Sheridan

Just a small update. I've had Grumpy on vivitonin (dementia tablets) and there's no discernable difference in behaviour with him on or off the tablets. Aside from the two grumpy incidents just after my friend left, he's been fine. The test will be when he's groomed, I think. Must warn his groomer ...

My wheaten used to play with a male GSD who had dreadful allergies. From what I understood, he was allergic to everything.

I bought a sample bag of Orijen for one of my dogs to try. She wasn't fussed on it. Prefers her Bonnie.

Wheatens do this. I just put my hand over the nose. Makes 'em breath through their mouth for a bit then everything's fine.

I so want the 'marble magenta' Super Twin Tub Deluxe ...

Night before last he got stroppy when I went to get a piece of fluff off his nose. This morning I went to give him a stroke of his beard when he got stroppy again. I told him off very loudly and he just sat there looking mulish. It's always the left side of his head. As far as I can tell there's nothing there that would indicate something wrong. I've patted him there many times before and since he started getting grumpy. I can't get the medication because I have no car at the moment. Might see if any of the vet staff are near me. There's nothing else wrong with him, just the grumpiness and of course, since he has to be muzzled at the vet, it's hard to examine his mouth. The vet did check (carefully!) before examining him too closely but there didn't seem to be anything wrong. I am wondering if anything happened at the groomers. I might give them a ring to check. Haven't any pics with me, Monah, as I'm at work but I'll see what I can rustle up. I don't have a great deal of luck in posting pics. It's all a bit haphazard for me.

I spoke too soon ...

Okay, I haven't started given grumpy any medication yet but it's been nearly a week since my friend left and there have been no incidences of aggression at all.

Grumpy is doing very well. In fact, since my friend left on Sunday I've never had so many wheatie kisses. The vet rang today with the results of the blood tests. Other than a slightly lower than normal white cell blood count (the norm is 6% and his was 5.9%), everything was normal. The vet suggested we give a drug called Vivitonin a try for a few weeks. It's used to spark up dementia patients. He said an MRI would cost around $1700 (!) and he suggested Vivitonin because of the lack of any other symptoms to suggest a brain tumour. He said he didn't rule it out because only the MRI would do that. I don't exactly have $1700, of course, but could sell my family come up with the money somehow. Opinions? IDWT, hadn't thought about the pig's ears. He hasn't had one since Friday.

I think the only pet insurance that doesn't exclude genetic conditions for particular breeds is the RSPCA one.

Hi Schnauzer His appetite hasn't increased, it's always been big. I do think he's only drinking more because he's running around a lot more. I'll talk to the vet about Cushings, though. I hadn't thought of that.

Thanks, Monah. His appetite is as it ever was: big, fat and greedy. He can hear food from miles away. He's always been very food oriented so there's no change there. No change in his barking or alertness. He's put on weight but I've been a bit too generous with the Ziwipeak and pigs' ears of late. He's been drinking more water but he also has a companion now and is doing a lot more running around. Today was pretty cold and I was working so he slept most of the day and hardly drank anything. Same with my little kerry girl. Snored the day away, the pair of them. I just found him asleep on my bed, head on my pillow. So utterly adorable.

I have one dog who chews them down very quickly. The other one does the burying thing and one night she was so distraught at the possibility of the boy finding it that she actually gave it back to me! Never had a problem with them but wouldn't feed the little stick rawhide chews due to them not being digested properly.

Went to the vet this morning and of course, we muzzled the boy. Luckily, as the vet would have lost his hand several times over. Grumpy does not like the vet "doing things". This is normal ... Nothing obvious. Nothing in his ears. Possibly his eyesight. People may remember me taking him to see an opthamologist to get his eyes checked (no cataracts but ageing lenses). Nothing with his back and the vet poked and prodded a lot, which Grumpy didn't like at all but he wasn't in pain with it. The vet took some blood (vet nurse and me holding him) so he can check kidney, liver, thyroid. A sort of blanket, we don't know what's wrong so let's test for everything blood test. The vet said that it's possibly a tumour but he would have expected something other than aggression. He did say it could be the beginnings of dementia and there's some medication that is very good for that. He also said that it could be behavioural (friend staying with me, dog put out) and if it continues there's a medication for that as well. Good sign that he's eating and drinking normally. Now it's a wait and see what happens with the blood tests. Didn't get a urine test. Forgot about that but aggression isn't a sign of the kidney thing that wheatens get so I'm not especially concerned about that.

Poor boy, he really wants to be patted. Will update after the vet visit but if anyone has some other suggestions, please post.

Well, here's something that just happened. He came out for a cuddle, putting his head on my knee. I scratched both ears for five minutes or so then did it again. Third time, I touched his left ear and he snatched at my hand. It seems to be his left side more often than not.

Thanks, Monah. I did have the horrible thought of a brain tumour as well. He's so healthy otherwise, particularly for a 12 year old. He's really strong, can outwalk me, and just the thought of something like that is hideous. How was the brain tumour diagnosed? :rolleyes:

He's often grumpy, though. He's just been more grumpy, although not with my other dog.

Could well be senility.

My 12 and a half year old dog has, just over the last week, displayed some unexplained sudden aggression. It could just be that he's a grumpy old man but I have made a vet appt to have him checked over as I'm not sure that it's simply behavioural. He might suddenly snap, for instance, when he's being patted. I put him up on his grooming table to check it out in case he had a burr or something in his ears and gave him a good pat and rub all over to no problem. The snapping isn't confined to any area of his body when he's patted. Two things stand out. I have someone staying with me for a couple of weeks and he might simply be put out, though he knows this person pretty well. The other thing is that he had a bath the week before and the groomer said he wasn't happy about having his feet done. I've had a look at his feet and they seem okay to me. The behaviour didn't start immediately after that, though; it started a few days afterwards. I'm taking him to the vet to have him checked out and I know that the vet should have a look at neurological and thyroid problems. He's eating and drinking normally and his behaviour is otherwise normal. I've confined him to his crate at night and he's also sleeping normally. The thyroid and neurological issues are what I can think of but is there anything that the vet should take a look at? He's previously had his eyes checked for cataracts (none).

I have nothing against small dog styling or Master Groomers; but it just looks so wrong on an OES ;) it's not a bad cut if you follow through with the whole style!!! :rolleyes: now my boy has no fall left !!! just a verandah or dare I say it the dreaded Mullett ;) it's bad sooo bad I can't even begin to describe it! I am so with you. I hate it when my dog's fall is cut.

I'd be interested in some info. I have a friend who adopted an adult lagotto.

My last kerry had it, caused by the cortisone he was on for an autoimmune disease. Every BBQ I gave the lecture of 'Don't feed the dog. If you do, you pay his vet bills.'

Get the vet to check for an autoimmune disease affecting the joints.

Sounds like pleural effusion to me, which is fluid on the lungs caused by the underlying disease, in this case the lung tumors. My last dog had this during his kidney disease. He was also oedemic (fluid in the tissues). It's a vile sound, that breathing. The only thing that really gets rid of it is treating the underlying disease, which in your case doesn't sound hopeful. Draining sometimes alleviates it as does a diuretic. I insisted that my dog be given a Lasix injection to alleviate his oedemia and there may be some diuretic therapy that may provide some short term relief for your dog.