Senior dog?

[mlambert]

Anyone else here have a senior citizen dog? What I mean is a dog in his teens? I'm having some problems and could use some advice from you animal lovers.

My puppy, he will always be my puppy, is about to turn 15 in September. I got him when he was about 6 weeks old. He is a purebred American Eskimo Spitz (read: 25 lbs. of white fur). When I got him, he had some aggression issues, so off we went to obedience school. I won't bore you with the details, but my former spouse was not so kind to him, so when that relationship was done, back we went for some re-training secondary to fear aggression. So, now he's getting really old guess what issue is up again.

We went to the groomer about two weeks ago, no problems. I've been taking his coat down in the spring because it gets so hot here in the summer time and plus he has really bad arthritis in his hind legs (basically, the x-rays show he has no real joints at all back there anymore), so to lighten his load.

We went to the vet on Saturday for his annual stuff, at which point I was informed he had early cataracts, but due to his age we aren't really going to do anything about them because the procedure would be taxing and plus the cataracts are in really early stages (clouding but no pressure). Which I kinda noticed his development of hearing problem and generally Klutz-iness about a year ago, so the cataracts were no surprise. He's eating and drinking and ripping around fine, so that's how we left, with his Sentinel and his glucosamine doggie treats.

So this morning he did not want to go outside. And I mean at all. He actually growled at me, showed teeth, and snapped at my hand when I went to put his leash on him. Of course, he got the NO and the BAD DOG, at which point he retreated to his cage. He has never ever showed teeth or snapped at me, so I'm really surprised and actually a little ticked off. He is in his cage while I'm here at work for all 8 hours.

We did a blood draw on him Saturday for what they call a senior panel. Just found out from the vet that his T4 is low, so we are running another test to check his thyroid. I was thinking that he sleeps a lot, but I figured it was just because he's old and tired. Turns out the T4 being low would have something to do with that. I guess I have to wait for that result tomorrow or Thursday.

Is this behavior what I have to look forward to? Because he is damn sure missing out on the first nice day we've had in about a week. Maybe he's still peeved at me over taking him to the vet. Not so sure I have the patience to deal with this. But the idea of giving him away or putting him down because he's acting like a jerk is so far out there...

Ideas?

[SyntheticShield]

I have an 8 year old Dachshund that has to be the coolest dog I have ever known. We actually got him from Connecticut. A co-worker of mine was relatives with the family that had him and knew they were needing to get rid of him due to a move or something like that. I told him I would take him. Short story Long, they flew out here and brought him with them and I picked him up at the airport. His name is Ralphie.

He was very very dependent at first. Always having to be in someones lap or near someone. At first he would not leave my side since I drove him from the airport I assume. Nearly 60 miles. Well over the course of time he became extremely fond of my wife and for all intense and purposes a mama's dog.

He likes to get up in the bed and sleep between us but lays up against and on my wifes pillow. It got to the point that if I tried to move him or got down like I was going to pet him, he would growl at me. He has snapped at me once and frequently shows teeth. But he will easily switch gears if I grab a treat or a play toy. So Ive just assumed it was due to me getting to close to him or his favorite person my wife.

He does not do it any other time and wont do it all the time.

My thought is (and Im no pet psychologist) that they have their days just like anyone else. Most days I come home from work and he is standing at the door with a toy in mouth wagging his tail hard enough to knock down buildings. Others, he just doesnt want to get up and I'll go to him.

When he does growl at me, inevitably he will come over to me and lift up my arm with his nose and try and sling it on his back like he wants to be petted and his way of saying sorry. The time he snapped at me, he actually put his head down and walked away to the bedroom and got on the bed and laid down until I came in there. When I did he would not move until I told him everything was okay. Really, it was like he understood what I said.

They dont have voices other than their growls, barks and such and it may be that yours is telling you today is a bad day and I just dont want to go and do anything. Maybe he was hurting real bad or something like that.

I wouldnt make a big deal of it unless it became a consistent thing with him. If so then there may be something that needs to be addressed.

[mlambert]

So I decided you are probably right. This is pretty ordinary for an elderly dog, after discussing it with a bunch of dog lover pals. Especially with the issue of the T4. He's probably just grouchy. Like me when I'm hungry or need to hit a bag or something.

I think I will just let him munch on a bad guy or something. Maybe that will make him feel better. And with that, I guess I will get on the phone and invite one of my exes over for dinner...

BAHAHAHA

Thanks for the advice.

[SyntheticShield]

LOL. Ouch.

[kingd44]

ive spent 1500 dollars in the last 2 mnths trying to figure out whats wrong wit my 3 yr old shetland sheep dog(minnie lassie..i know gurlie dog).....he has been biting his fur so bad hes makin him self bleed and hes missin like 30 percent of his hair now...ive taken him to 5 dif vets nobody can figure out whats wrong.... they want me to go to a dermotologist for dogs wich is 700 just for seeing him nvm what they do.i dont have the money for that but i could nev er give him up even tho ive thought about it cause its the most frustarating thing in the world to see him doin this to himself.............. right now hes on steroids and crap and im hoping this time they got it right..........point is dont get frustrated the doc will eventually figure it out and u will have ur normal dog back

[IndeedSS]

ive spent 1500 dollars in the last 2 mnths trying to figure out whats wrong wit my 3 yr old shetland sheep dog(minnie lassie..i know gurlie dog).....he has been biting his fur so bad hes makin him self bleed and hes missin like 30 percent of his hair now...ive taken him to 5 dif vets nobody can figure out whats wrong.... they want me to go to a dermotologist for dogs wich is 700 just for seeing him nvm what they do.i dont have the money for that but i could nev er give him up even tho ive thought about it cause its the most frustarating thing in the world to see him doin this to himself.............. right now hes on steroids and crap and im hoping this time they got it right..........point is dont get frustrated the doc will eventually figure it out and u will have ur normal dog back

Shelties have a lot of issues. Ours just snaps, growls, shows her teeth and throws a fit. She has done this for a few years now. Frustrating to say the least.

To all of the pet owners, it can be very tough. Heres hoping all of them get better.

[kingd44]

yes shelties have alot of issues lol i got mine from a sheltie shelter..he was abused pretty bad so he wont let ne one touch him or look at him lolol...but he loves me so i could never get rid of him cause this is already his 4th home and hes only 3 so it would kill him....pets r def like havin children in alot of way

[SyntheticShield]

Well I do not know if it would apply here, but I'll toss it out just the same. Our Dachshund was doing something similar. Always gnawing on himself to the point that he did develop a couple sore spots. We had to take him to the vet to get him looked at for an infection and when we asked him about it would you believe that he told us to go buy some fish oil capsules and give them to him.

We thought he had some type of skin problem, dandruff, itching or something. We bathed him with anti-dandruff shampoo and tried a few other things. But within a week or two of him starting on the fish oil he completely stopped gnawing on himself and has since had no issues. We now all take fish oil capsules everyday.

[kingd44]

yeh that is a good suggestion ...my dads dog does that and the fish oil does work for him...i tried it for my dog and it didnt work...... the doctor gave him a skin biopspy the other day and he has staples in him...they think its more serious cause none of the common medicines or things like fish oil have worked..so we will wait and see

[SyntheticShield]

Well Im sorry to hear that, thought I would toss that out there just in case. I truly hope you get it all cleared up. Our dog is very much a family member, even refer to him with a first and last name many times, and Im sure yours is as well and I can relate to your desire to help him get well.

[mlambert]

You know the t4 level that I'm having the issue with also controls skin/coat condition. Have they run any blood work on him? My friend with a lab/pit bull mix was having a similar issue and the very first thing they did was blood work, after which he was fed boiled chicken and rice for a couple of weeks, with a topical vitamin E put on his hot spots. Turned out he was having an allergic reaction to some ingredient in his dog food. I think they feed that child Nutramax now?

On a side note, my baby was in a much better mood by the time I got home last night. The vet called me this a.m. to let me know they didn't have enough from his blood draw on Saturday to do the second test. Guess who has to go back to the vet this Saturday? Guess who is gonna' be ticked at me again all weekend? I'm gonna have to find some yummy treat or something to make up for it.

I agree with the fish oil capsules, Scotty. A lot of dermatologists and plastic surgeons swear by them. I got hooked on them at the beginning of my Amazon path years ago. They are great when you just can't eat fish in the course of your day. What I use now for my bedtime concoction is actually fish oil an flaxseed oil caps. Gives me something to burn off in the a.m. so no one dies.

[kingd44]

yeh 3 diff doctors ran blood tests..they tested for a thyroid problem even tested him for lupis wich would have been real bad...luckily it wasnt that but they still dont know what it is so im waiting a month to see if these steroids they gave me work cause he said the skin biopsy showed a allergic reaction to something.

[SyntheticShield]

I agree with the fish oil capsules, Scotty. A lot of dermatologists and plastic surgeons swear by them. I got hooked on them at the beginning of my Amazon path years ago. They are great when you just can't eat fish in the course of your day. What I use now for my bedtime concoction is actually fish oil an flaxseed oil caps. Gives me something to burn off in the a.m. so no one dies.

So you take both of those before you go to bed? Dont mean to take things off topic, just curious. I have flaxseed, but its in the grain form and we mix it into our foods. Maybe I should get some capsules.

[mlambert]

I'm still pretty oldschool as far as my supplements go. I was MUCH worse years ago, when I was dumber and just wanted immediate results, even trying things like hydroxycut and other CRAP. Now I have to think about cardiac and longterm repercussions. And I do mean supplements. Nothing I take in is meant to replace whole food. And each meal is merely designed to get me through to my next. But the fact is when you cut calories or watch them closely, you will lose nutrients, so you have to make sure you are still getting all of them.

I prefer the capsules. Flaxseed tastes funny. I don't know how people ingest that without gagging. Ugh.

My last meal (sometimes at midnight, sometimes at 3 a.m., depending on if I dj or not) is typically some sort of meat (normally salmon, tuna, or sirloin steak), steamed broccoli, and maybe a small salad with romaine, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. We're talking plain jane here. I know I have to run sprints or do a moderate jog in the morning, and my body will be burning that meal off. So, I take 1 fish oil cap and 1 flaxseed cap with that last meal, and pray to the lean mass gods that my body burns off the fat first, not turn cannibalistic and eat my precious calves. The only thing I take in before my morning run is water or propel (if I am dragging) and a multivitamin. I don't get my first meal in until after I get back.

The rest of that nightime concoction, in case you are wondering:

Melatonin
Burdock Root
Glucosamine & MSM
ZMA
Sometimes a mini Benadryl, if I am still amped up from my workout.

If you want to know more about these, or the other ones I take and when, I'll be happy to share. I'm not shy. Most people who know me know that I have two boyfriends. One his name is Gym. The other is a little Korean dude named Dojahng. Both are into various forms of bodily torture.

[SyntheticShield]

I may have to hit you up for some information, but I dont want to hijack your thread further...

[FoSHO99]

I grew up on the farm and worked for a vet in high school. I could do all of the large animal stuff, basically grab a buzzer to move cattle and jump out of the way of wild one's. When it came to small animals and their owners, they had a whole seperate doctor for that and I couldn't stand helping with the small animals, every little thing.

One of the best dogs we ever had was a sheltie collie. She was nice and never ever hurt us or tried to. Sometimes she would lay in the yard and the cats would sleep on top of her. Then when we had any animals like coons or possums, she turned into a badass. She wouldn't leave something alone until she killed it, so we had to help her kill it, but if we killed it, she would be mad at us, so we had to take shovels to move the animals out of their hiding spots so she could bite it around the neck and shake it to death. She was scared of storms though, she would start shaking when a storm was going to be coming, and thats the only time we let her inside. The only problem she had was that she was spaded and every time the cats had kittens, she would take them and try to take care of them and ended up killing them becuase they were so small and delicate. She went missing one day and we found her in a ditch about 6months later.

Maybe your dog needs a companion. Seeing old pets with new animals or friends can really change things. Plus, I hate to say it, but when your dog does go, it will be easier to deal with the loss if you have another pet there. There are other ways than spending the rest of their years in vet care and more money.

[mlambert]

I see where you're coming from, but the reality is I'm not so sure that I will get any more animals after this one. I lost my hedgehog and my cat within the past couple of years. It's like losing children. Plus with a Spitz, they are pretty territorial, and he might not like another dog in his space like that. He gets that from me. It's just kinda' wait and see until Monday I guess on the results of that test.

[scooz14]

yeh 3 diff doctors ran blood tests..they tested for a thyroid problem even tested him for lupis wich would have been real bad...luckily it wasnt that but they still dont know what it is so im waiting a month to see if these steroids they gave me work cause he said the skin biopsy showed a allergic reaction to something.

my old golden retriever had similar issues. it ended up that she was allergic to the food we gave her. we switched the food up and the problem went away