Elderly dog getting grumpy/snappy - need some advice!

Ruana

Hi everyone,

My mum has a 16 year old collie/lab/GSD cross who in the past few years has developed hip dysplasia, her hearing and sight has dulled also. We have had her since a pup and generally she has been a good natured dog and loving towards my mum, dad, myself and my brothers and sisters.

When younger she was suspicious of strangers and did growl at some of them. However recently she has become odd, grumpy and withdrawn even with my mum.

Whenever anyone comes to the house she knows well, she will barely "greet" them (though she did so effusively until last year) and soon wants to go outside by herself and will not come in again for hours. She will not let my mum brush her below halfway down her back, toward her hips (so obviously she knows something is "wrong" back there even though she does not make any signs of pain, as she will growl and snap if you continue.) In fact my mum tried brushing her just around her chest the other week, avoiding the danger area and she snapped at her and bit her thumb hard enough to break the skin.

Last week, my younger sister's boyfriend came round to meet the folks for the first time and the dog refused to let him pat her head and eyeballed him suspiciously from a couple of feet away (he loves dogs and was trying to pat her and make friends, but she was having none of it) until my mum put her outside though she did not snap/growl at him.

I'm becoming increasing worried as my parents are quite elderly and the dog is becoming increasingly unpredictable. I've told my mum not to brush her anymore as I'm worried she may bite her properly this time and to give her space if she seems to be in a funny mood. The poor dog is not displaying any signs of pain however, she does not yelp, moan or whine when getting up so I don't know if we should take her to the vet for any painkillers?

Any advice appreciated!

boomerang

It most definitely sounds like she is in pain. Dogs are very stoic and are genetically programmed not to reveal that they are in pain - it sends a signal to would-be predators! At her age she is bound to have aches and pains, and not just in her hips. She could have a bit of arthritis in the spine (spondylosis) or it could be a constant pain in her kidneys for example, which doesn't worsen when she moves.

I would be taking her to the vet for a check-over. The vet probably won't do anything too invasive or suggest anything too radical. It's all about keeping her moving and relatively pain-free at this stage.

If the vet puts her on pain-relief you'll know pretty straight away if it's pain-related or behavioural. Loxicam/flexicam/metacam (anti-inflammatories) are not expensive and she deserves the bit of relief at her grand old age.

lorebringer

Any change in behaviour for unknown reasons, particularly a dog that has become unpredictable, need to be checked out by a vet. Acting out of sorts/moody is a dogs way of showing they are not doing ok - are in pain, feel uncomfortable, feel sick - and, often, problems are very easily sorted. Older dogs in particular are very hard to judge because they tend to keep things to themselves (or they can be the polar opposite and be drama queens!) so you will need to get her to a vet to make sure everything is ok health wise.

Ruana

Thanks, I'll get my mum to give the vet a call/do it myself as the poor doggie may just be being stoic as you say and actually is in pain. I am just very worried about her biting my mum and the possibility of her doing so again (except worse in the future). In appearance and behaviour she has went strongly to the collie/GSD side with very little lab (she tended to circle/herd people when playing and has that little "sideways" trot, collie owners will know what I mean!) and I've heard these breeds can be prone to snappiness (I apologise to collie/GSD owners if I'm wrong - I've never owned them only repeating what I've heard!). But will definitely call the vet, might require a home call as I'm not sure I would like to try and get the old girl bundled into a car!

Inexile

Agree with others get the dog seen by the vet as it sounds like it is pain.

Ruana wrote: »

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Last week, my younger sister's boyfriend came round to meet the folks for the first time and the dog refused to let him pat her head and eyeballed him suspiciously from a couple of feet away (he loves dogs and was trying to pat her and make friends, but she was having none of it) until my mum put her outside though she did not snap/growl at him.

If the dog does not want to engage with new people please ask them to respect the dogs space. Ask them to let the dog come to them if it wishes. Dont let people force themselves on the dog . I not saying the boyfriend was doing this but some people wont be able to read a dogs body language and understand it wants to be left alone .

barbiegirl

Your poor mum, but also the poor doggie. They are both getting on and in the case of the dog, she can't express herself. She is old and grumpy, likely in pain, so the vet as you have planned is first.
Then just leave her be, she'll come to you when she wants something, make her comfortable, ask people to leave her be, and ensure when she is outside that she has somewhere comfy, dry and warm. 16 is a fantastic age for her to have reached.

DBB

OP, as well as getting her checked for sore spots, talk to the vet abvout Canine Cognitive Dysfunction.
Many, many problems we put down to the dog "just getting old" are actually treatable, even reversible, with both dietary therapy and drug intervention.
Diet-wise, getting antioxidants, free-radical scavengers and cell regenerators into her viw her food can be highly effective: oily fish are great in this regard. A good home-made diet would be ideal, but many commercial foods are available in a "senior" form to help address issues around physical and mental ageing.
Your vet, I hope, will be able to advise re drug intervention suitable for improving cognitive function.
Also, do some re-training with her, teach her some stuff she used to know like sit, down, stay etc, and play with her. Get her some interactive food-based toys (e.g. Kong). Bring her for several short walks instead of one long one. More activity during the day not only gets the brain working again, it also helps to tire her out and restor normal night-time sleep patterns (one of the early signs of CCD is uncharacteristic night-time waking).
Older dogs can get grumpy and depressed because of cognitive dysfunction, and because they're not able to get around and do many of the things they used to.
There are loads of ways we can slow our ageing dogs mental ageing, so much so that when intention is early and good enough, the dog will eventually pass from other illnesses, not from dementia!

Ruana

Hi everyone, thanks very much for your replies. We had the vet out on Friday and we've got her on special food for seniors with oils for her poor wee joints and some pain meds so fingers crossed this will help her. Also what you said about CCD was very interesting DBB will definitely pass on some of your suggestions to my mum!