Panic Attacks?

[Rave]

I have an 11 y.o. who just recently started having what appear to be intermittent panic attacks, where she'll come over to me panting, shaking/trembling, and want to crawl in my lap (uncharacteristic). Seems to last about 10-15 minutes and happens anywhere/anytime, even when we were out hiking yesterday. She recently had a senior panel run and all was fine, except for a UTI, which we've finished treatment for. What can cause this in a dog? I plan on calling the vet tomorrow, just wondering if others had dealt with this.

 

TIA,

Laura

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Ask your vet about cognitive dysfunction. Similiar to Alzheimer's in humans but treatable. Ben has it, very mild - I have him on a supplement called Cholodin (KV Vet) which allowed me to avoid the spendy anipryl which is the pharmaceutical for this disorder, but in another few weeks I'll be putting him back on it after our annual visit, I'm sure. The march of time can only be fended off for so long.

[gail]

Laura,

 

Could be mild seizures also. I had a dog who used to periodically seizure & this behavior describes her mild seizures or the pre-behavior to a more serious seizure.

 

My dog's seizures were ideopathic. I never was able to determine their cause, but they never got severe or frequent enough that I needed to use any meds. I just comforted her during these times - it was amazing how she knew one was coming - and we got through them. I didn't panic & she was comforted by being close to me until they passed. My dog's were not very frequent. Initially, she had maybe one a week for a couple weeks. Then, we tended to go several months in between seizures. And she only had one that I would categorize as a grand mal.

 

Good luck with her,

Gail

[Rave]

Well it seemed to have abated, then came back with a vengeance. It was so bad last night (over an hour), I ended up giving her Ace, which calmed her down. Took her into the vet this morning and unfortunately it was a stupid vet who got stuck working easter, but she did give us some valium, which should help. Good thing I'm no longer in the bible belt and things are actually open on easter sunday! lol

 

Anyway, this whole thing started rather acutely. Will probably end up consulting with a neuro specialist, as I haven't found any regular vets here that are too bright. In the meantime I'll just videotape and check neuro signs when they happen.

 

The weirdest thing though is she goes to all the doors/windows trying to get out, literally climbing the walls. When I go open the sliding back door, she calms down. If I leave it open, she'll go lay down and relax. She might wander outside for a few seconds, but immediately comes back in. Anyone experience anything like this ever?

 

I'll look into the cognitive disfunction, thanks.

[Black Watch Debatable]

I have an 11 y.o. who just recently started having what appear to be intermittent panic attacks, where she'll come over to me panting, shaking/trembling, and want to crawl in my lap (uncharacteristic).

 

Something to do with atmospheric conditions, maybe? A noise you can't hear?

 

My big pit bull does this [trembling, drooling, leaning on me, etc.] whenever the wind is blowing and a door anywhere in the house is [quietly] being pushed against the door jam at irregular intervals. Not slamming or banging, mind you, though those things make him anxious as well. Sometimes the sound is so soft that only his behavior clues me in --- I'll walk upstairs and sure enough, a door wasn't closed tightly and is making a bit of noise.

 

Not discounting the other suggestions, but in our case it's always just a loose door, and he's done this for years. A windy day, and he's primed to worry. Yeah, he's a big baby.

 

[i'm dealing with mice up at the family cabin, and at Home Despot ran across some of those plug-in, supersonic mouse deterrents. They're not supposed to be used if a pet dog or cat is in the home... but I bet those things are a nightmare for pets that live nearby.]

[Rave]

All quite possible, she is sensitive to noise, but so is one of my other dogs (4 total in the house). I'm thinking she wouldn't be the only one acting crazy then? There was a guy at the park across the street that's been flying one of those model airplanes and it makes a high-pitched noise, and at first I thought it was that, but last night's episode was at night, when that wouldn't be going on. I've yet to find any method to her madness.

[BobJones]

I have an 11 y.o. who just recently started having what appear to be intermittent panic attacks, where she'll come over to me panting, shaking/trembling, and want to crawl in my lap (uncharacteristic). Seems to last about 10-15 minutes and happens anywhere/anytime, even when we were out hiking yesterday. She recently had a senior panel run and all was fine, except for a UTI, which we've finished treatment for. What can cause this in a dog? I plan on calling the vet tomorrow, just wondering if others had dealt with this.

 

TIA,

Laura

[BobJones]

Google VESTIBULAR disease or OLD DOG VESTIBULAR.

[BobJones]

Laura,

 

Could be mild seizures also. I had a dog who used to periodically seizure & this behavior describes her mild seizures or the pre-behavior to a more serious seizure.

 

My dog's seizures were ideopathic. I never was able to determine their cause, but they never got severe or frequent enough that I needed to use any meds. I just comforted her during these times - it was amazing how she knew one was coming - and we got through them. I didn't panic & she was comforted by being close to me until they passed. My dog's were not very frequent. Initially, she had maybe one a week for a couple weeks. Then, we tended to go several months in between seizures. And she only had one that I would categorize as a grand mal.

 

Good luck with her,

Gail

[BobJones]

I apologize for my first posting, I had a longer posting but lost it all somehow so just did a short message trying to figure out what I did wrong (I'm new to posting).

Your dog's panic could be in response to VESTIBULAR (disease). It is a malfunction of the the inner ear which cayses the dog to lose equilibrium, suffer from vertigo. It predominantly affects older dogs and they theorize that the damage to the inner ear could be caused by ear infection or a blow/bump to the head. I think it might be simply a breakdown due to aging.

Severe attacks seem like the dog is having a seizure, they can't stand, they're panicked, panting - they have no idea what is doing this to them so they're scared. What you describe your dog doing could be from a mild attack where your dog is just very stressed and is seeking comfort from the boss (you).

The first Vet or two didn't recognize the problem but one did and then we found info on the Internet. After our dog had her first attack we found out that a friend's dog had had VESTIBULAR disease and that a friend's Aunt had also.

Our dog adapted to life with it, she had reoccurrences but none as bad as her first attack which was like a gran mal seizure and stroke combined in one.

Symptoms in addition to these 'attacks' are they tend to shake their heads alot, hold their head at an angle, bump/angle into walls when walking, have trouble with their balance.

I'd recommend Google or otherwise search for 'VESTIBULAR' disease or 'OLD DOG VESTIBULAR' to see if sounds possible.

[aljones]

Like BobJones (hey, are we related?! ), I was thinking about canine vestibular disease. When my old man, William, had his first bout of that at age 13, I was scared to death by its sudden onset and dramatic symptoms of weakness and disorientation. What you've described, Laura, is certainly milder, so I may just be over-reacting out of my own experience. To add to BobJones' excellent list of symptoms, though, I'd add one my vet assured me is a dead giveaway for canine vestibular disease: flickering, unfocused eyes. (It's like the dog's eyes are just chasing around in his or her head--definitely different than any other condition I've seen.)

 

Good luck getting a diagnosis and finding the best treatment to help your pal.

[Rave]

Thanks. I checked the symptoms of that, and don't think that's it. All nuero tests are normal, even when she's having an episode.

 

What I did find out is one of my other dogs was attacking her during the day, not sure if this is the root cause, or if the dog was just attacking b/c Si was acting weird. The fear response Sierra has shown certainly is the same she showed while left alone in a room with this other dog (I have a webcam and watched it all unfold!). So the other dog is now crated during the day, and Sierra left free in the house by herself. She is still having episodes, but they don't seem to be as bad. Valium helped when travelling this past weekend, when I needed to give her something. I'm going to try Rescue Remedy, and see about consulting a homeopathic vet.

[amberkaster]

I have dealt with panic attacks up until recently. Ambers were weather/noise related and began after the space shuttle exploded over Texas. She was normal up until that time meds and kenneling were a great help. Valium two hours before any storm and she was happy to ride the event out in her kennel. jeanne

[Rave]

Well I'm bumping this back up because it's still an issue, and we still haven't diagnosed. We've taken MRIs, xrays, and still don't see a cause. Right now she's on Clomicalm and Valium daily, with Ace when she gets really bad. She has these episodes about 1-2 a week, sometimes more. When they happen, she'll just all of the sudden hop up and run to the door to try to get out. There seems to be a need for her to "escape" either through door, window, or by climbing up high. I've taken to just putting her on a tie-out with the back door open until it passes (if I didn't tie her out, she'd jump the fence). I'm extremely worried now b/c I'm having to leave the windows open during the day b/c it's warm here, and last night she got out through the open window, which is no small feat since it only opens about 12" at the top, and was loose outside while I was at a movie. Luckily she was OK, but I can't have that happening. I can't crate her or she'll break her teeth out trying to get out of crate. Only thing I can do at this point is close the windows and hope it doesn't get too warm in the room she's in (there's no A/C and she'll detroy anything I put in the room with her, so fan isn't an option).

 

I'm calling the neuro vet again on Monday, but really at am a loss as to what to do with her. She was such a normal dog before all this happened, she never would've jumped a fence or gone through a window, and she was fine in crates and such.

[OurBoys]

Laura,

I know this might sound odd but have you taken her to an ophthalmologist? I started seeing 'things' in my peripheral vision. He told me I was started to develop cataracts. Maybe your 11 yr old is getting spooked because she's seeing 'things' in her peripheral yet when she turns to look, there's nothing there. Something to ask your neuro vet about.....

 

Just my .02

[MaggieDog]

My friend has a sheltie that does/did much the same thing - turns out it had something to do with their stove as the dog only acted up when someone turned the oven on. Until the stove is fixed, she takes the dog on a long walk while it is in use and so far so good.

[doubleofarm]

Hi Laura,

 

I hate to say this but it really sounds like seizures to me. Psychomotor seizures to be exact. My epi had them and they are not fun. I am not on the Boards much lately due to a busy work schedule but if you want anymore info you can email me directly at osci@aol.com.

 

Tina DeAngelo

[Rave]

Wow Tina, I think you might be onto something. I researched that and found this...

 

A complex partial seizure will originate in the area of the brain that controls behavior and is sometimes called a psychomotor seizure. During this type of seizure, a dog’s consciousness is altered and he may exhibit bizarre behavior such as unprovoked aggression or extreme irrational fear.

 

Complex Partial Seizures (aka Psychomotor or Behavioral): Seizures: are associated with bizarre or complex behaviors that are repeated during each seizure. People with complex partial seizures experience distortions of thought, perception or emotion (usually fear), sometimes with unusual visual, olfactory, auditory and gustatory sensations. If dogs experience the same things, it may explain the lip-smacking, chewing, fly biting, aggression, vocalization, hysterical running, cowering or hiding in otherwise normal animals. Vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal distress, salivation, blindness, unusual thirst or appetite, and flank biting are other signs. There is an obvious lack of awareness though usually not lack of consciousness. Abnormal behaviors may last minutes or hours and can be followed by a generalized seizure. Complex partial seizures are usually associated with secondary epilepsy.

 

I think you may have hit the nail on the head!! Wish I'd heard of this $2000 ago!! I've never experienced a seizure of this type, and the vet didn't mention it, so when she was still "functioning", I didn't think it was seizures. I'll ask the vet specifically about this and maybe we can try some phenobarb, or whatever.

 

THANK YOU!

[MrSnappy]

That's scary, but good to know you've potentially found the cause.

 

Tweed has partial seizures, but not the complex kind. His face twitches and he is conscious and aware but non responsive. I've looked up seizures disorders lots of times but never would have thought to suggest it for hysterical running and panic. How lucky that Tina came across your post.

 

Aren't complex partial seizures often secondary to something else, especially late in life onset? Maybe test for a tick borne disease? Liver function? Thyroid? Though I imagine if it were related to a tumor or any of the above it should have come up on MRI's and blood panels?

 

Scary. I hope everything turns out well!

 

RDM

[Rave]

Her bloodwork was all fine. I forget what all we tested for, whether liver and thyroid were on there, but I can check. Tick diseases and a tox screen were done pretty early, as my previous BC had seizures from Erlichia. We also took xrays of the heart/lungs and stomach in case it was a cancer there that had metted to the brain, which would make the cancerous brain cells too small to show up on the MRI. Of course, all that was normal.

 

It's all just frustrating, ya know? If it is these seizures, it would be a relief to finally know and get her on the proper meds in hopes of controlling them.

[doubleofarm]

Laura,

 

I am sorry that may be what is happening with your dog but it is always good to know what you are dealing with.

 

My Jaff had the cowering type at first where he would duck his head while looking at the ceiling with a very concerned look in his eyes. It is funny how people try and rationalize a behavior that you know is simply not right. Once he started having Grand Mal seizures we knew that the cowering was focals and/or psychomotors.

 

Once after a really bad cluster seizure Jaff spent the night sleeping and then running blindly from a dead sleep. He ran straight into the sliding glass door once. He tried to climb straight up a wall in the closet and he almost leapt over our balcony from the bedroom to the downstairs. My husband tackled him just before he got a front paw over the railing. It was a total nightmare.

 

I am still very involved with the Canine Epilepsy Guardian Angels website that was my lifeline throughout his illness. Please check out the link below and you can read about Hypothyroidism and the connection btw it and seizures. Jaff did stop having the focals once he was on Soloxine for Hypothyroidism.

 

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/site_map.htm

 

Good Luck and please don't hesitate to ask me any questions. If I don't respond through the boards you can email me at osci@aol.com

[Rave]

Well we started Si on Phenobarb, fingers crossed that it works. I forgot to ask the vet if we checked her thyroid already, will do so though. If this works, then we'll switch her over to KBr.

[doubleofarm]

Laura,

 

I do hope your see a difference once she is on the Pb. If you want more info about Pb and KBr you can read up on them at the following links:

 

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels...enobarbital.htm

 

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels...ium_bromide.htm

 

Please keep us posted on how she is doing.