My old deaf dog growls and attacks at things I can't see. Why?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. The development of aggression as a dog gets older is not something I would consider to be normal. This behavioral change could be due to canine cognitive dysfunction (think of this as doggy dementia) or potentially something more neurological (brain tumor or degenerative change to the brain). I would recommend having Buddy examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. There may be something systemic going on so having his blood tested would be a good idea. There are drugs that you can use for doggy dementia such as Selegiline. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These could be signs that his vision may be affected perhaps by cataracts, or any other eye disease occurring in an older dog. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian to see if that seems to be issue. Good luck and have a good night!

She is so young I wouldn't expect her to go blind, although it can happen. But because of this symptom I would bring her to a veterinarian to make sure they evaluate her eyes. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Benny. I am sorry to hear about his behavior changes. That is very upsetting. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian. My first thought is that he could have a medical problem contributing to the change you are observing in him. For example, if a dog is painful from arthritis, an ear infection, periodontal disease or some other issue, he may act out aggressively. Another consideration is if he has dementia. This is common in older pets and is frequently observed at night. The veterinarian will thoroughly examine him and determine how best to help you both. In the meantime, be careful around him to keep yourself safe and do not give any over-the-counter pain medications as these can be toxic to dogs. I hope this information helps!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It is hard to say for sure what the problem is without seeing him myself. There could be an ear infection bothering him or something else with the ears or he is becoming more nervous as he ages with certain noises and things being near his head if his vision is not very good any more. I would recommend having him examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps!

Sadly, many of the ailments of human senior citizens can also occur in our canine companions. Impaired vision or blindness can occur in dogs and can be due to things like cataracts, glaucoma, etc. The good news is that these diseases, if caught early enough, can be treated and sometimes even reversed or cured! My best advice is to take Baby to your local veterinarian as soon as possible to have a complete ophthalmic examination performed. Some of the tests you should ask for are as follows: a menace test, intraocular tonopen test, schirmer tear test, and fundic exam. I hope this helps. Have a great day.

I suggest you have your dog examined by your vet because many times older dogs will start to growl and be "grouchy" when they are hurting (ie: arthritis) or because their vision or hearing is going. If she felt better overall then she may not be as apt to be upset. You are correct, the best thing you can do to be safe it is to keep them separated. The easiest way to do this is to baby gate off a section of the house for your dog to be in so that there is no way for them to come into direct contact with each other. Without gating your only option is to use a basket muzzle (not a cloth muzzle) on her so that if she does try to bite - she can't make direct contact with her teeth. ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Company-Animals-BASKERVILLE-MUZZLE-size/dp/B004OB3M2Y/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=B004OB3M2Y&qid=1558944063&s=pet-supplies&sr=1-1 ) Finally, you can try pheromone therapy - it may help but I honestly haven't had great results with these products but they won't hurt to try. ( http://www.dapdiffuser.com/ ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.