Pendlewitch Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 Jumble has always been a nice dog, not a bad bone in his body, rowdy and bouncy but a great dog. Recently he has started to growl, usually when he is on the floor and it's a sort of constant rumbling. He was given metacam as it could have been pain related but he was allergic to it and was really ill. He's back to normal now but the growling is much worse and is occuring with a rigid pose and a stare. The dog walker who has known him since he was a pup will not take him out anymore, she feels very threatened by his behaviour. He's been blood tested again today to rule out thyroid problems or cushings, all bloods are fine so the vet is thinking there is something going on in his head. This afternoon I was stroking him and the growling was really loud, coupled with the frozen stance, it was quite scary. He also has developed a peculiar trick of tipping his pelvis forward and his back legs out behind so he looks like an old fashioned painting where the action was wrong. He's done this for a while but this last week he's done it more and more, I don't know if it's linked to everything else or not. Jumble has really awful hips, and enlarged soft palate, canine collapse syndrome and a grossly enlarged heart on one side but has not allowed any of his problems to stop him enjoying life. This latest development is a huge concern as I feel he could become dangerous, I certainly find him disturbing when he growls. When he is out on walks he is back to normalish, he barks more than usual and has nipped me on more than one occasion, usually above the knee when he bounces at me and I have to watch him when I stop to pick up poo as he will launch at my face. The vet is talking of MRI scans to find out what is going on but surely this will only be diagnostic? I know there are a lot of different types of tumours and different areas will produce different symtoms but is there any treatment? Jumble is hysterical and near unhandleable at the vets so any investigation will have to be approached with caution as I am not happy with him being stressed as it can cause him to collapse. I don't know where I'm going with this as I'm at a loss but if anyone has any advice or dealt with this sort of problem I would appreciate any input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooster Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 Have you had a chiropractor or McTimonney person take a look at him? It could be that he has something trapped somewhere, which is worse when lying down. If you have a horse McTimmoney, they are usually trained to treat dogs too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Grose Posted December 7, 2011 Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 I am so sorry to hear this about the lovely Jumble but I think gooster has a good suggestion. Hopefully he would be less stressed by that and it would at least rule out any physical cause for his problems, The stance could well be hip related - Barty also stands like this most of the time and as you know his hips are awful too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittycat Posted December 7, 2011 Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 I have no advice sorry I do hope a solution is found and that Jumble is feeling better soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yantan Posted December 7, 2011 Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 I'm so sorry Jumble isn't well. Might it be some form of epilepsy? I only mention it because I did a lot of reading up on epilepsy when my George developed it and I recall Jumble's stance with the stare and the growl being mentioned as one form of epilepsy. I hope you find a solution to whatever it is and I'm sending you both a big of support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted December 7, 2011 Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 Must be very scary for both you and Jumble No advice but I hope you get to the bottom of it very soon and that it's something treatable. Max had an MRI scan which identified his Lumbo Sacral Disease, for which there is no treatment but at least I knew what I was dealing with (it was about a thousand quid, so not cheap but his insurance covered it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pendlewitch Posted December 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 Many thanks for all the replies, it's all very helpful. I took them out this morning and jumble was his usual manic self and barking like crazy so I gave him his squeaky bone to carry. Once on the field I threw it for him three times, he then went into flop mode and we achieved 5 yards at at time before he hit the deck. He was breathing heavily and re-adjusts his back end a few times each time he flops. It took 40 minutes to get back to the car, I leave him to make the decision when to move on and it can vary from 1 to five minutes, sometimes he gets up and flops again immediately. Once back at the car he jumped in fine and demanded a biscuit, bounced out at home and legged it round the back as he knew breakfast would be ready. Any form of massage/physio is just not possible as he does not like being touched, he will leap away in horror at the slightest attempt! There is such a huge amount of things going on so which is cause and which is effect I have no idea, the growling is still very much in evidence. I'm going to make the attempt to video his behaviour including the flop issues then I can show the vet, I'm also going to ask for his hips to be x-rayed as it's probably 8 years since they were done. It may give some sort of clue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greys mum Posted December 8, 2011 Report Share Posted December 8, 2011 Flynn was diagnosed with a brain tumour, he was also very growly. Was quite frightning to see. Am hoping that it is something pain related for Jumble, so therefore treatable. :GroupHug: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houndzrus Posted December 8, 2011 Report Share Posted December 8, 2011 :GroupHug: For you and Jumble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pendlewitch Posted December 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2011 Opinions on this thought would be much appreciated! I mentioned to the dog walker about the epilepsy comment on here and she reminded me about her mum's dog, a Great Dane who suddenly stated to have major fits. The vet who saw her said to put her on Burns because of it being free of addatives, Ruby did not have another fit! Earlier this year I changed the dogs on to Skinners as Burns was becoming very pricey, it has really suited Cecil an Jack and has appeared to suit Jumble but it does fall massively into place with the change in his behaviour and in his coat, he did not have the hot spots either when he was on the Burns. Jumble's weight has fluctuated wildly on the Skinners, I have to constantly adjust the quantities, he is now a bit lardy which does not help his hips. To add to the mix I am an obsessive treat feeder, they all get a LOT of mini bonio type biscuits and hide chewy sticks. I am going to whip out the treats and put them back on Burns, I don't really mind how much it costs as long as the dogs are right, it has to be worth a shot doesn't it! Comments would be very much appreciated and many, many thanks for all the concern and advice already given. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Grose Posted December 9, 2011 Report Share Posted December 9, 2011 I don't know which Skinners you are using but the couple I checked the ingredients of there are no additives in those either. Not all foods suit all dogs and it could be you need to have Jumble on a different one to the other dogs. I have to do that with Barty now - he has a kidney problem so while Chloe is still on her raw diet, Barty has a home cooked kidney specific diet. If the growling and staring problem has become pronouncedly worse on the new food, it could well be worth your while changing back Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted December 10, 2011 Report Share Posted December 10, 2011 No advice from me, just some for you and Jumble Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pendlewitch Posted December 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2011 Well he's had a few days on the Stress-less, the tons of treats have gone and he's back on Burns. We've had only one growl, he still has a few hot spots but no where near as many and he is not as jumpy. He's still rowdy and manic but he always was so I don't expect that to change but I'm seeing the nice dog again, his eyes are softer and he's a lot more waggie. Is it the Stress-less, the removal of horrid addative ridden cheap treats, the change of food or a bit of all three? I won't ever be sure but what a relief to have him on the way back again! I'm going to have a chat with his vet next week and see what he thinks about it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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