Older Chi Chi starting to bite

Question
hello, my husband & I have a 9 year old Chi and he has been a wonderful dog up until recently. For the last few weeks Pancho has starting growling and biting @ us when we go to pet him or pick him up. This does not happen all the time it is very sporadic. He will come and lay with us and when we go to pet him he all of a sudden growls and bites @ us.
Needless to say we are very concerned that he is going "crazy" or having some kind of mental problem. Any suggestions

Answer
If this is totally new behavior, I'd suspect something medical going on. I'd get bloodwork done, including a full 6 panel thyroid test and a tick disease panel. Either tick diseases or low thyroid can cause behavior changes. And it may be that he's getting arthritic and it sometimes hurts to be picked up and handled. Another possibility would be cognative dysfunction, which you could also ask your vet about. Any time I see a sudden change in behavior in an older dog, I tend to think there may be something else going on. I'd also suggest that you allow him to come to you, and listen to him if he says he doesn't feel like being handled. If you'd just pulled a rib, you might not want a bear hug from even your closest friend. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com