Why is my female dog whining suddenly? Is it hormones or medical?

If you dog is an unspayed female, she could be pregnant or having a false pregnancy. According to petMD, false or pseudopregnancy "is a term used to denote a common condition in a non-pregnant female dog that is showing symptoms of pregnancy, lactation, or nursing, without producing puppies. The affected female dog shows these symptoms about a month or two after her estrus (heat) is over. A hormonal imbalance is thought to play a central role in affected female dogs. Depending on the severity of problem, the symptoms may last for more than a month." Affected dogs may display behavioral changes, including restlessness, nesting and mothering activity. Regardless of whether she is spayed or unspayed, it is important that you have her examined by a veterinarian to rule out underlying medical causes, with symptoms such as pain or discomfort, for her behavioral changes. http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/reproductive/c_dg_false_pregnancy

Whining can be caused by a number of different things - pain, anxiety, frustration, or loneliness are all common reasons that dogs might whine. It can also be an attention-seeking behavior in some cases, especially if she has learned that this is an effective way to get your attention. Older dogs may also whine more as a symptoms of canine cognitive dysfunction, which is similar to Alzheimer's disease or dementia in humans. If this is a recent behavior change for Sally Mae, I would recommend taking her to the vet for an exam to see if there is a medical reason for the whining - she may be painful or not feeling well for some reason. If this is normal, you could try a DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure to see if this helps, or make an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist to evaluate her in person and help determine what may be causing this behavior.

Hello. With any odd change in behavior, you do want to follow up with your veterinarian as soon as possible. Hormonal changes from cystic ovaries, for example, can cause unusual behavior, & in an unsprayed older pet, the development of a pyometra could potentiate subtle signs of pain or discomfort. You should definitely make Minou an appointment to have some routine blood work done, followed up by any diagnostic imaging such as x-rays or ultrasound to be sure there are no underlying medical reasons for her unusual behavior. I hope all is well & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor girl. I am not sure if this strictly behavioral due to old age and a bit of senility or if she has an underlying issue. It would be worth while getting her examined by your vet to have a health profile done via bloodwork to ensure everything is normal, especially since this behavior is happening in consecutive days. If she is having senility issues, then that can be addressed with medication (i.e. Reconcile) or with a prescription diet (ie Hill’s B/D). Another possible cause for sudden whimpering in older pets is arthritis. This can be helped with joint supplements (ie Dasuquin, Cosequin, Rejuvenate) in mild cases or prescription pain control medication (ie Rimadyl, Galliprant) through your vet in more moderate to severe cases. I hope that things are well for your pet Mimi moving forward! Take care.

It could be that Sparkles is in heat. When dogs are in heat, they can experience behavior changes and this includes being more clingy with their owners. A dog's heat typically lasts around three weeks, and if you don't want puppies, I would keep her away from all intact male dogs and do not allow her outside unsupervised. I would also recommend spaying her, this would prevent a pyometra from occurring. A pyometra is a life threatening infection of the uterus. Good luck, I hope this helps!

If she is whining then she is in pain even if you can’t see any external injury. Internal injuries or illness can manifest in many ways and because our dogs cannot talk to us all they can do whine or cry. I recommend you have your dog examined by your veterinarian as soon as possible.

This could be due to a behavioral change (anxiety, fear, etc.) or it could be caused by an underlying health problem. Pain and discomfort due to a variety of causes can make dogs vocalize and seek human attention. I recommend taking him to your vet for a health evaluation to make sure that there is not a physical cause of this behavior change. Your vet can talk with you about ways to change the behavior if it turns out there is no underlying medical issue.