Dobe acting really really weird

mrbocce · 02-08-2008, 05:07 PM

Please help. I have a 9 month old bitch.. has not had her first heat. I am hoping this issue may be related to her coing into heat. This past week she started really acting weird. She looks up like she is looking at something, then left to right over and over. She runs around the porch in circles. She paws at the air, she is licking alot. Her appetite has fallen off slightly.
She does not appear to be swollen (as in going into heat). I have an appointment with the Vet.. he said something about mild Epilepsy ie fly biting as he called it and I am freaking out.. She was perfectly fine last week.. My wife called me earlier in the week and said the dog was acting crazy.. literally crazy. Any thoughts here??? This is not a 24/7 problem.. sometimes she is perfectly fine.

**ReDobie4xtina2** · 02-08-2008, 05:23 PM

AWW sorry to hear about your little girl. I'm not much help as I've never had that problem, but I hope she is ok. Let us know how the Vet Appt. goes.

dobebug · 02-08-2008, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrbocce

Please help. I have a 9 month old bitch.. has not had her first heat. I am hoping this issue may be related to her coing into heat. This past week she started really acting weird. She looks up like she is looking at something, then left to right over and over. She runs around the porch in circles. She paws at the air, she is licking alot. Her appetite has fallen off slightly.
She does not appear to be swollen (as in going into heat). I have an appointment with the Vet.. he said something about mild Epilepsy ie fly biting as he called it and I am freaking out.. She was perfectly fine last week.. My wife called me earlier in the week and said the dog was acting crazy.. literally crazy. Any thoughts here??? This is not a 24/7 problem.. sometimes she is perfectly fine.

mrbocce,

when are you supposed to see thew vet w/her? you say this behavior is not 24/7? how often does it occur? do you have any idea if there is something specific that acts as a trigger for the activity.

"fly biting" as i understand it, is not mild epilepsy but rather a seizure activity which, while it may not lead to seizures can impact the dogs life in a major way.

i've only seen true "fly biting" behavior a couple of times--one was a very bad case, could not be controlled & ultimately the dog (a very nice small terrier mix) was euthanized because of it. he reached a point where he could not stop the behavior long enough to eat or sleep--it was very sad.

mrbocce · 02-08-2008, 06:07 PM

No Trigger Really. Funny Thing I Am In S Florida And We Are Having A Battle Down Here With Small Insects. However She Is Doing It Indoors As Well. She Very Rarely Does The Bite Thing.. More The Head Thing And Much More Outddoors Than Indoors.

GunnersMum · 02-08-2008, 06:22 PM

Does she have cropped ears? Wonder if there is some sort of parasite or build up of wax and goop in her ears or if those little insects you mentioned have freaked her out...

I would definetly get her to the vet to rule out anything major...

alwayshadpets · 02-08-2008, 07:02 PM

She`s not chasing insects (flying bugs--bees etc.etc.) is she?
Copper kept spotting lady bugs this past summer. I thought he was crazy. He would go out on the deck and look up like something was there. The deck has no roof either. Our area had an influx of lady bugs and I didn`t think they made any sound, but I guess they did--because he heard them.
This crazy behavior went away when the lady bugs did. Lasted several weeks.

mrbocce · 02-08-2008, 08:54 PM

Her ears are cropped.. I keep them very clean but recently we had the grounds sprayed (7 acres) for insects etc and there are alot of bugs around.. I see flying insects but not to the level she thinks she does. Also she does it inside but only about 1/10 of what she does outside

mrbocce · 02-08-2008, 08:55 PM

no not chasing.. just sitting there and looking up as if they are there..

reddobes · 02-08-2008, 08:56 PM

Glad to see you are taking her in. If you can, videotape her behavior so your vet can see what she is doing. Dogs don't always exhibit a given behavior during the appointment. I would also write down what type of food she eats, any treats and look around for any toxins she could potentially be exposed to.
Other things can cause neurologic signs such as toxin (lead, zinc,organophosphates, antifreeze,etc), liver issues (shunts, toxins), low blood sugar, etc. Your vet will probably do bloodwork to rule out these types of things.
Like dobebug said flybiting is a type of seizure activity. Not all seizures are grand mal type that most people think of - many are focal - may just be a single leg or head twitch.

Hopefully, it will turn out to be nothing. Good luck w/ your girl.

EDIT: just saw your post about the spraying grounds for bugs - I would bring in the bottle (if available) or at least ingredient list of what chemicals were used to your vet.

mrbocce · 02-08-2008, 09:07 PM

thanks for your concern. I have the ingredient list with me.. they sprayed the grass, the shrubs, the trees, I wonder if she chewed something with the insecticide on it. As I watch her very closely she is not biting just staring at something in the air and following it.. she is eating and drinking and her temp seems fine. Again thanks for your concern