dog bites

Question
hi..we have a cocker spaniel, who we found, or shall i say, he found us, about two years ago. he had been abused, which the vet confirmed. what he does is, he will bite for seemingly no reason. a couple of days ago, he was laying on his back, with the typical rub my stomach thing they do. i was rubbing his stomach, going easy, and he just about bit my hand in half. then he proceeded to act totally normal. it seems he will bite or try to bite, anybody anytime, for no reason. what would cause this behavior and what to do about it? he is about 5 years old so not sure if neutering would help or not. thank you!!

Answer
Hi James,

Thank you for writing to me about your dog.  I would suggest that a full blood work up be done on your dog to see if the thyroid is off (even a little out of the normal could cause aggression).  Check for lyme as well.  Other than this, your dog may have suffered brain damage of some kind if he was beaten and is therefore not reacting in a manner you would expect.  Sometimes finding the right medication can be helpful.  I would also suggest neutering.  It is never too late! Hormones at 5 yrs are still quite powerful and eliminating them could help the situation.  

Check for food allergies, as well as environmental allergies.  I would stop all toxic medication such as flea/tick and vaccinations until you get to the bottom of this as they can effect behavior.

You might also bring in a behavorist to access the situation.

Best Regards,
Shelley Davis