Will my dog bite or become aggressive?

Question
QUESTION: Dr O'Connor,

Thank you for volunteering & taking my question.

Before I begin, I will say, I am not looking for a diagnosis from you, although this behavioral question may be related to a medical challenge...any input you have, as it relates to behavior, would be greatly appreciated.

Our chocolate lab will be 10 yrs in January.  Over the past 3-6 months we have noticed some odd behavior that has gradually increased to just plain STRANGE, especially for her.

Most notable changes include:  "ignoring" her name when being called (we initially thought her hearing might just be starting to fail a bit), wandering out of the yard (Jazz has never, Never, NEVER done this), less interest in food (although still interested), random barking (she has barked more in the past 3 months than she has her entire life), often a look/act of confusion, "shivering" or "shaking" as though she can't hold her body heat in, more sleep and, less involved, and in general just not herself.

Since it seems to be escalating more rapidly in the past couple of weeks, an incident last evening made us really take notice. After some Internet searching, it appears she may have Canine Cognitive Dysfunction.  I have a call into her vet for an appointment & some over the phone questions  to find out more about this & the treatment options but I am fairly convinced that is our issue...I'm pretty "in tune" with our animals, their habits, eating, etc - nothing else seems out of check...other than her ears are less attentive/less responsive lately?

My question is, are you familiar at all with the behavior that comes along with this condition, and if so, do you know if it can cause aggression in an otherwise extremely passive, NEVER aggressive dog?---THAT is our biggest short and long term concern with this.

We do have small children in the home.  Her behavior is very random and unpredictable right now. She has NOT shown any aggressive behavior other than the unexpected barks and I have not found anything on the Internet that discusses this condition turning aggressive...Do the barks increase to more aggressive behavior?

And, I'm assuming all traditional training/behavioral methods are tossed out the window if the problem is related to CCD, right?  Especially since often she acts as though she's completely ignoring us (which is obviously not her fault).

Again, any thoughts, experience or advice you have on this would be greatly appreciated.

TIA,
KC


ANSWER: I'm very familiar with cognitive dysfunction in dogs, having treated multiple cases of sudden aggression, and having had a very elderly dog (16) who demonstrated rapidly developing cognitive failure.  Your dog may have suffered a neurological insult (stroke) or may have a brain lesion.  These are quite difficult to diagnose and the average veterinarian does not have the equipment required; nor do these expensive tests proffer absolute diagnosis.  A CT scan, a cranial MRI and a lumbar tap all might offer evidence of neurological insult, encephalopathy, brain lesion, etc., but they also may NOT.  Jazz is demonstrating clear signs of some serious mental incapacity.  And growing.  This may also be a sign of SERIOUS intermittent pain caused by metastatic cancer.  Have the dog x-rayed; super blood chemistry will NOT tell you if she has cancer.

Quality of life is always of paramount importance.  Cognitive dysfunction CAN BE TREATED with medication.  Find a veterinarian of the highest caliber; contact the veterinary college in your geographical area.  Minus x-ray vision, no veterinarian can give you a firm diagnosis without extensive testing (and perhaps even with it), but a veterinary neurologist will have seen this syndrome many times over and may be able to offer medication and behavioral treatment options.  In terms of your children: OBSERVE THIS DOG VERY CAREFULLY.  Do not allow young children to freely interact with a dog that is clearly demonstrating a loss of cognition.  PROTECT THE DOG AND THE CHILDREN by very closely supervising this interaction.  I will, no doubt, be faulted by the wanna-be behaviorist who "monitors" my posts for any sign of my not being 100% PRO DOG, but PEOPLE have to come first, and ESPECIALLY children!  The dog cannot deal with young children right now, she may not be able to at all in the future, and both have to be protected from one another.  GO TO A VETERINARY SPECIALIST and please repost with results from vet visit.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dr Connor,
Thank you for your extremely quick response to this question.

I sincerely appreciate your candor and logical approach to our question.  It would be very easy to allow our emotion to override us in this circumstance but the reality is, for us, emotion is never a good way to make a sound decision as it relates to our pets health.  I've learned that the hard way.  Twice.

I would challenge anyone who would question your judgment related to the interaction with our clearly ill dog and people. Therefore, your response is both welcomed and appreciated...it gave me the confirmation I needed to make a logical decision as it relates to Jazz's interaction right now.  We will keep her as comfortable as possible, keeping in mind, safety for all.

I just spoke with Jazzy's vet on the phone.  Our conversation, coupled with your response is disheartening but appreciated.  

Jazz will be going in for an exam and probable testing based on whatever we determine at the exam.  It sounds as though the likelihood is that whatever she is suffering from is neurological and, although there are meds to prolong her life and slow the process, they will likely not reverse what already is.  There is an outside chance it could be a Thyroid issue?  We will also have her hearing tested, and, although we can be hopeful, these are not probable diagnosis, it seems.

I will definitely come back with a new post once we have some definitives...or, at least, updates.  Additionally, we have another dog (Australian Shepherd) that is much younger and depends on her alpha, Jazz.  Regardless of the outcome, things are different and, I suspect I may have some transitional behavioral questions for you as it relates to Anna, as well.  I have already begun to wean her from Jazz and she now sleeps in my son's room.  Our inactive Jazz seems to appreciate the space and I think it is good for Anna to detach a bit & gain some independence.

I will be back -  

Again, thank you, Dr Connor.
KC

Answer
You're right to remove Anna from Jazz, for the sake of both dogs; Jazz may demonstrate behavior toward Anna that creates an entirely new problem for everyone.

Pain can cause all sorts of behavior changes in a dog; dogs don't demonstrate pain in the same way we do.  It's possible Jazz is experiencing intermittent pain from some internal problem; hopefully, veterinarian will do as many tests s/he can without resorting to expensive testing (bloodwork is affordable, MRI and CT scan are expensive.)  I will keep you in my thoughts and wait for your repost.