Medical conditions that can effect a dogs behaviour

[canislupus]

Can anyone please assist me with the above question, fleas, anal glands can result in unusal behaviour in a dog, what other conditions can have the same result

[divegirl]

On a lesser basis,.....ear mites,tics and mange. On a more severe level..... tumours, cancer etc. Is there some sort of specific behaviour that you are concerned with?

Lisa x

[Noweia]

Many things can cause neurological signs, i.e symptoms of brain/spinal cord/ nervous system dysfunction - neuro signs include head-pressing, circling, head tilts and turns, aggression, ataxia (wobbly on their feet) plus multiple others.

[lankeela]

OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) can result in physical behaviour like chewing itself, or 'fly catching' (i.e. snapping at imaginary flies) or constantly licking its lips.

[lankeela]

Some milder forms of epilepsy can also cause strange behaviour. Chasing shadows or beams of light can also be a symptom.

[canislupus]

I have a dog that is suddenly aggressive, up until now he has been well behaved. I consulted a vet and they said to speak to a behaviourist. Unfortunately the behaviourist after examination states that it is not related to the dogs training or behaviour, they suggested returning to the vet and i was endeavouring to research the possible causes prior to seeing the vet

[lankeela]

What form does the aggression take - does the dog object to you handling/grooming him? Is it food related or is the dog barking/showing aggression to you/other people? Does he refuse to get off the settee/bed when you tell him? Has anything changed in your lifestyle recently? Give us a bit more info and someone on here may be able to offer some advice.

What breed/age is your dog, and do you have other animals?

[canislupus]

The dogs is a German Shepherd, bitch, 9 years old, we have had her since she was a pup. She has been 'dressed' and has a very good temperment, excellent with children. She has suddenly started to growl, baring her teeth is people go near her. Her environment has not change. Her food has remained the same. She does have boughts of Colitis every so often ( but this is a condition she has suffered from through out her life). The only other animal in the house other than the kids is a budgie.

[kita1]

Does she struggle (or is she slow) when she gets up?

Does she shake her head (ear problems)?

Did the vet do any tests/physically check her over?

If she is growling when people approach her head she may have toothache or ear problems.

If your vet did not physically examine her (eg check her over with his hands, take her temperature, etc) then I would consider seeing a different vet, I have known some vets to be terrified of GSD's - I had one locum who just looked at the dog from the other side of the table and pronounced her fit!!! (and she had a muzzle on!).

Just out of interest, what country are you in? (UK, USA etc).

[winny]

sorry dont have any constructive help as there seems there could be lots of reasons for change. I would deffinatly have a thorough vet check. You never know what she may be feeling or in pain. What doeas dressed mean.
My gsd is epileptic but has full fits which you cannot miss but we have been told that as they come round from one they can be aggressive due to confusion. He had an ear infection once which caused him to shake his head every time he barked but no agression.

[lankeela]

It could be the onset of CDRM which is a disease which affects GSD's and causes pain and discomfort in the back legs. They eventually lose the use of them and even if they are fit and healthy in every other way there is no real cure for it. It could also be Hip Displaysia which she may have had all her life but now she is getting on a bit might be causing her some problems. Anything like this might make her reluctant to let people touch or get near her, as she thinks it is going to hurt. Definitely get her checked by a vet who can do a thorough examination. It could also be something simple like having dislocated something, and just need manipulating back into place, so please get her looked at asap.

[canislupus]

Sorry for not responding sooner - I have ben to the vet and animal hospital with my dog, they have carried out nummerous tests including brain scans etc. She has settle back to her normal calm nature. The Vts now believe that she may have had an adverse reaction to her annual booster. But they state that this cannot be confirmed as they believe that this type of response can only happen in 1 in a million dogs.

So thanks for all your responses.

[winny]

Pleased all ok for you now. xxxx