Dog behavioural changes - health issues?

[rx7boi]

For the dog owners, just wanted to see if anyone has experienced something similar.

Our 8 year old Shiba has recently been displaying some markedly different behaviours. We have a vet appointment booked for June 6th and in the meantime he's basically done a 180:

- doesn't want to be around us anymore, will actively walk into another room as soon as we go to him
- won't accept treats as readily, he normally takes them to the living room carpet as that is "his spot"
- doesn't listen to commands as much whereas he would almost always come when called
- hasn't been eating as often
- goes up stairs more slowly
- pants more, even though the temperature might not be too hot
- his hindlegs occasionally shiver

He still enjoys walk so I can't say lethargy is a symptom, but I've been reading and these can all be indicators of some prostate issues, if not outright cancer. Our dog is still intact from when we adopted him last March.

Does this sound familiar and has anyone had any experience?

[ducaudi]

Personally, I think it has something to do with age. Our bichon shih-tzu is turning 10 next month, but I've noticed he's shown some of the things you noted above. He did have surgery last Christmas to remove bladder stones, but I don't think that's something that would change his behavior. (I may be wrong).

-Our dog still enjoys going for walks, but at home his hind legs do occasionally shiver as well and I do see him sitting down a little slower than usual (geriatric?).
-Commands are not followed as consistently as before (he would walk away when you had his attention for a moment)
-I went to the vet with him recently and was told he developed a heart murmur. (advised to keep a little closer attention)

It's been an awesome 10 years so far, but lately I'm coming to terms that he is not going to be how he once was. Just doing my best to ensure he has a good quality of life as he's older now. I hope your visit to the vet with your doggo is nothing serious.

[Lex350]

My brothers Sheltie had similar symptoms. Unfortunately it was cancer. Hopefully not in your case.

[spike98]

Our shiba indicated some of those symptoms but not all of them. Turned out he had issues with anxiety which is common for shiba's. We put him on some anti-anxiety treats and he is better than ever. I actually feel bad because some of the symptoms like sporadic panting we wrote off as just normal for a shiba.

Some of the other symptoms you have listed are pretty serious though and could definitely mean something. Get the bloodwork done.

[schurchill39]

For the dog owners, just wanted to see if anyone has experienced something similar.

Our 8 year old Shiba has recently been displaying some markedly different behaviours. We have a vet appointment booked for June 6th and in the meantime he's basically done a 180:

- doesn't want to be around us anymore, will actively walk into another room as soon as we go to him
- won't accept treats as readily, he normally takes them to the living room carpet as that is "his spot"
- doesn't listen to commands as much whereas he would almost always come when called
- hasn't been eating as often
- goes up stairs more slowly
- pants more, even though the temperature might not be too hot
- his hindlegs occasionally shiver

He still enjoys walk so I can't say lethargy is a symptom, but I've been reading and these can all be indicators of some prostate issues, if not outright cancer. Our dog is still intact from when we adopted him last March.

Does this sound familiar and has anyone had any experience?

This sounds like a pretty typical Shiba Inu mood swing. My girl is 8 as well and is currently going through this again (every couple years she does). My wife and I joke that she is punishing me for taking her with us at christmas (how dare we!) but its more than likely just an attitude thing. She actively avoids me, if I am on the main floor she goes upstairs, if I go upstairs she goes to the main floor. If she is sleeping and wakes up and realizes I am in the room she will leave. She used to LOVE cheese and would come running when she heard the crinkle of the plastic wrapper, now she's got to be in the mood for it and even then you need to half shove it in her mouth.

The thing to keep in mind with Shibas and their offshoots is that they are not like normal dogs. They are very moody, and independent. It took us 2 years just to get her to the point where if she was laying down we could snuggle up next to her, then 8 months later she wanted nothing to do with that anymore. When my wife was pregnant she was all over cuddling with her and wouldn't leave her alone, now she's back to her normal hateful self.

Absolutely get your pup checked out if you are concerned, but make sure you get a vet familiar with Shibas and their attitudes and behaviors because as mentioned they aren't normal dogs.

- - - Updated - - -


Our shiba indicated some of those symptoms but not all of them. Turned out he had issues with anxiety which is common for shiba's. We put him on some anti-anxiety treats and he is better than ever. I actually feel bad because some of the symptoms like sporadic panting we wrote off as just normal for a shiba.

Some of the other symptoms you have listed are pretty serious though and could definitely mean something. Get the bloodwork done.

Also this, my Shiba has bad anxiety which is also super common for the breed. I agree with spike98, get the bloodwork panel done for your own piece of mind but its more than likely normal behavior or anxiety which is easily managed.

[rx7boi]

Thanks guys, I've been pretty worried so I'm going to call the vet again and see if I can get in earlier even though the appointment is next week.

The fiancee and I did another physical check yesterday. I also read that weaker hindlegs can be an indicator for potential prostate issues and since I've noticed that he goes up stairs slower, I picked him up and had my fiancee tug at his rear legs. Typically he pulls away as he does not like the feeling, but there was nearly no response from doggo when we did this.

I also observed his gait and there is definitely a bit of stiffness in his hindlegs as well, or when I put him down on the couch he's hesitant about jumping off whereas normally he does not like staying on the couch.

Shibas are a different breed for sure, but luckily we have a great vet who has known him from a puppy when the breeder used to take him for checkups the first 7 years of his life.

[Xtrema]

Sis's Shih Tzu got prostate cancer. Lost of appetite is one of the sign.

The other is want to be left alone, usually that's when a dog think his time is up. My old Shih Tzu did that during the last days.

The problem is, dog ages much faster than us. In my sis's dog's case, they saw problems but it didn't show up on scans for another month or so. It could also be useless vet that could diagnose early enough.

Whatever is the case, just make sure the dog is comfortable. Dragging it out unnecessarily just hurts everyone more.

Good Luck.

[TurboMedic]

I feel I have an anomaly Shiba Inu. Mine is just a few months short of 14 years old now, she still runs in the yard at other dogs, but she is definitely slower. Mine exhibits the same anxious behavior (especially in the bedroom at night, so I have to kick her out) with the panting and stuff. Shes definitely showing her age more, slower up and down the stairs, doesn't hear me when I come home so I have to wake her, things like that. I can't speak to the leg stiffness as mine has blown out both of her knees (4 and 5 years ago I believe), so she walked a bit stiffer since then but mostly unless I tell people they don't notice. Mine still likes attention, almost too much, I can't even sit here and type without her trying to get me to pet her, which is cute and sometimes annoying. I do feel her time is limited for sure now, but its just so hard to tell, when she gets excited to see people she is the same as always, but most of the day she lays in the yard sunning or sleeping.

I forgot to note, she is a purebred, CKC, Sire was a Japanese show dog flown in to breed with Dam who was a shower on VI. She has good genes

[rx7boi]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

I called the vet and was able to get an earlier appointment for this Friday. I'll post with some updates once I've brought our doggo in. He's from good stock as well, his sire was brought in from Japan by a breeder in Oregon and a local breeder (Koyote Kennels) got him so our dog is one of the first litter of Nippo Shibas in Canada.

Fingers crossed for the little guy. We've only had him for a year and he is such a blessing in our lives.

It's always nerve wracking when you feel like something is wrong and waiting for appointment day to come. I would have liked to take him to a vet couple blocks away to be seen ASAP but I know that our vet Dr. Carolin Kobisch at the Cochrane Small Animal Clinic has his history on file.

[lilmira]

Carolin is pretty good. She's been the vet for mine for +10yrs. I'm taking my boy to her for shots on Friday too. Laura (Koyote) seems to take good care of her dogs so hopefully your guy is ok.
Lost my girl few years back at the age of 9. The boy is 11 now and he's still pretty active. Knowing their life expectancy makes me uneasy too whenever he acts weird. He did the night panting/unrest thing a few times and I ended up not sleeping much.

Good luck

[Rocket1k78]

I would have liked to take him to a vet couple blocks away to be seen ASAP but I know that our vet Dr. Carolin Kobisch at the Cochrane Small Animal Clinic has his history on file.

Very good call! It hurts to know your dog is not feeling his/her/they best but i wouldnt take my dogs to a new vet either. If your dog does get worse or seems really sick i would call your vet and im sure they would rush you in.

We had a major trauma about 4 years ago and our dog was too sick for the main vet(who was amazing) so they referred us to the animal hospital near ikea and we got totally taken advantage of so be careful going to new places

[jake1er]

Go take your dog to a vet right away. I had a parrot that started showing similar behaviors. Stopped eating, wouldn't want to leave her cage, shivered in the corner with her feathers plumed out etc. It ended up being cancer and she ended up passing a couple of weeks later. It could be a number of things but that definitely warrants an immediate vet visit. Good luck. Hope your dog is alright.

[schurchill39]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

I called the vet and was able to get an earlier appointment for this Friday. I'll post with some updates once I've brought our doggo in. He's from good stock as well, his sire was brought in from Japan by a breeder in Oregon and a local breeder (Koyote Kennels) got him so our dog is one of the first litter of Nippo Shibas in Canada.
.

Is he a black and tan whose name is Suri by chance?

[rx7boi]

Is he a black and tan whose name is Suri by chance?

Our boy is a red sesame named Samurai. I've seen Suri on Laura's website though and we'd really like to have a black/tan Shiba at some point.

Came home from work yesterday and found that he had a little accident on our guest bed. And by little, I mean massive. We always let him out in the morning but perhaps he did not go when we let him out.

On the brighter side, he enjoyed our daily walk and seemed in better spirits, slept in his bed during night time.

Friday can't come quick enough.

[J-hop]

I wonder if he’s got a pinched nerve or something like that. I think they have a genetic disposition to things like hipdisplasia which I’m sure has an effect on their back.

interested that you said you adopted him and he’s intact? Wondering what rescue is adopting out intact dogs?!?

[lilmira]

I'm guessing he's Laura's retired breeding dog. Nice looking Shiba boy.

http://www.calgaryshibas.com/dogs/32

[rx7boi]

I wonder if he’s got a pinched nerve or something like that. I think they have a genetic disposition to things like hipdisplasia which I’m sure has an effect on their back.

interested that you said you adopted him and he’s intact? Wondering what rescue is adopting out intact dogs?!?

Heya, we adopted him from the breeder, not a rescue. Since he's part of a Nippo bloodline brought in from Japan, the breeder used him as a stud. Once her dogs are of a certain age, she adopts them out to their forever homes.


I'm guessing he's Laura's retired breeding dog. Nice looking Shiba boy.

http://www.calgaryshibas.com/dogs/32

Yup that's him!

[J-hop]

Heya, we adopted him from the breeder, not a rescue. Since he's part of a Nippo bloodline brought in from Japan, the breeder used him as a stud. Once her dogs are of a certain age, she adopts them out to their forever homes.



Yup that's him!

Ah ok that makes sense!

[schurchill39]

Suri was a retired breeding stock right from Japan and I was originally looking at him when I was interested in Shibas. I went with a different breeder at the end of the day for other reasons beyond the dogs, but I see Suri around the SE which is nice.

[schurchill39]

Have you reached out to Laura to ask her about her thoughts? She's very in tune with these animals and could advise on behaviour, I'd just lead with "we've got a vet appointment booked but wanted to see what you thought..." In case you get her on one of her off days

[rx7boi]

I haven't reached out to Laura yet. I figured I'd have Dr. Kobisch take a look in person first and go from there but I may connect with Laura again at some point. I send her emails from time to time with pictures of his (mis)adventures haha.

I just got back from the vet and it's looking good. She did a physical examination and did not find an enlarged prostate. However, she did find that his back muscles near the kidneys were very tense, perhaps an indicator of injury which correlates with his anxiety and pain lately. She also asked if he's been drinking less water which could indicate kidney issues, but I said that his appetite overall decreased a little bit so both water and food intake were less than usual.

She gave us some anti-inflammatory pills for him to take daily over the next week. We'll monitor his symptoms and if there is no improvement by next week, we may go for another examination and have some bloodwork done.

Assuming all goes well over the next couple weeks, I also booked him a tentative appointment to have him fixed in late June as I'd really like to mitigate any health risks associated with having an older intact male.

[rx7boi]

Just a weekend update, doggo is doing WAY better. He's day 3 of his anti-inflammatory pill and alot happier. Ironically, he is even more affectionate than before.

Will continue to monitor but so far physical symptoms have shown improvement.

[schurchill39]

Get bloodwork done at some point regardless of health. Its good to have a baseline. Glad to hear it was just an injury and it makes sense because of their high prey drive and some times the older pups forget they aren't youngsters anymore. Mine has hurt herself more than once chasing rabbits. With the anti inflamatory pills sometimes our dogs can get upset stomachs on them and puke. I'm sure the vet told you that but from talking to other owners it sounds like its more common than not, just something to be aware of that if it happens its normal.