Senior dog suddenly aggressive, panicking when family leaves home?

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.

The sudden temperament change can be due to stress from a new baby or maybe an indication of pain or a neurological problem such as tumor or dementia. You can talk with your vet about medicine for pain but with a new baby it is probably safest to not chance it and always keep them separate. If the medicines do not help and her behavior continues then I am afraid your only other option is considering euthanasia for everyone’s safety. I am so sorry you are faced with this!

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!

Abrupt changes in behavior like this in dogs is very concerning to me. I would be worried about some underlying neurologic disorder that could be going on. If nothing has changed at home, her routine, or the environment in general, then I would suspect an underlying medical issue. I would recommend taking her to be examined by your veterinarian and possibly having some lab work performed so they can try and determine what is going on. Your vet may recommend further work up by veterinary neurologist or may recommend a behavior modification drugs like Xanax or Prozac. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

I recommend to have Buster examined by the veterinarian. Changes in behavior like this could indicate dementia, hypothyroidism or cushings disease. The doctor will ask you many questions and Buster will need some blood tests. I hope this helps.

First thing you need to do is to get Yoko to your vet for an exam. Often times when older dogs have a significant behavior change it is due to an underlying medical condition. So, you need to rule that out first. She could be having vision or hearing issues. She may be in pain somewhere (arthritis). If nothing is found by the vet then you really need to seek the help of a professional IN-HOME dog trainer. Hope this helps.

I'm sorry that Chewy is showing such changes. The signs you are describing are possibly dementia, but are not the most common signs that we will see with dementia which we typically call Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD). I am attaching a a handout about CCD below that discuss possible supplement and medication options for treatment. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2549 Since Chewy's symptoms are not typical of CCD and seem to be getting worse, I would have your veterinarian examine him again to see if there are any abnormalities on examination and consider consulting with a neurologist or behaviorist to assess the significant changes in behavior that you are noticing with Chewy. You can find a neurologist near you here who can assess for any abnormalities on neurological examination. http://find.vetspecialists.com/ A veterinary behaviorist is a veterinarian who has additional years of training in behavior. They can also prescribe medications if needed. Hopefully you can find one near you here. http://www.dacvb.org/about/member-directory/ Good luck! I hope that was helpful and you can figure out how to help Chewy. Thanks for using PetCoach.