[Redeyejedi]

Unexplained behavior,
My sister's dog has been acting strangely. She is a pekingese, about 7 and a half years old. she is normally well behaved and happy. when my sister told my mom that repeated vet visits were becoming increasingly costly, with no solid diagnosis, i became more concerned. at first i thought i may be static electricity as i read this can lead to strange/unusual behavioral problems in animals. so, i asked my sister a few questions. here is the email and her response:
hey nikki,
it was great to see you this weekend. let me know when you get in, I heard you got in late last night. mom and I were wondering a few things. I overheard some discussion of some quite costly procedures to try to diagnose what is going with munchkin. I assume she sleeps in your room: is that on the bed or floor? have you noticed any increased amounts of static electricity; static shocks from walls and outlets and such? does munchkin still frequently sit on your lap while you use your notebook? have you noticed the odd behavior she exhibits to coincide with thunderstorm activity? if you are unsure, try to jot down the environmentla conditions present immediately following an behavioral episode.
how anthony? tell him to hang in there as work will work its way around for him. talk to later,
aaron
and her reply:
It was good to see you too. Hopefully one of these days you can make it this way and we could go fishing again.
As far as Munchkin goes: she’s appears restless, anxious, scared and uncomfortable. These symptoms come in bouts or waves and occur at different times of both day and night without any real pattern to them. They occur in all rooms of the house and whether I am there or not there. They don’t coincide with storms or the days prior to or just after storms. The vets have checked her blood, fecal, teeth, back, stomach and none of those explain the behavior. She’s been on anti-anxiety pills (Alprazolam) and on pain reliever (Tramadol) with no major response. She still enjoys her walk, likes to play, has a normal appetite, does not vomit, does not have diarrhea, drinks the normal amount of water. These ‘panic’ attacks or whatever they are occur suddenly. When they happen she wants to jump up on us, be right next to us, and then when she realizes that being next to us doesn’t alleviate whatever is ailing her, she starts pawing at the window and doors like she wants to go outside. When we try to let her outside she just sits at the door and does not move or walk outside. She continues to be restless and uncomfortable with her tail dropped low, ears tucked back like she is scared. She does not whimper or bark though. She just stares at us and jumps up on us. It becomes particularly a problem at night when we are trying to sleep so we’ve resorted to sticking her in a kennel for the night. She scratches the kennel walls and barks but eventually tires herself out and goes to sleep. However all this happens between midnight and 6 am. The doctors don’t know what it is and have just run a test to check her thyroid. They then want me to make an appointment with a behavioralist to determine if my response to Munchkin’s ‘panic’ attacks is exacerbating the problem and to see if what Munchkin is doing is a resort of a behavior problem. If that doesn’t work they then want me to see a neurologist and potentially get and MRI to determine if Munchkin has a neurological disorder. The bills are getting more and more expensive each week. I was thinking of contacting Mae and Noel to see if they’ve ever heard of these symptoms in other dogs before.

sorry for the long post and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated,
thanks.

[Corky/Max]

Sounds like the dog is seeing ghosts! (Hey, I'm not really kidding!)

Might be lacking something in it's diet. B vitamins are good for the nerves--Don't have enough info to go on as far as to do with nutrition. Supplements might be a good idea. Might do a little research on net as far as each supplement as to what they can do ---the vitamins and minerals, etc.
---If supplementing---Keep in mind that it may take a while for results--up to 3 months, I'm thinking---but may get results sooner than that! Hope you find out what is wrong! Keep us posted!!!

[Redeyejedi]

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

Sounds like the dog is seeing ghosts! (Hey, I'm not really kidding!)

Might be lacking something in it's diet. B vitamins are good for the nerves--Don't have enough info to go on as far as to do with nutrition. Supplements might be a good idea. Might do a little research on net as far as each supplement as to what they can do ---the vitamins and minerals, etc.
---If supplementing---Keep in mind that it may take a while for results--up to 3 months, I'm thinking---but may get results sooner than that! Hope you find out what is wrong! Keep us posted!!!

thanks!!
will look into diet; possible mineral-vitamin deficiencies and what not. not

[Lara's mom]

My first question would be, has anything changed within the dogs home such as a move, a new baby, another dog, a big change in the routine etc.

[german sheep]

if it would be a deficit in the diet normally the vet had found something in the blood picture, but a you said there is nothing.

To me it sounds as if the dog gets pain because your sister wrote:

These symptoms come in bouts or waves and occur at different times of both day and night without any real pattern to them.These ‘panic’ attacks or whatever they are occur suddenly.

that is untypically for a behavioral problem.
Why she is acting the way she does is the attempt to reduce the stress level which occurs automatically when she has pain or when maybe she has a panic attack.

Your sister should take her on the leash to have control over what she is doing and move her. She has to check out, if the dog is willing to let herself lead through the human on the leash or if she wants to flee.
The next thing is: can she take food during this attacks? While moving the dog, your sister can proof if the dog is able to take food during this attack and if the behaviour is changing through this.

Would like to hear about the experiences

LG
gs

[Redeyejedi]

thanks for the feedback. will get back with more details and an update, much appreciated guys, thanks.

[Corky/Max]

[QUOTE=Redeyejedi;73151]Unexplained behavior
As far as Munchkin goes: she’s appears restless, anxious, scared and uncomfortable. These symptoms come in bouts or waves and occur at different times of both day and night without any real pattern to them. They occur in all rooms of the house and whether I am there or not there. They don’t coincide with storms or the days prior to or just after storms. The vets have checked her blood, fecal, teeth, back, stomach and none of those explain the behavior. She’s been on anti-anxiety pills (Alprazolam) and on pain reliever (Tramadol) with no major response. She still enjoys her walk, likes to play, has a normal appetite, does not vomit, does not have diarrhea, drinks the normal amount of water. These ‘panic’ attacks or whatever they are occur suddenly. When they happen she wants to jump up on us, be right next to us, and then when she realizes that being next to us doesn’t alleviate whatever is ailing her, she starts pawing at the window and doors like she wants to go outside. When we try to let her outside she just sits at the door and does not move or walk outside. She continues to be restless and uncomfortable with her tail dropped low, ears tucked back like she is scared. She does not whimper or bark though. She just stares at us and jumps up on us. It becomes particularly a problem at night when we are trying to sleep so we’ve resorted to sticking her in a kennel for the night. She scratches the kennel walls and barks but eventually tires herself out and goes to sleep. However all this happens between midnight and 6 am. The doctors don’t know what it is and have just run a test to check her thyroid. They then want me to make an appointment with a behavioralist to determine if my response to Munchkin’s ‘panic’ attacks is exacerbating the problem and to see if what Munchkin is doing is a resort of a behavior problem. If that doesn’t work they then want me to see a neurologist and potentially get and MRI to determine if Munchkin has a neurological disorder.
I have recently been looking up about seizures. You may not think it is the problem ,and I'm not saying it is, but may be worth looking into. Seizures can be hard to detect sometimes and dog react differently and also there are many different kinds of seizures--So a difference in reactions here also. Please read through this 'copy' I posted another member!
Turns out her dog did not have this but did have liver shunts--Which I will post about also in a post after this post. Here is the copy on seizures:

Here is some info from a site:
There are many types of seizures that are commonly seen and if you suspect your dog is or has had a seizure, be sure to discuss it with your veterinarian giving as many details as possible.


Generalized Seizure or Tonic-clonic: The Tonic-clonic seizure has two stages and may come in a mild or Grand Mal version. During the Grand Mal seizure the “tonic” phase is when the dog falls to the ground, rigidly stretches his legs out and loses consciousness. During this time his breathing will also stop. This part of the seizure usually lasts ten to thirty seconds. After this the “clonic” stage begins. It is at this time that owners notice the stereotypical activity that is commonly called a fit.


While the dog is in the clonic stage, he or she will begin any or all of the following symptoms:

1. Paddling of limbs or “running in place”.

2. Jaw movements that look like the dog is trying to chew gum.

3. Pupils in both eyes dilate (become large) and unresponsive.

4. Dog begins salivating or drooling.

5. Dog loses control of bodily functions and begins to urinate or defecate on itself.


In the mild cases of Tonic-clonic seizures there is usually little paddling and no loss of consciousness. Defecation and urination may also not occur.


Petit Mal Seizures have short episodes of the dog being unconscious with instances of muscle tone loss, and blank stares. These types of seizures seem to be very rare in dogs and often require the presence of EEG abnormalities to diagnosis for certainty.


Partial Seizures are odd things where the seizure activities such as the leg paddling, muscle spasms, neck and head bending or the main part of the body and facial muscle spasms only occur in one part of the body. These types of seizures can worsen until they appear to be Grand Mal or Mild Tonic-clonic but the difference is how the seizure began. Both Tonic-clonic types seem to be overall body from the start but the partials may just start at the face or one hip.


Status Epilepticus type seizures can be life threatening. They can appear as one continuous seizure that lasts more than thirty minutes or in a repetitive loop of seizures with the dog never regaining consciousness. Status epilepticus seizures can occur to dogs with a history of Grand Mal or Mild Tonic-clonic seizures and a diagnosis of epilepsy. They can also occur in dogs with no previous seizure activity but that have had an injury to the brain, exposed to toxins such as massive amounts of chocolate, pesticides and poisons or they can be the result of disease.


Cluster Seizures are very similar to the loop of status epilepticus seizures and each are often diagnosed as the other. The difference between the status epilepticus and the cluster seizures is that the dog actually has short time periods returning to consciousness in between each seizure.


Complex Partial Seizures can also be known as psychomotor or behavioral seizures. Of all the different types of seizures these are the oddest and most bizarre. During a complex partial seizure the dog will demonstrate strange repetitive behaviors such as uncontrollably running in small circles, biting at the air, howling, barking or yipping and even a type of lip-smacking. Others may show signs of attempting to hide for no reason. Other signs can be instances of vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, biting at their sides or flank area and even blindness. Although the dog is awake during these seizures, they are not aware of what they are doing or what is going on around them. Complex partial seizures can last a few minutes, several hours or can turn into generalized tonic-clonic seizures.



Seizures can be caused by a variety of things including both primary and secondary epilepsy. They can also be the result of a blow to the head, calcium deficiencies in nursing mothers, end stage heartworm disease, toxic plants, chemicals, fertilizers and poisonings. There is even evidence that seizures may be have a hereditary factor involved since there are several breeds such as the Belgian Tervureren, German Shepherd, Dachshunds and others that have a higher incidence of them than other purebred dogs.


If a seizure happens to your dog, the important thing is for you to stay calm. This is especially hard to do when your beloved pet is in the throes of what appears to be pure agony but you must be in control of yourself. Keep a calm, quiet tone of voice while you attempt to comfort the dog. If there is furniture, doors or anything that the dog could hurt itself on during the seizure, move it if possible. If you are unable to move the danger, wrap blankets or place pillows between the dog and the object. Slide something soft under the dog’s head but make sure you do not get your face or hands close enough to the mouth risking a possible bite. Dim the lights, turn off any loud music or TV and keep the environment as quiet as possible. Speak to your dog in a low, reassuring voice and perhaps gently stroke his side or hip. Also try to avoid being on the same side as the feet and toenails. As the muscles spasm, so do the legs making the feet curl into actual claws that can rake or gouge your skin.

During these times, take notes to contact your veterinarian with. Note the time of day it occurred, the duration of each seizure and the time in between them if they are recurrent. In addition to these things, the veterinarian will want to know if the dog regained consciousness, urinated or defecated, if the seizure progressed from mere body twitching or hit suddenly. He will probably ask if there had been any possibly triggering events such as fireworks, excessive exercising or playing, strange products or items eaten and how long it was before the dog appeared normal again.


It is very common for dogs that have seizures to have a time period afterwards in which they appear drugged or lost. They may respond to you but in an excessively slow manner. These “drugged” times may vary according to the severity of the seizure. For some dogs they may take only a few minutes or several hours. Seizures are an exhausting experience and most dogs will want to sleep afterwards so allow them to do so. Check in occasionally but don’t disturb their rest.


If this is the first occurrence of a seizure, be sure to contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. Depending on preferences, he or she may take the “wait and see” route or go for a battery of blood tests to check for liver and heart functions, anemia, glucose, calcium, and electrolyte levels. The doctor may even want to run a screen for possible toxins including lead as well as possible x-rays. Teaching facilities and some clinics will even have the ability to do EEGs to check for abnormalities.


Even with all the tests, the results may not give a specific reason for the seizure. Some veterinarians will wait and see if it was a one-time occurrence while others may suggest medications right away. If diagnosed with epilepsy, dogs have an excellent chance of a fairly normal life if given the proper medical care and follow up by the owner.

[Corky/Max]

Wanted to add to the above post----As I said seizures can be hard to detect--Some are very subtle. Am thinking for one thing--the 'staring.' Check out your description and compare it to the copy above that I sent you--Look hard for subtle things that just might be a symptom!

Will be back in this post after I go retrieve more info I have posted in this forum---So check back here if you happen to read this post before I get the rest here!

HEPATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY is a type of brain inflammation caused by high levels of ammonia and other toxins in the blood. Ammonia is a by~product of protein metabolism, and is normally removed from the bloodstream by a healthy liver. When the liver is sick, ammonia accumulates to toxic levels and exerts a poisonous effect on the brain.
----Dogs with hepatic encephalopathy develop incoordination, sporadic weakness, disorientation, head~pressing, behavioral changes, drooling, stupor and mental dullness. Symptoms tend to wax and wane. They become more severe after a high~protein meal. Seizures and coma occur when hepatic encephalopathy is advanced.

LIVER SHUNTS, also called PORTOSYSTEMIC SHUNTS, are abnormal veins that allow blood from the intestine to bypass the liver. Ammonia and other toxins are not metabolized or removed from the circulation, resulting in signs of hepatic encephalopathy (see above).
----The majority of these shunts are congenital. Multiple shunts outside the liver may be congenital but are more often caused by cirrhosis.
----Most dogs with congenital liver shunts develop symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy by 6 months of age, although some dogs may not develop symptoms until middle age or older. The diagnosis is confirmed by X~ray studies where contrast dyes are injected into the liver circulation, and by bile acid assays. These studies are available at referral centers.

This is what the member posted--(symptoms) who just had her dog diagnosed with liver shunts: Originally Posted by tpenning
I have a little chihuahua, Oliver, that is 14 weeks old and he has started displaying symptoms that something major may be wrong with him. He has started crying out in pain and holding his head backwards (almost touching his spine) as well as body twitching on two different occasions, so far. He will lay still for a while and then cry out in pain. During the entire episode he holds his head backwards. Sometimes his eyes are open and sometimes they are closed. During each time, the episodes have lasted about 5 - 8 hours. The first episode was Wednesday night, the 19th of August and the second episode was this morning, 23 August 2009. He seems to be really tired after each episode, but he is alert and will eat and drink. Not sure what is going on with him....need as much info as possible.

Please help!