Agitated puppy

[shivvy]

My 5 month old puppy seems very agitated. She is tired and lies down as if trying to sleep but then she jumps up and runs around the room in a bit of a frenzy.
She has been doing it for approx an hour.
Does anyone know what could be bothering her please?

[shivvy]

She has started biting at her paws and is scraping up her blankets. When I was walking her earlier, she could have been in nettles. If that is what is bothering her, what can I do to help her?

[Rollo]

See if you can calm her down by distracting her.

If it carries on you may need to take her to a vet.

[leelapops]

Hi shivvy, your poor pup. Nettles don't really affect my dog, so I don't know if that's the cause of her behaviour. How's her temperature? How's her skin? Any rashes, redness, sore bits? Does she look upset, or is it just her behaviour?

Can you take her for another little walk to try and settle her? Will she come to you to play for a little while? As Rollo says, this might distract her and settle her a bit.

[jules77]

Has she eaten anything she shouldnt have done, are there any nuts, raisins or grapes around that she could have got at?

Check her temperature if you have a pet thermometer? I would be inclined to ring the vet, as it sounds most strange and better to take her to the vet now, than out of hours in the middle of the night.

[shivvy]

Thankfully, the panic is over.
I think it must have been nettles or something else that had irritated her little pads. At one stage she was biting at her feet so hard that she was yelping. However after a while she seemed to calm as the itch must have subsided. She is now totally out for the count in her bed - bless her cotton socks (or itchy toes in this case!)
Thanks for your help though.

[kita1]

If you had walked her near/on a road it is also possible that the road has been salted (because of frost) and the salt may have been trapped between her toes and in the hair of her feet.

If you walk her near roads that have been salted it is best to wash her paws in fresh water when you get back off the walk (or get her to walk through a washing up bowl full of fresh water).

[LoftyLottie]

Our little dog often acts exactly like this after walking through nettles, etc. in the summer.

We give her Piriton antihistamine tablets (available at any pharmacy). The vet recommended this (only Piriton, not any other antistamine!!). Just one and she settles right down. We always have Piriton tablets on hand now!!