• If you're a past member of the board, but can't recall your password any more, you don't need to set up a new account (unless you wish to). As long as you recall your old login name, you can log in with that user name then select 'forgot password' and the board will email you at your registration email, to let you reset your password.

Odd Behavior?

meandmyparticavy

New member
My Savannah has been displaying odd behavior lately. She is 2 years 4 months old. We moved in with my parents last september and will be moving out this august back to florida permanently. About 4 weeks ago we lost my parents english setter. This past week she has been displaying odd behavior. She hasn’t slept in my bed for almost a week now. She is sleeping under a planter. She drug a blanket under there and has been sleeping curled up in a ball lately. Yesterday when I looking for her I couldn’t find her. I checked her usual spots, the rooms in the house with tile floors, or an a/c vent. She wasn’t there at all. She was actually laying in her kennel. (I have it open all the time and take it with us to new places so she has her "safe zone" so she feels safe, but usually doesn’t go in there much). I have been playing with her more than I usually do because she doesn’t have another dog to play with. She didn’t want to go on a walk yesterday, which usually, if I am 5 minutes late taking her she will grab her leash and come to me and whine until we go. She came out of her kennel to play with me, then after 15 minutes she went back into her kennel. When I went to bed again I couldn’t find her, I called her name and she came out from under a table that has a lamp on it and a table cloth that goes to the floor. Again last night she didn’t sleep with me. Tomorrow we are bringing home our new black lab (she is 19 months old) and start doing the slow introduction. I am worried that is it something with her and want to make sure. I hope it is just that she is depressed and missing the setter, and hoping that the black lab will bring her out of the funk. Any ideas on what could be wrong? Thanks for you help, and glad I dropped by the forum. Never thought to join it two years ago when I got Savvy.
 
I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your parents' setter...it sounds like maybe that's why Savannah has been depressed. Hopefully she will perk up when you bring the new dog home, she just sounds sad and lonely to me. Good luck, let us know if she's doing better :flwr:
 
I would take her to a vet to have a complete checkup. This is pretty extreme behaviour, especially as it is four weeks *after* the death of your setter (I am so sorry for the loss -- English setters are such lovely dogs. :flwr:).

When dogs start to hide away and also avoid exercise and anything that before made them very happy, it is definitely time to go talk to a vet as this type of behaviour is often caused by pain. It may be depression, but I wouldn't expect it to only suddenly start at this late point, and would want to be sure my dog wasn't having other problems. So it is definitely a good idea to talk to your vet asap. (y)
 
I had one of my dogs put down last week and my older Cavalier, Casey, showed symptoms of depression up until two days ago. The thing that concerns me is yours is showing these same symptoms, but what seems to me too late in the game. I would blame them on depression if they occurred just after the loss, but 4 weeks later doesn't make sense.
 
I agree with the poster that wondered if it could be pain. My collie did the same thing, and it wound up he had some soap left on him from a bath in his private area and he had licked himself raw (and I mean, awful...$254.00 vet bill raw since he had to be sedated to shave him and clean him up to treat). He was hiding under our shed and not coming out to play.
I had a dog get extremely skinny upon the death of our other dog (we had the two dogs) and it wasn't until 4 months later when we got another dog that the skinny one began to fill back out. She stayed miserable until that time.
I guess it could be either one, but I would agree that a visit to the vet is in order.
I hope all is well and your dog feels better soon. sorry about your setter. They are such beautiful dogs.
 
I would also advise a vet appointment. My springer, Cindy, changed character, tearing up the seat of a sofa, while my husband was only in the next room. After her next season, she developed pyometra and the vet said the odd behaviour would be the infection upsetting her , but not actually showing. (This was many years ago, when spaying wasn't a regular option, because anaesthetics weren't safe, like current ones).
 
Vet check to be sure and I would imagine the new dog will help a lot.

Also did she see the body of the dog that died? Many dogs do not understand where the other dog is gone and fret, the anxiety takes over and becomes a realy problem whereas if they get to see the body then understand that their friend has died and is dead - this can be closure for them. Animals understand death and move on. Dogs are domestic of course but I feel it better not to deny them that. I know we all think we would be sparing the dog but they have no other way of understanding where the dog has gone and we have no other way of telling them.

Of course this is hard especially when we take our dogs to the vet and it may happen there. But it is something for everyone to remember especially for those of you with multiple dog households.

It is a personal decision to make. I know that I will show my dogs their friends if they pass and leave them sniff, take it in and process that how they wish.

Finally each dog has different coping abilities. Some dogs wouldn't be bothered at all by this, others take it very hard.
 
I would bring her to the vet to rule out any pain, its probably because she is missing her friend, sorry about the setter, i used to have an irish setter and they are adorable dogs, hope she feels better soon :xfngr:
 
Thank you

THank you all for the great advice. She did perk up yesterday evening but still didn't sleep in my bed with me as she has for her entire life upon me getting her. I did make a vet appointment to take her in. I am going to take her in the morning and leave her there while I am at work for observation. I would rather be safe than sorry.

She did not see the body of the dog, but that is very interesting, and I will file that away for future reference. It is something that I have never thought about before. The lab will be home this afternoon so I hope that will help to. I will keep you guys posted.
 
Vet Check

She is still mopeing around a bit, but mostly she is doing ok. She was at the vet all day today and she said everything is fine. they did take a stool sample and blood samples while she was there today, but everythign looks fine. They have a few tests to run just to make sure. They think that maybe she is just tired.
 
Back
Top