growling issues

Question
I have a beagle (he turned seven in february) that has recently started growling issues. It started about two-three weeks ago. He seems to start out with a wince/whine then it turns to a low growl. I have poked and proded at him but he makes no noise. It will last for a few minutes then he will be fine for hours. It does seem to get a little worse at night sometimes. He wakes us up at night with his growling. We try to comfort him, hold him tight, cover him up...it doesn't always work. He also trembles when he growls. He will also "stare into space" or when he walks he looks like he is looking at the ceiling.  It even seems like he is seeing/hearing something we can't. If you have any suggestions as to what may be troubling our dog it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Answer
It sounds as if your dog is experiencing some cognitive decline. That means that he is starting to age mentally due to brain chemistry or lack thereof. While 7 isn't old it is senior age for a beagle.

I would get him in to see your vet and have them do some blood work on him. It could be that he is lacking in some essential nutrients.

Since we are all what we eat, if he has been on a sub-standard diet, ie: eating things like Old Roy, Purina, Nutro or any other grocery store type food, he could very well be under-nourished even if he doesn't look like he is.

Get some blood run on him, get a heartworm test done on him, and have the vet check his eyes too. Sometimes as dogs age they get cataracts etc which make it hard for him to see, and then they can get grumpy.

Shaking and growling can also be signs of pain in dogs, so have the vet give him a good hands-on exam as well.

There are things to treat cognitive disorder function with. Choline and Inisotol are one combo (Cholodin is the brand name) and they are a chewable tablet.

There are also newer drugs on the market for dogs that have the ability to help a dog "get back" their personality and become less withdrawn and upset.

In any case, it all starts with an exam and blood work.

I hope that he gets past this quickly. Please let me know how he does.