Need help with my 9 year sheepdog
Any suggestions, I'll try anything! He has been such a loving family pet and I would like to keep him around and happy for a few more years. Thanks a bunch! Kelly |
|
|
| Welcome to the forum.
A check up with the vet is an improtant first step to rule out any medical condition. You did not say whether or not he has been neutered. That could be a possiblity too if he hasn't. I don't know about the food issue. I'm sure someone else will be able to help there. Good luck, keep us posted. |
| He was nuetered when he was 6 months old. He just went to the vet in September for his annual check-up, Doc said he is a very healthy dog. About a week later is when his mood swings started. I'm wondering if it's caused by the weather. We live in Nebraska where you need the heater then air conditioner then back to the heater all in the same day. This past week has been the coldest all year. And Chewy's worst week yet. But today it's 50 degrees, (warmest it's been in a month or 2) And he is back to his loving self. At his last vet visit I asked about arthritis, (because he has been getting slower to get up from laying down, and can no longer get into our bed without help) The vet said he sees no sign of any bone or joint problems. Chewy's only problem was minor tooth decay. |
| That sounds frustrating. If medical conditions have been ruled out, maybe he needs some basic obedience reminders. If my Maggie growls, she does not get dinner. If she jumps at the door, she does not get to go out (other than for "relief" in the back patio). She's only 1 so she is just learning appropriate behavior but it can't hurt to remind your doggie what you want from him. Glucosamine is helping 9 year old Chumley with her mobility. I can tell when I forget to give it to her. On the other hand, Chumley was most bitey/growly when she had a hotspot that I had not detected and it was very painful to her. Hope you find something that works. Maybe others will have better ideas. Best wishes, Val |
| High protein doesn't necessarily mean high calories; fat has a lot more (a little more than double) calories per ounce.
Maybe you could look into a moer balanced, high density food like Wellness, or some of the other premium brands that are nutrient dense. |
| Hi,
Here's another thought...remember the movie , Grumpy Old Men? Well doesn't happen with all but with some dogs like people they can get a bit cantakerous as they age. Some can get bouts of senility too. Shaggy, my previous OES became rather "witchy" as she aged and was not tolerant of things that didn't bother her when she was younger. As the years advanced I'd often find her in a corner as if she didn't know or couldn't remember how to get out. Lots of factors can be involved with aged sheepies, dimming eyesight or hearing which causes them to startle easier, less activity from when they were younger, and all sorts of things that people also too experience as they grow older. Best wishes to you and it's probably a good idea to have your boy checked out by a vet. Most vets have a seniors month (usually occurring in Jan or Feb) with discounted rates, so I'd check that out with your vet. Marianne and the boys |
| I agree with Marianne. I was also going to suggest the hearing. I'm sure you're vet looked at his eyes, (the windows to the soul) they tell a lot about how one feels just from looking into them. But, I don't think the ears (hearing) is something they really check for unless you ask about it or if the dog has ear problems, such as infections. Good luck. |
Also, you mentioned tooth decay... perhaps ask the vet to take a closer look at that, a toothache makes me pretty grumpy too!  |
Marianne wrote: Some can get bouts of senility too. As the years advanced I'd often find her in a corner as if she didn't know or couldn't remember how to get out. Marianne, that's so interesting that you mentioned this. When I was younger we had a bearded collie and toward the end of her life she would just sit in the corner, facing the wall...she never got that old, i think she was 7 or 8 when she got terminal cancer, but we always assumed she was either not so smart or she was annoyed by us kids...How sad, I wish we would have known about the senile possibility... |
| For an older dog to start getting grumpy, I'd be looking at some health problem. The ones mentioned: pain, hearing, eyesight are good starts, but also hormonal problems or something more serious inside. Tooth decay can lead to kidney failure and other organ problems.......heart disease. Could be your guy needs dental work and antibiotics.
Also your guy could be getting senile. There are drugs for that too. Carefully review what you are doing when he gets nippy and growly. Is going outside bothering him? Stairs, noise, sunlight? Was he frightened or attacked? Hope you find the problem and it can be cured. A growly nippy sheepdog is dangerous to you and other people. |
How frusterating for you!  My guess is a toothache and with an awesome name like Chewy....well that would make me grumpy too! 
Keep us posted please! and WELCOME TO THE FORUM!  |
| Thank you everyone for your help! This website is AWESOME! When we went to the vet a few months ago they looked at everything....I mean EVERYTHING. ( I think they owe Chewy a drink or dinner or something)(':lol:') With the tooth decay problem, they fixed that during that visit. They were very impressed though, they said he had teeth like a 5 year old. Wow! What I did do was I followed the advice of Valerie. I made him actually work for his treats. Maybe the extra activity helped boost him out of his grumpy slump or it might of been the extra praise from me. Who knows, but I did see him roll over for the first time in years. I have not had a nip from him since I tried these old/new tricks. I think I know what triggered it though. I think I was letting him get away with too much. When I would take him outside he would jump on me, then he would escalate to nipping then to actually leaving marks and tearing my sleeve. I had people telling me, "maybe it is time to put him down." But I have had him for my entire adult life, (since I was 18 ) And I won't give up on him that easy. But we have had a complete 180 since first writing to OES forum. He's back to being my buddy again. Again thank you all so much for your advice! I do have one more question though. I tried putting Chewy's picture up, but everytime I tried, it said that they picture was too big. I lowered the resolution, the pixels. I couldn't get a picture in that I shrunk to under a half inch. I'm using .jpeg, does it matter? |
| Welcome to the forum from me.
That's great news, sometimes we all need little reminders as we age. So glad Chewy is back to being a gentlemen for you. So happy to read your post, WELL DONE!! |
Yay! 
I'm so glad Chewy is back to being himself!
As for your picture...Ron or Stacey will pipe in I'm sure...it's a wonder I can get anything to work when it comes to pictures!  |
| Glad Chewy is better, always try back to the basics first. And welcome |
Irishluck628 wrote: What I did do was I followed the advice of Valerie. I made him actually work for his treats. Maybe the extra activity helped boost him out of his grumpy slump or it might of been the extra praise from me. Who knows, but I did see him roll over for the first time in years. I have not had a nip from him since I tried these old/new tricks. I am so glad to hear it!!! That's just terrific. After all the other posts about various possible medical conditions, I was actually feeling a bit embarassed about my suggestions, thinking I might have been way off the mark. I am so glad that the extra structure has motivated him. My Chumley is also 9 and even though she is the sweetest dog in the world, she too can be a bit grouchy if I let her get away with things. It escalates. Anyway, I am delighted by your news. Keep up the good work! Irishluck628 wrote: I tried putting Chewy's picture up, but everytime I tried, it said that they picture was too big. I lowered the resolution, the pixels. I couldn't get a picture in that I shrunk to under a half inch. I'm using .jpeg, does it matter?
For the avatar picture, it has to be really small -- the dimensions are 150 x 150 pixels with a resolution of 72 and not more than 12 kb total size. If you want, email me and I will be happy to resize yours for you. |
| Well, I finally got the picture up. My 2 favorite men. It's hard to tell which one is more adorable huh?(':D')
I guess I am a little biased. If any one is interested, I do have 2 others in the recent uploads area. If you can't find it, the keyword is "Chewy". If you can't tell I am pretty proud that they finially loaded up and I didn't keep getting an error screen. Strangely enough, I can strip a motherboard down and reprogram it in a day, but I can't get pictures of my dog onto the forum. How embarrassing. Again thanks for all of your advice. Talk to you guys again soon!
Kelly |
| Awwww ya did GREAT! (Notice a camera icon has shown up at the bottom of all your posts now? Just click on that, and it will open a new window and present you with only YOUR uploaded pictures! Pretty cool!) |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|