Depressed dog.

[Later]

More of a dog question than a France question. 

I think my dog Ian (the larger of the two in the adjacent photo) is depressed.  Any suggestions about what I should do?  Is there such a thing as doggy Prozac?

[TiffanyS<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=1><U>hometown.aol.co.uktiffanystacpooleanimalmatters.html<U><FONT><P>]

[quote]More of a dog question than a France question. I think my dog Ian (the larger of the two in the adjacent photo) is depressed. Any suggestions about what I should do? Is there such a thing as dogg...[/quote]

What makes you think he's depressed John?

[Later]

Hello TiffanyS

Something very sad happened in our family three weeks ago and I've been so caught up in it all that is wasn't until last week, when I gave him a brush, that I noticed he is just skin and bones.  Since then I've been keeping an eye on him.  He's lost interest in food, doesn't want to go for walks, sleeps for long periods (more than normal), has become very aggressive to our other dog, is licking the same spot on this foreleg, doesn't like being left alone, keeps coming to me for reassurance.  Sorry to anthropomorphise, but he looks sad.  Have made an appointment to see the vet, but would appreciate other peoples' thoughts about what I can do.

[letrangere]

Can't help with diagnosis but he does sound unwell, poor little dog, really feel for him and you.  It's possibly something very straightforward and clinical that's manifesting itself as a psychological problem, does that make sense?  Anyway, get him to the vet pronto and do keep us posted as to his recovery.  Good luck, M

[Boghound]

One of my hounds was off his food for a few weeks after my F-in-L fell off the perch but he soon bounced back..the hound...not the F-in-L...dogs can pick-up on bad vibes very quickly.

[letrangere]

dogs can pick-up on bad vibes very quickly

Oh absolutely.  Or even disruption to their everyday routine, a member of the family absent temporarily, builders in the house?  If you have a sensitive, nervy dog all these can certainly prompt lassitude (lassie-tude??) and lack of appetite.  M

[Corinne]

I would FIRST rule out any possible illness as all the symptoms could well point to that as the cause.  The aggression towards other dogs (that is not normal for your dog) is a common indicator of your dog being in pain.

Little difficult to see from your picture but your dog looks like a German Shepherd, is it?  How old is he?

German Shepherds are very sensitive dogs, you do kind of have to have one to believe that so I would not rule of depression.  There are many good German Shepherd web sites that have experts who could give good advise on this problem.

One being:  http://www.germanshepherds.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=0&Board=UBB4

Bests of luck

[Chrissie]

Is there anything unusual on the spot on his foreleg that he keeps licking (bite, sting, splinter, lump, tick?)

Chrissie (81)

[Later]

Kind of difficult to put this any other way - I didn't really want to mention it, but my wife died three weeks ago after a nine month fight with cancer.  Ian (lurcher (sp?) Alsation cross) was my wife's dog.  He is quite highly strung.  I can't see anything on his leg that might be causing the problem re the licking.

[Corinne]

Very very sorry to hear about your wife it must be a difficult time for your all.

Have you taken Ian to the vets yet?

Alsation (aka German Shepherd) are sensative dogs and do get very attached to particular people.  It is very possible that Ian is understandably missing your wife and also picking up on your grief to.

I am no expert in these matters but have found some advice from the net that sounds well worth trying.

You should spend more time playing with and training this dog. Take him through a lot of motivational training exercises in your yard or while on walks. Give him something else to think about. Get him some new toys (giant raw hides etc, etc) You should also spend more time grooming the dog - even if he does not need it. This provides personal contact. If the dog is a house dog, leave a TV on during the day when you are gone.

Basicly you are both going to have to work together, try and keep the contact between you upbeat and positive, as hard as I am sure this will be right now.  And I know this might sound a little silly but lots of talking (does not matter what, prattle on, sing a song) will reassure Ian that he is not dealing with this on his own.

All the best

 

[Catalpa]

I'm so sorry to hear about your wife.

I think Ian is pining and has probably been picking up on the stress, tensions and sadness in the house over the weeks. I think you have young children too? so you may have more than enough on your plate at the moment without trying to provide the attention Ian needs and you want to provide. Friends and family are usually desperate to find ways to offer tangible help at times like this: do you have anyone with whom the dog gets on well and who will provide a home and one-to-one attention for a few weeks exactly as Corrine suggests? I really sympathise with you as it is one more thing for you to have to contend with at the moment - and because it was your wife's dog, the pressure on you must feel worse.

A visit to the vet might also be a good idea - I think there are dog equivalents of Prozac but perhaps more importantly, the vet will have encountered this situation before and should have some ideas about how best to help the dog.

Best wishes for the future.

Carole

 

 

[Later]

Catalpa - I agree entirely. You know there is something else in all this in that it is a two way thing.  Ian and our other dog Bertie are helping me (and my two and four year old kids) to carry on when one might otherwise think the world has come to an end.  To take one's mind off one's self and think about others (even if they are dogs). To carry on with a routine.   To bring smiles to our faces and walk and play when we might otherwise be moping around the house. 

I think dogs are very loving creatures and ours are very much part of our family.  A couple of nights ago I let the dogs up on the sofa (from which they are normally banned) while I sat watching TV and I spent a couple of hours with my arms around them.  No substitute for my wife, but I think we all felt better for it

We are all very lucky to have such creatures in our lives.

[Chrissie]

So sorry to hear about your wife.

Dogs certainly do feel the effects of bereavement, and, as you say, consoling Ian and making him feel that the world does go on may well be a great help to you and your children. 

Very best wishes

Chrissie (81) 

[Patf]

Perhaps dogs need to go through a period of mourning similar to humans. Over time the grief grows less and you all have to go on living. If you have a sympathetic vet it wouldn't hurt to ask his/her advice.  You and the children need some support too. Just had an idea - could you find a garment of your wife's for the dog to sleep on? Pat.

[Later]

Patf, that is an excellent idea.  I have given most of her clothes away to charities, but have kept some back for my childrens' memory boxes.  By co-incidence found a stash of her clothes in a cupboard in my daughters bedroom this afternoon.  Hope they still have her smell (for lack of a better word) on them.