Why is my dog pacing, panting, and acting strange? Is she sick?

Hello Paula, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It does not sound to me like she is just trying to assert dominance over you. That would be very odd for a 6 year old dog to just start acting like that out of the blue. Her symptoms, to me, sound more like she has pain somewhere like her back. When dogs are panting excessively it is most often due to pain and/or anxiety. I suggest you get all her blood testing results and copies of her X-rays and go to another vet for a second opinion. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

It' s best to have her checked over as soon as you vet it's open. It does not sound like anything too concerning, for sure she must have an upset stomach ( licking lips is normally a sign of nausea ). When it' s breakfast time try with a smaller portion of food and see if eating or at least interested and report to your vet.

Paddy could be dealing with a neurological problem, pain, a behavioural issue, or an infectious, endocrine or autoimmune disease that could be causing the spinning. I recommend you make an appointment to have him seen by a vet as soon as possible to help figure out what's going on and start treatment if necessary. Take a video of the behaviour if you can to help your vet get a better idea of what's happening, and make sure you keep Paddy away from dangers like stairs during his spinning episodes.

These signs might be compatible with stress and possibly pain/discomfort, but they are quite generic at this stage and only a physical examination/more clinical informations would help to determine the reason for it. I would monitor him for the next 8 hours and if signs do not improve or resolve I would recommend a check up (or write to us again!). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

These are vague signs that could indicate several things like anxiety or pain. If there is something they could be making him anxious (rain, thunder, fireworks, new people, etc), then he will calm down afterwards. Just give him some extra attention. If there is nothing you can think that is making him anxious he could be in discomfort. I would have your vet do an exam to make sure he doesn't need any pain medication. I would not give net human pain meds as most of these are toxic to dogs. I hope this helps!

Any abrupt change in behavior without a known cause should be investigated by your vet as soon as possible. Sometimes this is the only sign we get of a medical condition. The behavior could be due to feeling ill, being in pain or may be because of a developing neurological condition. Your vet will do an exam, labwork and possibly some diagnostic imaging, x-rays or ultrasound to determine the cause for your pet's change in behavior and, based on the results, will be better able to advise you on treatment options.

Is he on pain control? I would recommend following up with a veterinarian if he is still acting like this. He may need a different medication or more medication to make him feel more comfortable. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.