passed over and he has a hypersensitivity to it too.
The only upside of it is that he is like a storm advance warning system for us.

Lima Golf

Is he neutered? Does he get much excersise daily? Could he just be frustrated? My dog goes MENTAL sometimes when I don't have time to walk him. He runs like a lunatic around the house, thankfully he's too small to jump on the table or into the bath. Loads of dogs do it. It's called "zoomies" If you search YouTube there's loads of videos. It's like a burst of energy they get and have to run like a crazy dog to get rid of it...doesn't help that I have my dog on high energy puppy food!!

I'm not dismissing that there could be something wrong with him, just consider the alternative too!

The Samster

Maybe your dog has been alone when a storm has passed over and he has a hypersensitivity to it too.
The only upside of it is that he is like a storm advance warning system for us.

Thanks for your post - we live on a hill and it is quite windy so maybe he can hear more than we can. He seems ok now for the last 2 days so will just keep an eye on him.

The Samster

Lima Golf wrote: »

Is he neutered? Does he get much excersise daily? Could he just be frustrated?

Yes he is neutered and is walked twice a day and sometimes brought out for a run occasionally. He does do "zoomies" but in an excited way unlike the panicked way he was the other night. Maybe being a working dog he does need more than just regular walking. Will try out running more often and see how it goes - thanks for the advice!