Calm, loveable 1 1/2 yr old Pembroke suddenly turning aggressive.
I'm really worried.
My 1.5 year old Pembroke, Louie, has always been a sweetheart. Always smiling, friendly, eager for belly rubs, loves to cuddle and make gargly noises. He does have a bit of a submissive urination problem that we've never been able to correct, although for awhile it got beter.
About a month ago I noticed he had a limp. The vet figured he had landed too hard when he jumped out of my car (Louie is not overweight, nor was the jump too high) and may have sprained it. A week's worth of painkillers stopped the limp, but I noticed one of his toenails on his front paws is darker than the others. I will be getting this investigated. Louie snaps and snarls when people go for his paws, and I think the nail may be infected.
Just a week ago, I had him get his booster shots for parvo and rabies. For both they used killed live viruses. After those shots, I noticed a change in behavior.
Louie is now extremely avoidant, and will shy away from people. When people approach him, he will submissively urinate. He acts very scared. When he does come up to people to cuddle, we will go to pet him...
...and he turns downright -vicious-. My dad tried to rub his belly and he snarled, snapping at his hand. When I scratched his back he did the same and even drew blood.
Now, we've had some bad weather lately with a lot of wet weather and Louie hates water, so we haven't walked him in awhile. I don't know if it's lack of exercise or what, but this behavior started after he got his booster shots.
He is a completely different dog now and it worries me sick. Louie is my first dog I've ever had and I don't want to seem like a bad dog owner. I want to help him but I don't know what to do! Please give me some advice!
My 1.5 year old Pembroke, Louie, has always been a sweetheart. Always smiling, friendly, eager for belly rubs, loves to cuddle and make gargly noises. He does have a bit of a submissive urination problem that we've never been able to correct, although for awhile it got beter.
About a month ago I noticed he had a limp. The vet figured he had landed too hard when he jumped out of my car (Louie is not overweight, nor was the jump too high) and may have sprained it. A week's worth of painkillers stopped the limp, but I noticed one of his toenails on his front paws is darker than the others. I will be getting this investigated. Louie snaps and snarls when people go for his paws, and I think the nail may be infected.
Just a week ago, I had him get his booster shots for parvo and rabies. For both they used killed live viruses. After those shots, I noticed a change in behavior.
Louie is now extremely avoidant, and will shy away from people. When people approach him, he will submissively urinate. He acts very scared. When he does come up to people to cuddle, we will go to pet him...
...and he turns downright -vicious-. My dad tried to rub his belly and he snarled, snapping at his hand. When I scratched his back he did the same and even drew blood.
Now, we've had some bad weather lately with a lot of wet weather and Louie hates water, so we haven't walked him in awhile. I don't know if it's lack of exercise or what, but this behavior started after he got his booster shots.
He is a completely different dog now and it worries me sick. Louie is my first dog I've ever had and I don't want to seem like a bad dog owner. I want to help him but I don't know what to do! Please give me some advice!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ginny and Diggory on
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If anything, I hope it is his thyroid. Even though hypothyroidism is something which requires lifelong treatment in the form of pills, the treatment is easy to administer and highly effective. My mom's cocker spaniel developed it when she was six. It impacted her behavior. She suddenly because very lethargic, and while she never went vicious, she was more snappy and grouchy than before. The medicine made a huge change in her mood, weight and energy levels and she's been on the treatment for probably four years now. It would at least be a diagnosis that would be very manageable. We're hoping for the best for you.
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Permalink Reply by Clara Leet on
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UPDATE
Alright, got the results back from the vet. The good news is all the tests turned up negative. The bad news is that his infection is pretty bad and he'lll need medication for awhile. For the behavior, I've been recommended to a trainer who specializes in behavior correction. The vet said that for a first-time dog owner like myself, it will be difficult to return him to his original behavior on my own. Once Louie's paw gets better I will be giving her a call.
Thanks for the support, guys!!
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Permalink Reply by Susan Stanton on
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Glad to hear the tests were all negative, but the behavior change still seems so strange. Maybe the infection is making him very uncomfortable?? Hope clearing that up helps him some. Good luck with the training.
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