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Published in the Ithaca Journal on Tuesday, February 17, 2004
Dog's sudden panic attacks worry family
Spotlight on Pet Behavior
By MICHELLE BAMBERGER
Special to the Journal
Question:We have a 13-year-old Labrador retriever named Maxie. A month ago, she began to have panic attacks where she jumped up from being asleep as though she were spooked by a bad dream. Sometimes she has the attacks while she is sitting with the family and then suddenly begins to pant, shake and pace, and then acts confused and disoriented. The attacks last about 1-2 hours and seem to be occurring more often. Why is she acting like this and what can we do to help her?Answer: Maxie may be acting as you describe for a number of reasons, including cognitive dysfunction, a seizure disorder, a compulsive disorder, attention-seeking behavior or anxiety (what you have called panic attacks).
Cognitive dysfunction may occur in older dogs (like Maxie), although some dogs begin to show signs as early as eight to ten years of age. In general, the signs are ones of disorientation (getting lost behind a door or forgetting where the food and water dishes are), interaction changes (becoming more or less affectionate towards certain people), sleep/wake cycle changes (sleeping more during the day accompanied by pacing, restlessness and vocalization at night) and housesoiling due to a breakdown in housetraining. Treatment involves modifying the home environment to make daily activities easier for the dog, changing the diet to one high in antioxidants, providing mental stimulation, and medication.
If Maxie seems unable to respond to you once she has started acting strangely, she may well have a seizure disorder known as psychomotor or partial seizure. If this is the case, anticonvulsant drugs will reduce the behavior to a manageable level, or remove it entirely.
Compulsive disorders may include changes in locomotion, for example the pacing that you describe. Instead of pacing, some dogs may circle, chase light or chase their tails. Often, there is a trigger for the behavior and it occurs in specific situations. Treatment revolves around identifying and removing the original cause of the behavior and modifying the dog’s response to it; medication is often used in these cases.
If you think that Maxie’s behavior is based in attention-seeking, try ignoring her completely whenever she behaves as you have described. Attention-seeking behavior will first become worse, and then stop. This process may take about two weeks.
Anxiety, such as might develop from certain fears (for example, of certain noises or thunderstorms) or from being separated from the owner, may also cause dogs to shake, pant and pace. This kind of anxiety is highly reproducible depending upon the situation. Treatment depends on the cause, and may involve medication.
In answer to your second question, the first step is to bring Maxie to your veterinarian for a complete and thorough physical examination. Once a medical cause for Maxie’s unusual behavior is ruled out, a thorough behavioral history can be taken and a treatment plan developed to help manage her behavior. Because Maxie’s behavior is occurring more often, I would urge you to take action sooner than later.
Michelle Bamberger is a veterinarian and owner of Vet Behavior Consults (www.vetbehaviorconsults.com), a practice based in Ithaca and devoted exclusively to solving behavioral problems in small, large and exotic animals. Send questions for her column to mjb57@cornell.edu, mail them Care of Jessica Keltz to The Ithaca Journal, 123 West State St., Ithaca, NY, 14850, or fax them to 277-6845.