So we're still waiting for our little one to arrive but this question is really more about our dog Panda who we love and adore. She's been acting strange lately and we're not sure if she's sick or what - I've been to the vet 3 times today with her and they didn't 'find' anything but we're still waiting on blood work. We're wondering if it's psychological or something. We've heard of dogs sensing babies or labor - but usually from what we've heard, the dogs attach themselves more. Panda is normally a very active, healthy, attached and involved dog.
Starting yesterday she got really skittish and acted like she does when she does something bad but she didn't and then she started lying around and panting and drooling excessively. She's normally a very active dog who is very involved in our lives and we've never seen her really pant except on long walks and she rarely drools. She didn't really eat that much yesterday and when we took her into the yard to go to the bathroom she just laid down - as of now, she's only peed about 2-3 times in the past day and half.
Today she started trembling in conjunction with the drool/panting and is just acting really freaked out. She's upstairs underneath the bed and won't come out. Ate a little, but won't really drink anything and refuses not only her favorite treats, but new treats. She's just curled up - doesn't want to walk, isn't following us everywhere like she normally does. When we finally carried her downstairs to the yard, she laid down behind some plants in the garden and just stayed there until we came and got her. This is a dog who until this episode would never spend time alone in the yard, let alone just lay there.
It's really stressful to see her so distraught. Do you think she's just nervous about some changes she senses? Do you think she can sense my hormones or something? We haven't ruled out that she's just sick, but are discouraged after today at the vet.
What can we do? It feels like one of our babies is missing when she's not running around with us
Starting yesterday she got really skittish and acted like she does when she does something bad but she didn't and then she started lying around and panting and drooling excessively. She's normally a very active dog who is very involved in our lives and we've never seen her really pant except on long walks and she rarely drools. She didn't really eat that much yesterday and when we took her into the yard to go to the bathroom she just laid down - as of now, she's only peed about 2-3 times in the past day and half.
Today she started trembling in conjunction with the drool/panting and is just acting really freaked out. She's upstairs underneath the bed and won't come out. Ate a little, but won't really drink anything and refuses not only her favorite treats, but new treats. She's just curled up - doesn't want to walk, isn't following us everywhere like she normally does. When we finally carried her downstairs to the yard, she laid down behind some plants in the garden and just stayed there until we came and got her. This is a dog who until this episode would never spend time alone in the yard, let alone just lay there.
It's really stressful to see her so distraught. Do you think she's just nervous about some changes she senses? Do you think she can sense my hormones or something? We haven't ruled out that she's just sick, but are discouraged after today at the vet.
What can we do? It feels like one of our babies is missing when she's not running around with us
It sounds like she's having a serious reaction to something. Is she normally very sensitive, and prone to reacting strongly to things she doesn't like? Our dogs have been acting out a bit lately (shredding trash, spite pee on the rug), and we've attributed it to anxiety/unhappiness about all the changes that are happening just in the house (lots of rearranging, new furniture, lots of house guests, erratic schedule)--even if they can't tell anything's going on inside my belly. But that kind of acting out is "normal" for them in stressful situations, and I would be very alarmed if they started the kind of behavior you describe, because they've never done that before and it does sound pretty serious. Every dog reacts their own way, though--I hope that Panda is just anxious, and that she settles down soon. 
