Odd behaviour - any suggestions?

[WeeDex]

Hi all,

As a bit of background to this, we had be trialing Dexter on duck which went horribly wrong. Allergies flared up big time, he was shaking his head something terrible but no sign of ear infection. His skin was very itchy though and for the first time ever he got a 2 week supply of Apoquel, double dose for 14 days to stop him hurting himself.

Three days in, I noticed extremely odd behaviour. The only way I can describe it is like paranoia - he was sitting with ears pinned back, dripping water from his mouth and looking everywhere as if he was hearing things. When I spoke to him, he wouldn't even look at me. I thought it was the Apoquel so decided to try just one tablet the next day. Same thing happened. So I stopped it completely.

This was exactly one week ago, and he's had about 5 of these episodes since then. I'm assuming now it isn't the tablets as I think they'd be out of his system by now? I've filmed a couple of them to show the vet, and thought I'd ask here too. This is not normal behaviour for him at all. It's like water coming from his mouth, not slimy drool. I'll be calling the vet tomorrow and get in as soon as they can see me.

Has anyone any experience of behaviour like this?

 

[Honeys Owners]

I can't see that behaviour being caused by apoquel since it's not known to cause seizures or hypersalivation. Having said that, apoquel shouldn't be used for dogs under 1 year of age, so hopefully your dog is older that.

 

[WeeDex]

I can't see that behaviour being caused by apoquel since it's not known to cause seizures or hypersalivation. Having said that, apoquel shouldn't be used for dogs under 1 year of age, so hopefully your dog is older that.

Yes he's going to be 2 early May. I don't think it's the Apoquel either now. It was my initial reaction as the timings seemed to coincide but I think it was a coincidence. The vet has been able to slot us in this afternoon so I'll show him the videos and see what he thinks.

 

[Squishy Walnuts]

That's very strange! I have no advice sadly but hopefully you'll be able to pinpoint the problem. Poor Dex and his allergies.

 

[Jakeyjake]

He definitely looks restless in the videos. The Apoquel only lasts for 18 hours so it shouldn't have anything to do with it. Dogs can experience nausea on it though. Jake vomited and couldn't handle the initial dosing. Good luck at the vet and I hope you find out what's going on.

 

[Alice Kable]

Our Bulldog Mack (RIP) used to drool a thin line of water when I'd cook certain things like fish. Other than that he had a dry mouth.

Buster is only half French but he is a little odd-ball and is easily spooked by little things like me wanting him to go out a different door in the house than he usually goes out. He puts his ears back and shakes all over. He won't go out the door until his big brother goes. There are other weird things too. Our English Bulldog Ruggles is totally un-phased by everything.

 

[WeeDex]

Hi everyone,

Went to the vets yesterday afternoon and he has a nasty bladder infection and high temperature. No wonder he's behaving strange poor thing. So he's on antibiotics for a week which I started last night.

The vet thinks it's just his body trying hard to fight the reaction to the duck and its wiped him out. The timing of the Apoquel was just unfortunate and not related at all. This is what I hate the most about dealing with allergies - the external reaction you can see, but what the internal reaction is is impossible to know until something like this happens.

He's asked me to write down any more episodes of unusual behaviour and if he's not better after the antibiotics to go back and they'll do blood tests. But he's very confident this will sort him out.

@Alice_Kable I know exactly what you mean with that strangeness! Dexter can be like that too, and that's exactly what I thought this was to start with. They are strange little things sometimes!

 

[Squishy Walnuts]

Hi everyone,

Went to the vets yesterday afternoon and he has a nasty bladder infection and high temperature. No wonder he's behaving strange poor thing. So he's on antibiotics for a week which I started last night.

The vet thinks it's just his body trying hard to fight the reaction to the duck and its wiped him out. The timing of the Apoquel was just unfortunate and not related at all. This is what I hate the most about dealing with allergies - the external reaction you can see, but what the internal reaction is is impossible to know until something like this happens.

He's asked me to write down any more episodes of unusual behaviour and if he's not better after the antibiotics to go back and they'll do blood tests. But he's very confident this will sort him out.

@Alice_Kable I know exactly what you mean with that strangeness! Dexter can be like that too, and that's exactly what I thought this was to start with. They are strange little things sometimes!

I sure hope the antibiotics work!! It's so hard to tell when our pups are in pain. Keep us updated!

 

[WeeDex]

I sure hope the antibiotics work!! It's so hard to tell when our pups are in pain. Keep us updated!

It really is.... What was amazing to me is that he wasn't showing any signs of having a bladder infection at all. No increased drinking, no needing to pee all the time. He was just showing odd behaviour. When he decided to fully pee 4 times at the vets, they were able to test it there and then. I went from being mortified he'd done it to delighted!

He hasn't moved from the settee all day so I'm just leaving him and the antibiotics will be kicking in hopefully.

 

[Jakeyjake]

Hi everyone,

Went to the vets yesterday afternoon and he has a nasty bladder infection and high temperature. No wonder he's behaving strange poor thing. So he's on antibiotics for a week which I started last night.

The vet thinks it's just his body trying hard to fight the reaction to the duck and its wiped him out. The timing of the Apoquel was just unfortunate and not related at all. This is what I hate the most about dealing with allergies - the external reaction you can see, but what the internal reaction is is impossible to know until something like this happens.

He's asked me to write down any more episodes of unusual behaviour and if he's not better after the antibiotics to go back and they'll do blood tests. But he's very confident this will sort him out.

@Alice_Kable I know exactly what you mean with that strangeness! Dexter can be like that too, and that's exactly what I thought this was to start with. They are strange little things sometimes!

Glad it was nothing serious and hope he feels better soon. Poor guy

 

[Honeys Owners]

Male dogs ( and humans ) are much less likely to get a UTI than a female because of our long urethra, but when we do, it's more serious. Did your vet rule out kidney stones by either looking for crystals in the urine or doing an ultrasound? Some kidney stones require special diets. Another possibility is a more deep seated kidney infection or prostate infection which may require two or more weeks of antibiotics instead of just one. You can also help out your dog by putting him a probiotic such as Proviable DC because he's on antibiotics. The probiotic should be given at least 4 hr after the antibiotic. Also, try to get him to drink lots of water by wetting his dog food and putting out some broth to drink ( don't leave out more than 15 minutes since it's a good growth medium ).

 

[Alice Kable]

Hi everyone,

Went to the vets yesterday afternoon and he has a nasty bladder infection and high temperature. No wonder he's behaving strange poor thing. So he's on antibiotics for a week which I started last night.

The vet thinks it's just his body trying hard to fight the reaction to the duck and its wiped him out. The timing of the Apoquel was just unfortunate and not related at all. This is what I hate the most about dealing with allergies - the external reaction you can see, but what the internal reaction is is impossible to know until something like this happens.

He's asked me to write down any more episodes of unusual behaviour and if he's not better after the antibiotics to go back and they'll do blood tests. But he's very confident this will sort him out.

@Alice_Kable I know exactly what you mean with that strangeness! Dexter can be like that too, and that's exactly what I thought this was to start with. They are strange little things sometimes!

I am so glad you and Dexter's vet got this figured out!

 

[2bullymama]

So scary, but very happy to see it was not too serious and you got it early


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[WeeDex]

Male dogs ( and humans ) are much less likely to get a UTI than a female because of our long urethra, but when we do, it's more serious. Did your vet rule out kidney stones by either looking for crystals in the urine or doing an ultrasound? Some kidney stones require special diets. Another possibility is a more deep seated kidney infection or prostate infection which may require two or more weeks of antibiotics instead of just one. You can also help out your dog by putting him a probiotic such as Proviable DC because he's on antibiotics. The probiotic should be given at least 4 hr after the antibiotic. Also, try to get him to drink lots of water by wetting his dog food and putting out some broth to drink ( don't leave out more than 15 minutes since it's a good growth medium ).

Thanks everyone. I have complete paranoia when he acts strange with him having that thing removed from his head. I need to learn to not immediately think the worst!

Thank you Honeys Owners for the advice above. The vet did say it's far more unusual for a male dog to get a UTI. They only did 2 urine tests, temperature and gave him a good check over this time. He asked me to write down any odd behaviour, and if he's still being strange on day 5 of the antibiotics to take him back in. They would then do further checks.

Broth is a great idea and he'd love it. I have been giving him a probiotic but wasn't aware of leaving a gap of 4 hours after the antibiotics, so I'll do that from now on. Thanks for the help.