Nanook bit me!!

[lv4dogs]

I could not believe what happened last night. I went outside to let him in. I was petting him him like always before we come inside & all of a sudden he lunged at me, broke the skin (barely but it did bleed a little bit, 4 tiny holes & few scrapes) and on my neck & chin to make matters worse. Right on my face.
Now I have had this dog since he was 8 months old, he is now 13.5 years old, he has graduated many obedience courses with flying colors as well as his CGC. No problem at all. He has always been very smart & docile. This dog has ALWAYS been so laid back, not even hurting a flea! He would show you where the gold is.
Never ever ever in my lifetime would I thought I would of ever seen this happen. I can not even explain how he is, just very overally friendly. Many people know him & i don't even know the people!
I have worked in a vets office, helped out training & agility as well as behavioral issues.
I have thought over & over & over again, what may have caused it. My brai is getting frazled over this I can't stop thinking about it.

Did I startle or scare him... No way could that have happened, I was petting him for like 3 minutes before he bit me. And was standing there with him looking at me for a few minutes before that. He knew I was there & what I was doing. It was not quite dark out yet & the outside light was on.
Did I accidently hurt him? No I was petting gently & even if I did this dog would not of cared. We have sutured him up twice w/ no anesthesia, We lanced a wound & cut out a bird shot w/ no sedative, and a few other things. He needs no restraint for any medical procedure, that is how docile & laid back he is.
I have always been kind to him.
This startled me more than I could ever imagine, I did not even punish him at all as I was so in shock.
He gave absolutely no warning! No yelp, no movement nothing except in one split second he lunged right at my face.
He has since acted like nothing at all happened.
Could it be that because he is older he may have something going on in his brain or something? That is all I can think of.

[lv4dogs]

I forgot to add that he UTD on all vaccines, has just had a geriatric panel ran in January (get that done yearly) & he is very healthy for his age.
He does however have a large tumor growing under his rib cage. Nothing can be done for that though as they would have to crack his rib cage to operate & 3 vets & 2 specialists say that I should just leave it due to the location & process as well as his age.

[wolfie]

Oh how scary! I'm so sorry. :( I'd take him to the vet to make sure that nothing is wrong with him. You could be right that it's because he's older and maybe he got confused or something. I hope everything's all right with him.

[ramanth]

Oh I am so sorry!!

It's not uncommon for pets to develop neurological problems. I'd definately take him to the vet and explain the situation.

I was attacked in the face by one of my cats. I took him to the vet, fearing he had rabies. Turns out he had a hormonal imbalance and just snapped. Unfortuantely I was in his path. (He leapt off the bed right at my face :eek: :( )

He was supposed to be fixed as a kitten, and the vet removed his hernia, but never fixed him. For years we had no clue. He was fixed immediately after the incident and he was fine. :)

[EssTer]

Ooh no.. it's so sad to hear that.. :( ... I think you should take him to vet...

[Glacier]

Older dogs can definately develop dementia just like people do. There could some confusion happening in his brain due to his age. He may well not have known what/who he was biting. I'd take him back to the vet and just get him checked over. I'd have his eyes checked as well. When Preacher first started to loose his sight, we saw an increase in aggression from him. He didn't mean to do it, he was just freaked out because he could no longer see what was coming at him.

I've been nailed a couple times by my own dogs. It's always stressful, even when I could explain why it happened--once I was pulling Kayleigh off another dog, once I reached in to take a treat from Preacher and forgot he couldn't see anymore.

[stacwase]

Yeah - what Glacier said. I was thinking the same thing as I was reading your post - I was thinking "senile dementia?". People get like that, too!

[Logan]

Could it be that because he is older he may have something going on in his brain or something? That is all I can think of.

I think you might have answered your own question. And the others are right. It is not uncommon for older dogs (and cats) to be more unpredictable in their later years. I think they are more sensitive to petting (at least that is what we are experiencing with Murphy, our 14 year old Lab). Simple things like brushing and rubbing irritate her now, where before, when she was younger (according to my husband), she was never like that. Thankfully, we haven't experienced what you have with any biting incidents, but we are very cautious with her, and don't try to stir her up too much. Mimi, our 14 year old cat, is sweet and loving as she always has been, but we really have to watch her these days because she will turn on us in a heartbeat (especially me), and I don't want to upset her or have her hurt one of the children or a guest. Just one rub too many and she attacks with claws and teeth. She was never like this before the last year or so.

I would discuss this with your vet and have Nanook checked over thoroughly and maybe your vet will suggest medication to take the edge off or even that Rescue Remedy (homeopathic, I think). There are also medications, according to my vet, to help with the dementia that many older dogs experience. We haven't gone that route, but there are times, lately, that I have considered it for Murphy.

I wish you much luck, and I'm so sorry that you had to go through this. I am glad you weren't injured worse, though.

Logan

[K9soul]

I think Logan's post was wonderful and I am in total agreement. I had a dog develop dementia, my RB Cody, though his was confusion and anxiety. As soon as I left the room he was in, he would panic and start crying, yet not get up to follow. All I had to do was come back and give him a slight nudge on the rump and he would get himself up then and follow me, but he seemed to get so anxious he felt as helpless as a little puppy again and needed help. He was deaf in his later years so that did not help that he couldn't hear me when I left the room.

Cody's was fairly mild, and my vet suggested St. John's Wort, saying that if it got worse there were prescription medications but that they were more expensive and for Cody's mildness, probably not needed.

Let us know if you take Nanook in, what the vet thinks is going on. Best wishes for you, I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt. It must have been extremely upsetting though :(

[lv4dogs]

Just giving a quick update, we went to the vets Wed., they did a complete cbc, along with a full exam.

He has very slight catarcts but they have been there for 4 years but they have not gotten any worse at all the doc was quite surprised, she says he has great vision for a dog his age/breed. Everything in his bloodwork came out perfect! His hearing is good. His tumor is getting bigger (duh) but nothing can be done for that. The doc does not believe that that the tumor would of had anything to do w/ him biting me. His arthritis is still there but again the doc was surprised it has not worsened much especially with his circumstances/age & breed (he was shot by bird shot before I got him at 8 months of age, he has a few lodged into his hock joint & all over his left side).

We talked briefly about an MRI & seizure meds but I really hate to medicate my animals unless needed.
Nanook has been acting completely normal ever since. So The doc & I both agreed to just be a little more cautious & slow with him & see how he does. I am also being more strict on his nothing for free training. Should it happen again we will look into some other options.

We started him on a series of adequin injections again and I picked up some more etogesic. To help a bit with his arthritis & pain.
We also got a few months of interceptor & advantage for everyone.

So we are still not sure what may have caused it, maybe a fluke, maybe he did see a bug or something & maybe he just reacted differently than normal for some odd reason.

I'll keep yous posted should it occur again or if anything else if discovered. I really appreciate everyones help/suggstions. If you's could just keep in your thoughts for a brighter future, hoping this does not occur again we would appreciate it!

My Crazy Horse (rat) had her mamary gland tumor removed yesterday as well. All went very well although the doc thinks it may come back, it was kind of spread out weird, she does not see it like that too often. She is almost possitive it is cancerous due to the texture/shape/location so I decided against a biopsy, I know I may be a bad mom for doing that but cancer is just so darn common in rats, she came from a pet store a little over a year ago. She is recouperating in her med. cage. She is a little lonely but within a few days she can go back in w/ her buddies!

[Logan]

I'm so glad you took him in and that you got such a good report. I think at their advanced age, Nanook, Murphy and others are doing great, all things considered. You just have to take things a little more slowly with them, I guess. Murphy is completely deaf, so she is startled very easiliy. But boy does she know when it is time to eat!!! LOL!!!! :)

Hugs and kisses (gently, of course) to Nanook. I hope he will be with you for a long, long time. :)

[ramanth]

Glad to hear all is well! Hugs to your Nanook and Crazy Horse. :)