Thoughts?

S

sula

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 October 2004
Messages
658
Visit site
My OH`s dog, a lean, fit ten year old Border Terrier, is puzzling me. Little things which would sound silly if I rang the vet but which I think I need to consider.

He seems to be stretching a lot more than usual, extended full-neck stretches followed by long, loping back leg stretches. He`s walked regularly and seems absolutely fine when out.

He shudders a lot, as though he`s shivering. Some of this seemed to be attention related but now it`s happening more frequently even at rest.

He has increased work of breathing but doesn`t appear unwell and his chest sounds clear

He`s an anxious little dog but this behaviour seems unrelated to his normal anxiety-related behaviour.

He has normal poos and his wee appears normal though I would say he dribbles more often these days which I had put down to age. He`s drinking well and has eaten well in the past few days though today he wasn`t interested in breakfast (he doesn`t always eat in the morning; has dried food out for the day)

If he was a horse I`d say he looked a bit tucked up at times.

Has anyone come across anything like this in an elderly dog before? OH thinks it`s 'just him' (the dog, that is!)Obviously I will take him to the vet if his symptoms persist but at the moment he is still very bright and responsive and apart from the shuddering, stretching and dribbling, there is nothing specific to report.

It just seems a bit odd to me but I may just be commenting on a 'normal for his age and breed' phenomenon.
 
when you say he dribbles do you means from his penis or mouth?-sorry it is not clear above.
How recent is the behaviour?
stretching can be abdominal as well as back pain and dribbling from the mouth is ofetn a sign of nausea. trembling can be a sign of any of the above.
I agree a vet check is needed
 
Bellasophia said:
I would take him in for a vet check as it does sound like a muscular or back pain issue..
.in your breed there is this condition,
http://www.ufaw.org.uk/CANINEEPILEPTOIDCRAMPINGBORDERTERRIER.php
But it usually manifests at an earlier age....have a read and mention it to the vet,if you make an appointment.
Click to expand...


This does sound remarkably similar to the symptoms I see in the little dog. Last time OH took the pooch to the vets he mentioned the shaking and returned saying that the vet had mentioned a condition common in BTs but no name was given for it. This was ages ago and I`d forgotten about it until you posted the above. Thank you so much for posting the link - it really does make for some interesting reading!

T2, the dribbling is from his penis, not his mouth. His urine volume and frequency does not appear to be an issue.

Thistle, thanks for your comment. I`m reasonably certain that he isn`t in pain, or as certain as I can be in observing his behaviour and looking at his eyes. That said, I`m aware of how stoic animals can be so I shall keep a close check on him. I hope I`m not missing anything, especially pain, poor little thing.

He perked up immensely when I was eating a biscuit so he does still seem bright and alert. He`s back to lying on the mat now looking miserable (he didn`t get the biscuit!).

Thank you so much for taking the time to comment - hopefully all will be well.
 
Stretching all the time like that was a sign of pretty nasty back pain in my lurcher bitch. 3 vets couldn't find it and at one point even I thought I was imagining it. A really good body worker found it and fix it over the course of 4 sessions. Flossie also had that tucked up look to her and got increasingly picky about eating. Otherwise she seemed fit and well, ran about like a lunatic, jumped in and out of the car fine. Nothing really other than me knowing she wasnt right
 
10 isn't old for a border, and I wouldn't expect any age related issues to be showing at 10 in an otherwise healthy dog.
If he were mine he would go for a full blood test and examination, and I am usually the last person to trouble the vet.
 
Thanks for all the replies - much appreciated! He was much better yesterday evening and better again this morning. I asked OH when he came in from work last night and although he couldn`t remember the name of the condition that the vet mentioned, said that CECS sounded familiar.

Cinnamon toast, he doesn`t yawn particularly, just stretches a lot and yes, he has had a lot of changes recently, moving house etc so stress could easily be a factor. He was at the vets on Friday when we registered him and had a general look over then but he wasn`t showing any symptoms at that point so OH didn`t mention them. I`ll give the vets a ring later just for a chat and take it from there.

Thanks again for all your comments :)
 
Have a look at this link...http://leemakennels.com/blog/dog-breeding/cecs-in-border-terriers/
If it is CECs,it can take a lot to diagnose...many say the diet is crucial to keeping symptoms in check... So even trying a diet change may help your dog ,even if not diagnosed...the link above has a lot of comments at the bottom,many discuss the diet they have put their affected dogs on.

Here’s what is says straight from Wikipedia:

“Some owners have had varying levels of success with dietary changes. In most cases, a gluten-free and/or raw diet is recommended, while some recommend avoiding dairy, eggs, soy, beef, corn, rice, and artificial flavours and colours. Other owners report success with commercial hypoallergenic formula feeds.”

I have also heard that rawhide can be a trigger.

do let us know how he goes on..I'm always fascinated by these scenarios.My recently deceased dog had lifetime issues with proteus bacteria,but it took forever to give a name to her illness..very frustrating.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top