My dog just kinda bit my dd, what do i do?

[tinyblackdot]

I have had my dog for over 8 years now, i love her to death, but over the last year or 2 her health has depleted, she is urinating on the floors and on the furniture (i have had her tested for diabetes, and urinary issues) She has horrible seizure like allergy reactions, where she goes into shock and passes out, and after the last one ( about 4 months ago) she just hasnt been the same.

She gets into everything, diapers, trash, letterboxes, dirty clothes.

She is dog aggressive, we cant even take her on walks.

And just now she snapped at my dd.

I just gave my dog a bath, and she was running around on the house having a great time. She found her nyla bone, and was lying on a blanket on the floor chewing it. DD was sitting across the living room from her and her ball of yarn rolled over by my dog. DD went over there and penny just snapped and growled and i really thought she hurt my dd, but i think it was more bark than bight.

What would you do? Should i put her to sleep? OMG, i cant believe this!!!

[tinyblackdot]

There has to be other mamas that have dealt with this issue, or know what they would do?

[liliaceae]

Oh gosh, I'm not a pet expert but it sounds to me like you'll have to put her down. Definitely don't let her anywhere near your DD for now. I'm sorry.

[greenmagick]

You most definitely do NOT have to put her down after one episode that sounds like it wasnt even a bite? While it is not acceptable to growl and snap over a bone, dogs will do it. That is the only way dogs have to communicate and she was clearly guarding the bone and thats the way she was telling your daugter. Again, not saying it is ok for the dog to react that way, but it is "normal" if that makes sense. Most definitely it needs to be worked on NOW and your dd and dog need to be totally supervised.

What have you done to modify her other behaviors?

Now, if her behavior is worsening and her health is declining, yes, putting her down may be a very good option, but not over growling over a bone. That is something that in and of itself is entirely correctable in all but the most extreme cases.

[Ms. B. Sprout]

I rehomed one of my dogs a couple of months ago because he was "nipping" at my kids. I adopted him through a rescue group six years ago, and they graciously rehomed him for me. I just couldn't live with the possibility that he would really maul one of them one day. I miss him, but I am glad to have that possibility off the table.

On another note, my parents had an 18-year-old mini poodle mix that they refused to put down even as the poor dear became incontinent, blind, deaf, and had open oozing sores all over her back. I will never understand it, but I did not have to walk in their shoes.

So I have some experience with these things, and lots of sympathy for your situation, but little advice. These are such intensely personal decisions. I hope you find a resolution that gives you peace.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

It dosnt automatically mean she needs to be put down. It does however mean that from here on out she can no longer be allowed your dd without strict supervision.

[tinyblackdot]

Originally Posted by greenmagick

What have you done to modify her other behaviors?

We try to keep her crated, but she was a rescue and has SEVERE separation anxiety. So bad that she will try to break through the bars of her crate and bloody up her face, and will defecate all over herself. We bought one of those soft shell crates, and she does better with that, and will sleep in there at night, but we cant leave her in there when we leave. So she stays out side.

I feel like i have tried everything, i emailed the trainer that we where working with with a different dog, to see what advice she might have.

We dont really do anything about the accidents in the house, because she never does it when we are around or see her doing it, and i feel like she cant help it, like she doesn't know what she is doing.

Sometimes i will go and sit with her outside and its like she doesnt know who i am....like she is going to bite me.

And she is getting more aggressive with strangers too.

I just dont know.

I deal with this stuff all the time ( i work at a vets clinic) and i see animals come in that bit an owner, and the Dr will tell them that once it happens it will just get worse......and it always does. A few weeks ago a woman had to put her dog down after it sent her to the hospital, and this was 3 months after it bit her husband and they didnt do anything about it because they said it was their fault.

If it was just me, and i was the only one at risk i wouldnt even think about it. But I dont want my dd to get hurt.

[tinyblackdot]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

It dosnt automatically mean she needs to be put down. It does however mean that from here on out she can no longer be allowed your dd without strict supervision.

I feel like she is NEVER around her without my strict supervision, that is the part that worries me. It just happened so fast! My dd wasnt even really that close to her....maybe 2 feet? And she just flipped out!!!! And the crazy thing is that I had just bathed the dog, and she was running around the house like her old self...playing and tossing her toys in the air....it was nice to see, and then 5 minutes later.....this.

[greenmagick]

Has she has her thyroid checked?

It most definitely does not always get worse...dogs can be rehabbed, but it takes time, effort, and is best done with a qualified behaviorist. I meant have you done things to actually try to modify the separation anxiety and the like...

However, it sounds like there may be other issues here which changes things a bit. If her health is really suffering, that is different. But she is only 8? what kind of dog as that is really not that old for many breeds?

[tinyblackdot]

THanks Nicloe.

No i have had her lets see......about 8 or 9 years i guess. She was an adult when i adopted her, they said 2-3 years old, but you know how that goes.

She did have her thyroid checked. It was ok. There where some things that where a little iffy on her bloodwork, ill see if i can find it.

The last time she had an allergic reaction, we where all sitting in the living room and she got up to walk and then looked like she was drunk....fell over defecated on herself and just about stopped breathing. I thought she was having a diabetic reaction or a seizure or something, but once i got her to the hopital and she started to come to, she blew up like a balloon, which is what she does about once a year. They said that its just getting worse every year. Since that time she just seems really really anxious all of the time and is just "diffrent".

She is a 27lb terrier mix....maybe boston rat terrier? Who knows! Im starting to wonder if it was a seizure, and if she is having them more offten and i just dont see it. She flips her tonge alot which i know is a sign, and she is so high strung which i know can be a cause too.

[tinyblackdot]

Oh, and i did contact a trainer that we worked with before with a diffrent dog to see if she has any advice, and to see if there is anything she can do to help.

[midnightmommy]

She didn't bite her then? She warned her. In our family (long line of dog trainers) we have a saying. If the dog was trying to hurt you. You would be hurt. She probably snapped at her. While that's not good, it's good news. It means that you need to speak to an animal behaviorist. It sounds like your dog was wrapped up in the moment though. It happens when you have an animal in your house. I keep all dog bones and toys picked out when the kids are up. Those belong to the dog, and while they normally don't cause an issue. I just don't allow them for safety reasons.

[tinyblackdot]

Originally Posted by midnightmommy

She didn't bite her then? She warned her. In our family (long line of dog trainers) we have a saying. If the dog was trying to hurt you. You would be hurt. She probably snapped at her. While that's not good, it's good news. It means that you need to speak to an animal behaviorist. It sounds like your dog was wrapped up in the moment though. It happens when you have an animal in your house. I keep all dog bones and toys picked out when the kids are up. Those belong to the dog, and while they normally don't cause an issue. I just don't allow them for safety reasons.

Well she grabbed her hand with her mouth and left a red spot, it just didnt break the skin. And i was right there with them, so i immediately jumped up and yelled, but i dont think it would have stopped if i had not have been there.

But maybe your right, i think i am just to the point of keeping her outside while we are home and dd is awake. And letting her in at night once dd is asleep. But what about when we are outside? What do i do then?

Let me give you a run down of what she did just today....she ate 4 diapers that where in a trashcan on top of the toilet, she "cleaned" the litterbox out, she at the left overs of my dds lunch by jumping up on the chair while i was rushing dd to the potty, she ate an entire container of organic lunch meat that was on the kitchen counter, she ate 2 pairs of my panties, and then she bit my daughter....oh a drank urine out of my dds toilet!!

[lonegirl]

Is she on medication for her seizures? Have you talked to your vet about the urinary accidents? We see urinary incontinence in spayed females quite often. http://www.medi-vet.com/UrinaryIncontinence.html
As for the growl/snap...no you do not have to euthanize her. If you are not right there....keep them separated. Help teach your little one to not puts hands near her face if she is eating/chewing on a toy etc.

[midnightmommy]

It really sounds like you need a behaviorist, and perhaps to look at her diet. A lot of times when a dog is eating everything in sight it's because they're diet is lacking in something. It could be the meds too. Get her to the Vet and a behaviorist. You can leave her out there, but make sure there is nothing of value within her reach, cause it sounds like she'll tear it up. It's really hard to know without seeing, but dogs give each other that warning snap and while it looks terrible. They stop when the other dog backs off. It sounds like that is what she was doing. It's still not good, and it's a good thing your talking to a trainer.

[Shera971]

My last dog had unknown seizures since puppyhood and I remember his neurologist (who knew there were neurologists for dogs??) saying that sometimes seizures can cause brain damage. This is b/c an intense/long/multiple seizure can raise the body's tempurture high enough to cause permanent damage. I bring it up b/c you mentioned your dog seemed different after her last seizure.
Oh, and the urinating in the house could be due to other seizures. My dog always peed during a seizure.

In my opinion, I wouldn't recommend putting a dog to sleep b/c of the bone incident wih your daughter. I think that is an issue that can be worked on. However, it doesn't seem to be the only problem with the dog. The seizures, urinating in the house, eating garbage, and advancing age seem like a lot to deal with all at once. The only thing I can suggest is ask the questions I asked myself of my last dog: Is he happy? Is his quality of life good?

[tinyblackdot]

Originally Posted by lonegirl

Is she on medication for her seizures? Have you talked to your vet about the urinary accidents? We see urinary incontinence in spayed females quite often. http://www.medi-vet.com/UrinaryIncontinence.html
As for the growl/snap...no you do not have to euthanize her. If you are not right there....keep them separated. Help teach your little one to not puts hands near her face if she is eating/chewing on a toy etc.

No meds, they said it wasnt really a "seizure" more like an Anaphylactic allergic reaction to something.

The vet i was working for gave us some steroid allergy meds, and i have a dex injection if she has one again, and he gave me some sedatives for her anxiety, but i HATE giving her those.
And i dont want to put her on seizure meds, they just slowly kill the liver and kidneys and she already has issues with those.
I dont think she is incontinent, she knows what she did. If i wake up and she has peed somewhere she just sulks around and hides, until i find it. Its like she does it on purpose, but doesnt realize she is doing it.....she got up and peed on our brand new couch a month ago. Totally out of nowhere.

My dd hardly ever goes near her, she really has nothing to do with her. Every once in a while she will put a necklace on her, or cover her with a blanket (with my supervision of course) but thats it, its not like she is ever grabbing at her or anything, that is why this is such a big deal. Its like Penny just forgot where she was and just totally lost herself for a minute and snapped. And as soon as she realized what she did, and i yelled, she ran out the doggie door.

**sigh**

What a mess.

[lonegirl]

Well as you don't feel it is incontinence and urinalysis have been run....then sounds like a behaviour problem to me. I am guessing since your little one has become more active that this is when you were noticing the downhill slide. This is often attention seeking or anxiety driven. Perhaps talking with your vet about a referral to a good behaviourist could help you, your family and your dog's happiness.

[Dandelionkid]

A complication of severe anaphylaxis is brain damage. It sounds like your dog has gone downhill recently in more than one area. It doesn't just sound like a
"protecting my bone" kind of thing linked with all the other behaviors she has developed. I would be finding a new home for that dog- like you said- your dd is always with you and it STILL happened. It could be so much worse next time

[Oubliette8]

Just because she sulks does NOT mean she is urinating deliberately, or even conciously. She knows that dog pee in the house is not a good thing, and has probably gotten her in trouble in the past- so when she realizes there is dog pee in the house, even if she doesn't know where it came from, she reacts as if she is in trouble.

Somebody else here has mentioned- most dogs do the same thing when the get into the trash. BUT if you throw the trash all over the floor, and then observe your dog when it sees the mess (and perhaps act as if you think he's responsible) he'll display the same "guilty" behaviors even though he had NOTHING to do with the mess making.

I think it sounds like something medical is going on here. Something is up with her blood work, she's having housebreaking issues, and a personality change, I would guess there is a medical cause and would have her thoroughly looked over until you find a cause. A dog that is in pain is more likely to snap, if you can find and relieve the pain, you may find she improves.