[Pichou]

I have a 7 year old I LOVE DOGS!I LOVE DOGS!I LOVE DOGS!I LOVE DOGS! Tzu and she's been acting really strange in the last few days. She's been very clingy (more so then usual). She'll spend lots of time just sitting there and constantly staring at me or my husband. She'll follow us wherever we go. She seems a little bit lethargic and notices she will shake every once in awhile while sitting down. When we call her to come to us, she'll just stand there. When we are holding her and giving her attention, she still will just stare at us and continuously want us to be petting her. I thought she might be sick but she's still going to the bathroom regularly, has no fever, still will bark when company comes over, and still eating & drinking. One minute she seems fine, the next minute not fine. I don't know why she's behaving this way. Do you think she might be in pain or something? I'm so worried something might be wrong her but can't figure out what it might be. We have been spending quality time with her.

Sorry for the weird title to this thread. I didn't type that title in like that.

[cigwyllt]

I'm guessing you spelled the name of the breed wrongly and the computer took offence. Don't worry - everyone knows what sort of dog you mean

I don't have any experience of Shih tzu's except for my uncle's and she is a very nervous little dog so perhaps not the best example. Has your girl been spayed? If not she could be coming into season or at the early stages of a phantom pregnancy?

[Pichou]

Yes she has been spade.

[cigwyllt]

If that is the case then you should probably get her checked by the vet. She could be in pain which is why she seems so distracted.

[cherylmartin]

Pichou,

I would definitly get her to the vet for evaluation. SHe could be in pain or having a bad to reaction to flea/tick prevent med or another med she in on.

I would not take the risk of her getting much worse.

Please let us know.

[CorkyMax]

I agree! You should definitely take your dog to the vet. This could be a lot of things, esp. to do with the nervous system--spinal problems included in this, but other things too--maybe got in to something poisonous, cocoa bean/hull mulch comes to mind for one as is that time of the year as well as insecticides or lawn applications, flea or tick meds---bit by a tick--diabetes and other diseases, many, many possibilities. Be a detective and think of all the things your dog could of got into as far as poisons go. Here is a link on poisonous things: Foods that are hazardous to a dog This is more than just foods--'The thread grew.'

Have you checked the stool for differences from the norm--color-texture-smell. You can get a lot of info from checking on this. Be sure and tell your vet every bit of info you can on anything different--and not just about the poop. Write things down so you don't forget.

The tremoring/shaking could very well be a sign of pain! As she seems to do this when starting to sit--Wonder if it is a spinal problem?

I am no vet---Go to your vet now before things can get worse! I just mentioned the things I have to give you some possibilities to think about! No matter what it is---It needs to be examined by a vet and possibly need blood work too. Let us know how your girl is doing, etc. as we always think the worst if we never hear back. Good luck and hope it is nothing too serious.

Link on cocoa mulch: COCOA MULCH----Deadly to Dogs!

[cigwyllt]

Another thing to consider - does she suffer problems with her anal glands? My parents dog does. Normally we are aware of the problem building when he starts to scoot around on is bottom but a couple of months ago he had an "episode" where his behaviour just changed completely. From being a very friendly, outgoing dog he didn't want to be with people, he wouldn't come when he was called, showed no interest in life. The change was so severe my father was afraid that he was taking him to the vet for the last time. The vet examined him and found that his anal glands were blocked and he may have had a very slight infection. She dealt with his glands, gave him a shot of antibiotics and he was 100% fine within a couple of hours.

[Todd]

Yes I'd take her to the vet. Here is a responce I gave to another thread where another dog was going through a similar situation and plenty of pain recognition and tips r given...

This would indicate something more serious or at least warrant a vet visit. Any occurrence like something the dog ate or did out of the ordinary lately? Any meds given lately including heartworm prevention or flea/tick treatment?

You're dog could potentially be in pain for a very wide variety of reasons. Here's something I found online (the symptoms you described are in bold)...

Behavioral Responses

The following behavioral responses can indicate that your dog is in pain, particularly acute (sudden onset) pain.

Whimpering, growling, crying out and other vocalizations, especially if your dog is typically quiet

Retreating from family members and/or hiding

Excessive panting

Growling, even snapping, when handled; or the opposite: an uncommon struggle to get away

An unwillingness to move

Pacing and restlessness, common signs that a dog is uncomfortable

Arching the back, standing with forelegs held away from the chest

Loss of or decrease in appetite, lethargy and listlessness

*Can you try to pinpoint where the pain is coming from? Either way a trip to the vet would be smart.

The carrying around of the toy seems puzzling. Could be merely coincidental. She could possibly be pregnant could she? Has she been fixed? Carrying around toys like this is sometimes considered a motherly instinct and if she could by chance be pregnant this would explain both behaviors (in pain and carrying around toy).

This could also potentially be nerves. Could there be a reason for her to be nervous or anxious?

dog could be sick. Here are other signs of sickness but I doubt the dog is sick or you probably would have described more of these but it's always a possibility;

o Ears: discharge, debris, odor, scratching, crusted tips, twitching or shaking.

o Eyes: redness, swelling or discharge.

o Nose: runny, thickened or colored discharge, crusty.

o Coughing, sneezing, vomiting or gagging.

o Shortness of breath, irregular breathing or prolonged/heavy panting

o Evidence of parasites in the dog's stool, strange color, blood in the stool, or lack of a bowel movement (constipation).

o Loss of appetite or not drinking as much water as normally would.

o Weight Loss.

o Strange color of urine, small amount of urine, straining, dribbling, or not going as frequently as normal.

o Bad odor coming from mouth, ears, or skin.

o Hair loss, wounds, tumors, dander or change of the skin's color.

o Biting of the skin, parasites, scratching or licking the skin frequently.

You haven't got another animal in the house do you? If so this could be a territorial thing which is not only making the dog nervous but also carrying around the toy to lay claim on it if you will. Could even be another animal in the neighborhood in the area which your dog perceives as threatening?

As I said, a trip to the vet would be the best thing to do here because there are just too many possibilities so it's best to see if it's something physically wrong and work from there. Good luck and hopefully everything turns out alright.

[Lara's mom]

I always tend to err on the side of caution. If one of my brood seems "out of sorts" and it lasts longer than a day, the dog in question is at the vet.

BTW, at the hospital where I take my dogs, I am known as "nervous mother."

[DoggieVogue]

Does she seem to be in pain while your petting her anywhere? I would say if there are no real symptoms she may be okay. You could always give the vet a call just to ask their opinion before taking her in if its nothing.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by DoggieVogue

Does she seem to be in pain while your petting her anywhere? I would say if there are no real symptoms she may be okay. You could always give the vet a call just to ask their opinion before taking her in if its nothing.

Well just because the dog doesn't act like its in pain while being pet doesn't mean nothing's wrong. I listed more in depth investigations above. Dogs actually have very different ways or telling us they aren't feeling well. Sometimes they try to hide it though which is somethign to take into serious consideration.