Dog acting strangely

[princessTiasmum]

I have a little dog, part Yorkshire terrier i believe and part some other kind of terrier,i got her from someone wanting to rehome her,who said they got her from a rescue at 6 months, which i now think is a lie
I took her for vaccination and chck up after about 2 weeks to settle in
I was told by previous owners she was 3 years old, approx,
I thought her left eye looked a bit cloudy so mentioned it at check up, vet said both eyes were fine, fast forward a year to booster, and saw a different vet who said she had a cataract, but also said she is not 3 more like 9 or 10
Recently her other eye has gone cloudy very quickly, and now she doesnt want to walk far, sleeps a lot, seems a bit depressed actually, and used to love her ball, no interest now,or very little
This last 2 weeks she has been standing facing a corner or facing a door, just standing there or sits just looking at me, she used to bark when people came to the door especially the postman, only seems to bark as if a sudden realisation that someone is at the door or come in,so wondering if she is going deaf too,
I have been told today that the standing facing into corners etc, can be a sign of dementia, does anyone know anything about this,
Any vets around?

[EnidPrunehat]

I hate to say this but it sounds as if you’ve been sold a much older dog who is rapidly losing her sight - these are many of the symptoms my dear old dog showed when he went blind from glaucoma. I suspect she is in pain too (this can present as depression and disinterest) and would advise an early visit to the vet.

[princessTiasmum]

Thank you for your reply, yes i know she must be older than i was told now, but i dont know why they lied as i advertyised for a little dog, and i did say i didnt mind an older dog, as im [old], but shes lovely and well looked after,i didnt pay for her although i offered, they even paid for her chip to be transferred, it did puzzle me when they said if she wasnt rehomed she would be pts, the explanation was they had a crawling baby
She doesnt seem to be in pain, and only just had her booster, and health check, i suspect her eyes are the problem, the vet said it would be like looking through vaseline, in your eyes
I have had cataracts so know what he means,
The trouble is by the time i insured her, cataracts or the first one had already been mentioned so cant insure her for them now, but is ibsured for anything else
I love her to bits so will do whatever is necessary for her

[princessTiasmum]

I took her to the vet yesterday as she was very restless, and kept up the digging activity, ripping up carrrier bags and even a cloth bag in the process, she has had a full blood test, no Diabetes, no kidney problems, basically physically healthy
The vet did ask me to get a urine sample first wee this morning, which i have, it actually looked like pure orange juice
My son suggested it could be an ear problem as she lurches to one side then flops down , her legs look wobbly too when she is stood up
I am just waiting to hear back from the vet re;urine test
The vet says it could possibly be the start of dementia. but didnt mention it until i asked if it could be a possibilty
I too the urine sample in this morning and the vet had left some tablets in which are for dementia, just in case, but said even if it wasnt that they wouldnt harm her
Luckily she is insured, good job as the bill is already £164
She hasnt been too keen on going for a walk for the last couple of weeks, but she strangely walked back home from the vets, which took much longer than usual,i did intend getting a taxi, but she seemed happy to walk,my vets is only about 30 minutes walk from me but took much longer
Since going to the vet,she has slept almost non stop
When we came home i took her in the garden to see if she had any interest in her ball, which she used to be mad about, she seemed to buck up a bit when she saw the thing i launch the ball from, but didnt seem to notice when i had thrown it

[princessTiasmum]

Sorry meant to attach pic, pressed enter too soon.
This is what she does

[princessTiasmum]

Bump.anyone had this with their dog, thoughts please?

[Antiopa12]

You will have the expert advice from your vet who knows your dog and can do all the various tests to rule out all possibilities.
I don’t want to worry you but my dog started standing in the corner and started moving around the room by walking along the walls. It turned out she had a brain tumour.

[Grinchly]

This is all sadly familiar. My darling girl had all those symptoms and it was dementia plus possible brain damage from a stroke, which also made her back legs weak and she became incontinent. She was nearly 18. But I am not a vet, so do keep in touch with them if you feel there is something they might be missing. And yes, listlessness and low head carriage can indicate pain. I'm so sorry.

[Antiopa12]

I think maybe I should not have posted above OP as it will worry you . It is best to be guided by your vet. It is good that you have insurance for your dog. I hope the vet can give you a treatment plan.

[princessTiasmum]

Antiopa dont worry, i know the possibilities, just wanted some input from anyone else who has had a dog with similiar symptoms
She is having ome capsules called Aktivait, which are for dementia, cant be cured i know,but helps blood flow to the brain,
Also antibiotics,as small amunt of protein in her urine
Today she seems a bit more with it,, she actually barked at the postman ringing the bell this morning,she had stopped barking at anything
I am going to take her to the beach later,as the weather is lovely,she has shown a bit more interest in her ball too this morning, she had lost interest in that,which she was obsessive about usually
Thank you all for input,will update as she progresses,i have to take her back in a week, unless she gets worse then obviously before

[princessTiasmum]

Cant believe the difference in less than a week, she is eating well, and even eating wet food which she reused to eat before, also back to wanting to play with her ball outside, still not wanting to go for long walks but will go for about a 20 minute one, although slow
Not sure if its the tablets, for dementia, as apparently they do work quickly, but shes not hiding her face anymore in corners or facing walls, so i am wondering if she had a small stroke? but seeing the vet again next week, so will see what she has to say

[LimeJellyHead]

Our little terrier got dementia and yes, he would stand in corners or facing walls. It is as if he only knew how to go forwards, so once something like a wall stopped him he just stood there. Thats the only way I can think to describe it.

He also started to only get half way into his bed, leaving his entire back/bottom half out the bed. He also startled easily and started barking at himself in mirrors and stuff like that.

[Bunnybigears]

Sounds like doggy dementia and old age unfortunately.

[TheoriginalLEM]

I would be concerned about a brain tumour also with that behaviour. Has the vet suggested neurological issues? These will not show on blood tests.

If she is insured (well!) I would be asking for a neurological refferal.

[princessTiasmum]

Thanks again for all replies, i think the next step will be , neurological tests, scans or whatever they have to do, although she seems back to normal, even asking for walks, she goes and stands by the front door, and seems happy to go out,she wont go far, and been out twice today, also eating wet food that i have tried to get her to eat before,and wouldnt, even waiting for a second helping
I will insist on more tests,as she is insured it might as well be donejust to be sure,
One thing i have noticed is that she walks very close to walls, but another strange thing is she will walk on the edge of the pavement rather than in the middle
A few weeks ago,she fell off the 2 bottom stair steps,but didnt bounce back up as expected,she lay there for only a few seconds really, i was at the top, but by the time i got to her she was just getting up
I did wonder if she had had a mini stroke,
Back at the vets on tuesday, but i did mention this and nothing was said
So sorry about your dog , LimeJellyHead, my dog does that too sometimes,only lays half in her bed too
I am thinkinjg she might be older even than the vet thinks she is

[catnidge]

Has anyone suggested old dog vestibular disease?
My dog had this, it was initially suspected to be a brain tumour. After MRI and lots of tests vestibular disease was diagnosed.

[princessTiasmum]

catnidge yes actually the vet did mention that, as she seemed a bit wobbly on her legs, and lurched to one side when sitting then fell onto her side, so that is another thing that will be looked at,
I forgot to say that vestibular disease had been mentioned,
The vet did say if it turned out to be that it didnt last long and resolved itself, but i will have all tests done that are possible,
Thanks for reminding me,did your dog recover quickly?

[catnidge]

Hi princess
My dog started staggering and appearing confused. He stared at his food bowl and would keep backing away as if he didn't recognise it. He too stared into corners and his behaviour was generally odd.
The vet noticed an unusual eye movement, an mri was carried out and various tests. When all possibilities were ruled out, they diagnosed vestibular disease. He was 9 at the time and it took about a month for him to fully recover. He has never had a recurrence although I'm told it is possible. He is now 11 and you would never know he had appeared so unwell!
I really hope this is the same for your dog, you sound so fabulous and loving towards him. He is lucky to have been rehomed with you. I hope you get positive news.

[princessTiasmum]

Thank you,yes i love her to bits and will do whatever is necessary to get her better she doesn,t have those eye movements, the vet did ask about them, so i have been watching her, but today i noticed her head dithering a bit almost side to side but very slightly
I can,t believe the difference from a few days ago though, she is wanting to go out, and eating better than she has for quite a while.it could be a side effect of the medication i suppose, but i have been trying to get her to eat meat,rather than just biscuits, and especially what i eat, but she is even wanting seconds
She sleeps a lot, and very deeply,i have to stroke or shake her to make sure she is still alive