Change in behaviour

[NannyM]

My 11  year old desexed female cross kelpie has suddenly become hyperactive in a matter of days for no obvious reason. She had a bad week which included being awoken suddenly by a loud noise, which frightened her so much that she wet the bed. Also she was sick for a week but is healthy again. Add slight incontinence to this and the fact that she's on low dose hormones, is all this enough to change her behaviour and personality so much? She also has a cough in damp weather. I adore her but dogs are new to me and I don't understand what if anything, she's going through and it's distressing for both of us.

 

[Rebanne]

I would be getting a vet consultation. It's most likely nothing but if you are new to dogs best to get things checked.

[cannibalgoldfish]

Not a vet, go see one.. but, how  is her eye sight? One sign of my old boy's blindness was starting to freak out at noise.

 

[Papillon Kisses]

Sudden behavioural change is a red flag for medical problems. I’d get a thorough wellness exam at the vet including bloods and assessing for pain. You could also consider getting a checkup by a rehab vet or physio, as they can pick up on things that a GP vet might miss in a consult (stress/adrenaline can mean dogs don’t show obvious pain). I’d be shocked if a dog her age wasn’t ouchy somewhere, and the potential role of pain in ‘problem’ behaviour is well established. It could be that she hurt herself when startled by the noise.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7071134/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180320100719.htm

 

While you wait, I’d try to give her calming things to do, rather than high adrenaline activities like fetch. You could play dog relaxation music like Through A Dog’s Ear, try adaptil (if you have cash to splash on it), give her something to chew or shred, play scent games like tossing food on the grass to sniff out, gentle massage if she likes it, and go for walks (ideally somewhere more natural vs street) where you let her sniff to her heart’s content.

Edited July 21, 2023 by Papillon Kisses

[tdierikx]

Low dose hormones? For thyroid maybe? Or for her incontinence?

 

If the hormones are for her thyroid, maybe they are no longer at the right dose, and need upping a little? Hyper behaviour could be a symptom of thyroid issues.

 

In what way was she "sick for a week"? And I'd be looking for reasons for a sudden development of a cough, such as possible heart disease...

 

I'd be booking a visit with my vet asap, and getting a full blood panel done, including thyroid markers, and a good listen to her chest for any heart or lung irregularities. Depending on the blood results and/or any anomalies with heart or lungs, I would follow vet advice for any future tests that may need to be done to get to the bottom of the sudden onset of her strange symptoms.

 

T.

[persephone]

She definitely needs a health check at your vets , especially as you are new to dogs. Best to find out and get professional information

[Mairead]

Another vote for vet check up.

And if there's anything that needs more explanation just ask.

[Deeds]

I thought the dog may had a focal seizure because of the noise.  The hyperactivity that followed could describe post ictal behaviour.