12 replies to this topic

[Eugene]

This is my first post and I apologize in advance for the length of the post but I'm searching for someone who might have experienced something similar with their Cairn.

We own a Cairn terrier that is about 20 months old. He was purchased as a puppy at about 10 weeks of age and “Buddy” has bonded with the family. About 9 months ago, I noticed Buddy behaving strangely but since the behavior lasted less than an hour, I just blew it off. He would snap his head up, and around quickly with his eyes darting in all directions as though he was seeing something flying around his head or up on the ceiling. He would act frightened, cower and dart into the bedroom to hide under the bed. This bizarre behavior doesn’t happen daily but occasionally it would happen and then he would return to normal. Each episode would typically last less than one hour.

We thought at first there was an insect flying around that was bothering him but we’ve never seen any insects. We also thought there might be some type of noise or vibration from stereo equipment, ceiling fan, HVAC system, etc.. that we can’t hear that is bothering him but that really doesn’t explain why he behaves normally during most of the time. We have found no credible external stimulus to assign blame to for causing this aberrant behavior.

This week the behavior returned and it’s lasted the longest we’ve ever noticed. It started last Tuesday and continued through Saturday. The dog is pitiful during these episodes and it’s tearing my wife and daughter up over Buddy’s apparent torment.

Buddy loves to jump in the bed with us early in the morning and sometimes at night before he’s crated and snuggle up under the covers. However, last night he grew so anxious that he couldn’t stay under the covers and jumped out of the bed with his head and eyes darting left and right as though seeing something. He jumped off the bed and ran into the dark master bedroom closet but only briefly before running back out and crawling under the bed where he stayed until we coaxed him out later. I’m not a vet or a psychiatrist but it’s almost as though the dog is psychotic, suffering from paranoia and acts as though he were “seeing things” that are out to get him. Today, Buddy was just fine but this evening the behavior started again and he is currently under the bed as I write this.

The dog is regularly taken to the vet, has received all medications and has never been injured or suffered any trauma since we got him. It’s also curious to us but we’ve never seen this behavior outside. When we walk the dog once or twice a day, he seems perfectly normal.

We are going to take the dog to the vet Monday to have him checked out. If you have seen this behavior before or have suggestions and recommendations, I would be most interested in your experience.

[Nikki]

maybe he is having some sort of mild seizure??
Scotty sometimes has his whole body tremors and his jaw tremors. But it was b/c he would get so excited/nervous/anxious it was like a system overload. We had blood test done it came back normal

[rallycairn]

Seeing the vet specifically for this issue certainly sounds like the right place to start. It does sound like a seizure disorder, obsessive-compulsive behavior, or some other type of anxiety disorder are possibilities here. I know this is very scary and I hope your vet can get you started on some answers. If it does turn out to be a behavior disorder like obsessive-compulsive disorder, don't hesitate to seek out a veterinarian who specializes in or has experience with prescribing psychotropic medications for dogs.

[sheila and Misty]

I had a cairn that was afraid of bugs -not at first-and especially a fly reason-1--he use to catch flys by smashing them against a window then ate them well he ate one that came to in his mouth and he choked on it. 2 he got stung by a bee on his mouth and one time he ate an earth worm and it was a big nightcrawler. He gagged and then everytime he saw a bug of anykind after those experiences.
and anything that sounded like a fly or a bee-he hightailed itunder the bed .never outgrew it.

[Tracy A.]

My dog Brattwurst started to have something a little bit like this last year. He wasn't upset, just was snapping at something in the air... he would not move but rather the thing he was snapping at was in front of his nose. I was worried sick. In our case it turns out that his eyesight changed and he became more aware of 'dust'
in his near sight... and snapped at it like it was a bug. I spent a lot of time getting next to him to see what he was snapping at. my breakthrough came when it was a a larger particle that he was snapping at that I could see... then I realized that he was seeing dust in the air... In the fall and winter we kick up a lot of ash with two fireplaces that we use... My vet confirmed that he was OK and not having visual seizures... But I strongly suggest that you make a vet appointment for the issue. I did find out from others on the board who have had dogs with a mild visual seizure disorder that their is medication out there to help...

Please let us know what the vets says.. good luck

Edited by Tracy A., 07 February 2010 - 04:43 AM.

[pkcrossley]

odd situation, easy to see why you are feeling compassion for your little friend's obvious distress. all good advice here, check out the possibility of first seizure or changes in vision or hearing. if that checks out, you may need to invite in an outside observer --either an objective friend or a dog trainer-- who can see what is going on in and around the house that might be setting off this behavior. sometimes when you are in the same environment yourself it can be hard to notice what might be frightening your dog.

the way you describe it also makes me wonder whether buddy could have experienced either a sting from a bug (or spider) or an electric shock. he could be making false associations with such an event (in which case a trainer can get him to make different associations) or he could really be experiencing shocks or bites. check all the electrical cords and see if he has been chewing on them. i don't know where you live, but some regions have bugs with some pretty nasty characteristics.

[Idaho Cairns]

Just as a suggestion check outside your home for any branches, loose wires, loose shingles, flashings, etc that might be making noise. Because of breeding, Cairns have very acute hearing ability and perhaps your dog is picking up some sound that he cannot identify and you cannot hear, that is without or within your home and the sound is foreign enough to be scaring it. I have had a couple of Cairns that react badly to movement above their heads--our current older dogs is very leery of the vertical blinds on our sliders--when the heat coming up out of the vents on the floors gently move the blinds, she shys from them.
I would look for some possible noise outside or in the attic as a source of the dog's discomfort--see if the incidents are correlated with wind, extreme temperature changes that could cause settling of the foundation, etc.

[cairnrescueleague]

My thoughts would be possibly some sort of seizure or a vision problem that possibly only affects him at certain levels of light. There is a specific type of seizure called a fly biting seizure, where the dog is seeming to snap at flies that aren't there. This doesn't sound exactly like that, but it sounds as if he may be reacting to something that isn't really there. I would take him to a vet ophthalmologist to have his eyes checked out. General vets tend not to know a lot about eye issues. There are some eye problems that cairns can be prone to - http://www.cairnterrier.org/health/. Not sure about blood work, your vet should know if there's anything that could be causing this that would warrant blood work.

[maggie]

Here's a couple of links that helped us tremendously:

http://www.canine-ep...te/flybite.html

http://www.canine-ep...om/site_map.htm

Definetely a vet check up is in order. Also make sure you don't have any plants or other items around that could be causing this problem. I have read about Privets (hedges/bushes) maybe being toxic also Rosemary (herb), I had both in our back yard and since eliminating access to them, we haven't had "fly/biting" or "fly snapping" and have drastically cut down on medication and hope to cut it off completely soon.

I know these episodes are very stressful & very sad to watch, at least in Kai-lee's case, it was definetely beyond obsessive behavior.

Edited by maggie, 08 February 2010 - 09:15 AM.

[Eugene]

Thanks to everyone who have posted a reply and offered suggestions and ideas what may be causing Buddy's behavior. I apppreciate your experience and input.

I took Buddy to the vet this morning and she could find no signs of ear mites, tapeworms, fleas or other physical cause of this behavior. After a brief cursory exam, she said Buddy was healthy but she referred me to a veterinarian who specializes in animal behavior at Mississippi State Univerity School of Veterinary Medecine. I have sent an email to the MSU vet and we will see if we can get in to see her. My wish is that Buddy could be left with them for observation so they could see first hand this behavior. I think seeing the behavior will tell them more than any description I could write.

Thanks again for the posted comments. I will keep you posted on any learnings that come from this effort.

[anniep]

Do they do EEGs on dogs. That tracks for unusual or out of the norm brain wave behavior. I had a PBGV who had siezures that occured only when she went to the groomer or the vet. She would lick her nose repeatedly. Finally, I would give her phenobarb for about a week prior to taking her to the groomer or vet and kept these visits to a minimum. Good Luck!

Anne and Ozzie

[dinib]

Do you have access to a video camarea so you can record one of Buddy's episodes for them?

[Eugene]

Thanks. A brief video might be the most informative to the Vet. Good suggestion!