anxiety/fear/hyperactivity???

Question
Patti,

We have a 13 year old maltipom male who has always been in good health and has been a fantastic dog.  During the last couple of weeks he has exhibited some strange behavior for short periods of time.  Normally he is very calm and relaxed, sleeps a lot, lays down, loves to go for walks, etc.  A few times during the last couple of weeks he has been very, very hyper/fearful/anxious, moving from room to room, trying to hide behind the TV and bed, panting and drewling, eyes bulging, laying down for a split second and then jumping up with ears pointed straight up.  He knows where he is and responds to his name and commands. Nothing has changed in his environment...everything is pretty much status quo. This happens instantly as if a light switch was turned on...one minute he's perfectly normal and then the next second he's exhibiting these symptoms.  It has lasted short periods of time as well as one all night session.  It also stops instantly as if the light switch was turned off again.  We took him to the vet and for a checkup.  The vet is guessing and has put him on some mediation that has not helped.  Any help would be appreciated.

Tony

Answer
Hi Tony,

It's good you've already been to the vet. The restless symptoms of pacing, panting, and just not being able to settle can be a symptom of heart disease, so hopefully your vet has already rules that out.

Many times, when a dog has non specific symptoms, it takes more than one vet visit to get to the bottom of things. Because your dog didn't seem to helped by whatever medication your vet prescribed, you need to take your dog back for a follow up exam.

Some older dogs develop a condition called "Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome", or CDS. This condition is the geriatric onset behavioral of changes (usually gradual) which are not entirely attributable to other general medical conditions. For the most part CDS is a "diagnosis of exclusion" - it cannot be confirmed by a simple test, so it is important to determine other possible causes.
You can read more about this condition here:

http://www.cpvh.com/Articles/4.html

A dog doesn't need to have all the symptoms to be considered CDS, if you think the description sounds like your dog you should mention it to your vet. There is medication available that can help.

By your description, it sounds like your dog is having periods of acute anxiety-based behaviors, more than it sounds like a response to pain. If your vet can't put a finger on whatever is the problem, anti-anxiety medication might help. This could be something you could give your dog on an "as needed" basis. Talk this over with your vet.

You might also consider having your dog evaluated by a dog behaviorist. If your dog's behavior has become habit, a behaviorist can help you train your dog out of it.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti