Anxiety attacks?

[Taz_Zoee]

Zoee will be 2 years old on January 12th. Her first "attack" was this past Spring, in April or May. We were outside sitting on the deck and Zoee was laying beside me. All of a sudden she jumped up and ran to the grass and was pawing at her nose. I looked down at where she had been laying and a bee came up through the slats on the deck. We assumed she had been stung by a bee. She began to pant and drool a lot.
Over the next few months my boyfriend, Bruce, said she had done it a couple more times. One time after being outside for a while, and the other while she was inside. So again, we assumed she got stung or bit by something. The vet had suggested to give her Benedryl, which he did once but it didn't seem to help.
At the end of September we went on vacation for 10 days. As usual, we take Zoee to my brother's. He lives in the country and has a dog that Zoee loves and he loves her too. A day after we left she had a strange accident on my nieces bed in the middle of the night. She pottied on the bed.
Needless to say she doesn't sleep on her bed anymore. But she also threw up a couple of times. After that she was fine for the rest of the time she was there.
The day after she got back home Bruce, who works from home, said she had an attack. She began panting real hard and drooling buckets, soaking everything. She was shaking very bad and her heart was racing. He said she was acting like she didn't know where she was and tried "climbing the wall". She also got on the back of the couch, again trying to climb the wall.
The same night she had another attack in the middle of the night. Since then she has been fine.
Until yesterday. She spent a couple days at my brothers over the holidays, so she wouldn't have to be locked up for hours at home. We brought her home on Monday. Yesterday we had to leave her for a while (turned out to be longer than expected). When we came home she had pulled things off the bathroom counter, like she had tried climbing up on the counter. And the floor was soaked, it was drool. When we leave her we put her in the bathroom, which we have done since we first got her. There is nothing she can get into that would hurt her and she's never tried to climb on the counter like that (besides one of the attacks she had with Bruce). I didn't realize she had had an attack until she had another one when I had gone to bed. The symptoms were exactly what I listed above. Shaking, heart racing, panting, drooling and climbing the walls. It takes about an hour before it passes.
It's not over yet. She had another one at 2am, again it lasted an hour before she was completley calm again. She then had two more mild attacks at 8am and 10am. I had made an appointment to the vet for 10:40 this morning and Bruce took her. I thought she may have been having some mild seizures. They ran blood work on her and everything came back fine and the doctor said it didnt sound like seizures. And if it happens more frequently (once a month) we could put her on a daily medication. Bruce didn't like the idea of his puppy being on drugs. So we are hoping to find a way to avoid this.
I had thought perhaps it was separation anxiety, maybe fear we were going to leave her or because she left Boo (my brothers dog). But there was another trip that she stayed with Boo between these last two attacks and she was fine when she got home. She LOVES going to Boo's house.

I had read on one of the PT threads about using lavendar oil to help calm a dog. Do you think this would help with Zoee's attacks?
Any suggestions or thought would be appreciated. Sorry this is sooo long.

[Vela]

I would have her evaluated, she could be having seizures. It may only be anxiety but it could be a form of seizure activity so I honestly would get her checked out, especially how you said it seems like she doesn't know where she is when she's doing it and is behaving spastically at those times. Not all seizures knock you down with convulsions. Please get her looked at.

[mike001]

Did you ever check that the stinger from the bee wasn't still lodged in her nose? That could cause the drooling and maybe start the other symptoms also. I know a porcupine quill if not removed properly will have a reaction similar to what you describe.

[Taz_Zoee]

I would have her evaluated, she could be having seizures. It may only be anxiety but it could be a form of seizure activity so I honestly would get her checked out, especially how you said it seems like she doesn't know where she is when she's doing it and is behaving spastically at those times. Not all seizures knock you down with convulsions. Please get her looked at.

She went to the vet yesterday morning. They did blood tests. What am I supposed to ask them to do? The doctor said it didn't sound like seizures. Should I try another vet?

And Mike001, the bee issue was back in April/May. I would think if there was still a stinger in there she would be messing with her nose more. And right after it happened I did keep an eye on her to see if there was any swelling or irritation......and nothing came up.

Thank you both for your responses.

[Love That Collie]

I would try a second opinion myself.

Bailey gets sinus attacks, which in no way mimick a human sinus attack.
My vet didn't know what to say except, "Must be a food allergy", which is what most vet's comments are when they don't have a definitive answer, they say to change the food. She observed him in her office for about 5 hours nothing....yep, change the food.....no I didnt' change the food because I KNEW it wasn't his food. So, I take him to another vet and LO and BEHOLD.........I tell the vet the symptoms, he looks him over,the vet looks at me without blinking an eye and he says, "he's got a sinus infection". I say, "oh, you've seen this before?", the vet says, "sure have, a lot of dogs and other animals in this valley get this and I see this very often." He gave Bailey a shot, gave 2 prescriptions and we were all set and on our way. Now, when I see the symptoms appearing I give him his medicine and he's good to go. BTW, his meds are over the counter human meds. From Bailey's symptoms I would never have guessed that it was sinus related. Bailey's regular vet was not in agreement when she got the report from the other vet but I can tell you what........Bailey hasn't had another occurrance since May or June and we are now in a big sinus infection season here because of our unusually warm fall/winter (more like early Spring weather).
Please get another opinion.

[Taz_Zoee]

You know what, I think the next time it happens (hopefully it won't be in the middle of the night) I will have Bruce take her to another vet. I really like my vet I have now, but totally understand about getting a second opinion.
Thank you for the suggestions.

[BOBS DAD]

I am afraid that your dog may in fact be suffering from epileptic seizures. Sounds pretty symptomatic of the disease. See Attached:
How do I recognize a seizure?
Seizures can be very subtle or very obvious, depending on the dog and the circumstances. Any abnormal behavior that is out of character for your dog and that appears to be neurological in nature, could be considered a seizure. Seizure activity may be very different than what you would normally expect, i.e.: a dog that falls over, jerking or paddling its limbs. Quite the contrary, a seizure can be something a subtle as a dog becoming disconnected for a moment and then suddenly snapping back to reality or a dog whose pupils dilate and who suddenly starts salivating for no apparent reason. All of these things should be a source of concern and should be monitored for increased occurrence or for more severe symptoms. If you suspect your dog may be having subtle seizures, discuss the circumstances with your vet, or make an appointment with a veterinary neurologist to get a more accurate assessment.

Seizures occur in several distinct stages:
The Prodome - may precede the seizure by hours or days. It is characterized by changes in mood or behavior.
The Aura - signals the start of the seizure. Signs include restlessness, nervousness, whining, trembling, salivation, affection, wandering, hiding, hysterical running, and apprehension.
The Ictus, the actual seizure - a period of intense physical activity usually lasting 45 seconds to 3 minutes. The dog may lose consciousness and fall to the ground. There may be teeth gnashing, frantic thrashing of limbs, excessive drooling, vocalizing, paddling of feet, uncontrollable urination and defecation.
The Post Ictus/Ictal - occurs after the seizure, and may be the only sign of epilepsy the owner sees, particularly since many seizures occur at night or early in the morning. For minutes to days after the seizure, the dog may be confused, disoriented, restless, or unresponsive, or may appear blind and deaf and eat or drink excessively. At this stage the animal is conscious but not functional.

The Canine Epilepsy Network site has some short video clips in their "Canine Epilepsy Basics" section that can you can view to see what a seizure sometimes looks like.

from http://www.ashgi.org/aussiegenes/concerned.htm#3

This is very common among Aussies. You may want to "watch the videos" to see if they resemble your girl's behavior.