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Thanks Scottsmum. I think I will do that, do some research and head into our next vet visit with some questions and hopefully some knowledge behind it. I always make sure to check with our vet before trying new supplements etc. so no worries there. I may PM you for the Facebook group down the track depending on how it all goes. I do have a question for those with older dogs: as I mentioned above Dude (I know, odd name for a girl) does have some loss of vision and clouding of the eyes. Our old vet mostly dismissed it when we asked and didn't seem too concerned, but the one we are seeing now seems to think that seeing a veterinary ophthalmologist would be a good idea because cataract surgery could be an option, and helping her vision may reduce her confusion. She's had the clouding for around 6 years I think. I would like to try anything to help her, but am slightly wary of the idea of surgery at her age. I wonder if it might be more disruptive than helpful, considering she seems to see OK unless it's completely dark. Has anyone here had cataract surgery on quite an old dog? Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself though and should see the ophthalmologist first as it may not even be an option.

Thanks for the replies. Papillon Kisses - she's been on the Selegiline since late December. Our original plan was to try a small dose and increase it if there was no improvement, and if there was still no improvement to try another medication altogether (I forget what that medication is, but have it written down somewhere). Since we've seen some improvement we've decided with our vet to stay on the dosage for now as an increase will also increase the likelihood of stomach upset etc. which she is prone to. Even though her crying happens near eating, my hunch is that it's not diet/GI related. It does seem to be confusion, not pain. When she had stomach problems her symptoms were worse, and more varied, and she had diarrhoea frequently, often with blood or mucous. I read something in passing about hepatic encephalopathy which supposedly causes similar symptoms (confusion, crying, but also a lot of others) that are exacerbated by eating, and considering she had some off tests with her liver I asked our vet about it, but was told that the symptoms would probably be much worse if that was the problem. Changing her main meal to the morning does make the crying happen slightly less often - I think - but it doesn't stop it. I have asked the vet about it and she seemed to not take the connection too seriously, she said that perhaps she just doesn't handle hunger well now that she's older. This was part of the reason I have trouble telling how well the Selegiline works, as we changed the meal time to fit in with the dosage time, and I think both may have had some effect. I will look into a veterinary behaviourist and all of the other suggestions, thank you. It's hard when she gets in a state, particularly because she shows very few other signs of ageing - she still runs around like a puppy most of the time. At the moment though it is manageable, and she's still a very happy dog most of the time, so I'm thankful for that. I wasn't doubting our vet's diagnosis so much as just trying to double-check anything else it could be, because I would hate to be missing something treatable. The food connection gave me pause for thought. But from these replies it does sound like we have the right diagnosis, so we'll keep working with our vet to slow any deterioration. Thanks again.

I have a 16 year old dog that has been crying or howling in short bursts for almost a year. It mostly happens at night, and mostly starts soon after eating, though not every time. It doesn’t seem like she is in pain, but more confused/in distress. The noise is similar to the noise she would make if she discovered her favourite toy was behind a shut door. It can last anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 minutes or so, though there are small breaks of quiet in there. If she is lying down she will sometimes sit up, and if she has her toy with her she will sometimes repeatedly pick it up and then drop it again, whilst crying. It can happen a few times in one day, or not at all for a week. We’ve been to the vet multiple times and they think she has ‘canine brain aging’ and so we have trialled her on a medication for that, Selegiline, which I thought was making some difference, but now I’m not sure. It’s hard to tell as the crying is somewhat random anyway - she tends to do it for a few days and then not do it for a few days, and there isn’t any real pattern to it. She does perhaps seem slightly more alert since starting the medication. Mostly I’m asking if anyone has had a similar experience with their dog because whilst I trust my vet, I am not 100% sure that what my dog has is caused by canine brain aging. The crying is the only symptom. She doesn’t pace, doesn’t seem confused in any other circumstances, doesn’t go to the wrong side of doorways, doesn’t go stand in corners, hasn’t lost her toilet training etc. The fact that it seems related to eating is what makes me wonder. She has had stomach problems in the past that were related to diet. This stopped once we started her on Royal Canine’s Hypoallergenic diet. It’s not at all similar to what happens to her now, but I do wonder at the connection to food. She had a dental a few months (up to a year?) before she started crying like this, but the vet has checked her teeth multiple times since then, and I brush her teeth daily. Her health otherwise is pretty good for her age. Her last blood test showed a slightly elevated liver enzyme, but the vet said it’s not high enough to worry about, and there are no symptoms of liver disease. She has some mammary cysts that I check regularly. Her vision is not what it once was, but the only time it seems to bother her is at night when the lights are off and she wants to go down stairs. If anyone has had a similar experience, or has any advice, I’d be really grateful. It seems to distress her, and does interrupt my sleep so it'd be great if it was something we could fix.

I posted this topic last year: Unexplained bleeding in dog and am hoping to get some more advice. I eventually found that the bleeding was coming from my dog's nose and took her back to the vet. She had xrays/nasal swab/dental work done and they couldn't find a definite cause, but thought that it might be from a tooth that needed to come out. After the dental she had a small amount of bleeding for a few days and then it seemed to stop... until last week. I am finding blood spots on her bed again and have taken her back to the vet. They ordered a urine test to rule out kidney problems, and when it came back normal, left a message saying they'd like to put her on cortisone incase it is an allergy causing irritation to her nose. Does anyone have any experience with this? She doesn't sneeze any more than usual and the bleeding has previously occurred in pretty much every season. I have only noticed the bleeding at night while she is sleeping. It just seems a bit rash to prescribe a drug with no real proof of what the problem is. I called the vet back and almost got the impression they don't have a clue what it is and think they should try something/anything. Has anyone else had a dog with a longterm nose bleed problem? It is only ever a small amount, but I would really like to know what is causing it.

Thanks Erny. I had a good look in her mouth and around her nose (and everywhere else!) and there were no signs of anything wrong. She is a light haired fluffy dog so you would think there'd be some trace of where it came from, but apparently not. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on things and hope it was nothing serious.

I found a patch of blood on my dog's bed this morning and I have no idea where on her it came from? She had only been in the room alone for about a minute when I came in and found it. A little later she tried to lick it off - which made me remember her licking the bedding a few times in the past month and there being a slight stain afterwards, but I had no idea what it was from. Now I'm thinking it may have been blood too. I couldn't find any blood on her. She's desexed. She's still energetic and acting perfectly normally. I took her to the vet this afternoon and she checked her over and couldn't find anything wrong at all. She said there are further tests that could be run but since she seems healthy (no vomitting, diarrhoea, blood in urine or faeces, normal heartbeat and body temp) and we have no indication of where the blood came from there's not a lot of point as we have no idea where to start. She said to just wait and see if it happens again and bring her back if it does. Has anyone had anything like this happen with their dog before? My concern is what if it's something serious and we leave it, and also what if it happens again and I take her back but there's still no real idea of where it came from?

Yeah, I know it's a little strange. Unfortunately she's 9 and I have been trying to give her bones her whole life, I don't think her tastes are likely to change now, or that it's because her teeth are sore. When I was having the worst time with her eating, she didn't eat for 3-4 days if it wasn't something she liked, so I don't think skipping a meal would help. Her eating has settled down in the last year or so, but there are still some things that she won't touch. She doesn't actually like toys either. She has one toy that she loves, a soft cow (that no longer has a head anymore as she's been carrying it around with her constantly for 9 years), but she is at best disinterested, at worst scared of most other toys. Also thanks Mim, guess I am just being overly cautious. I googled grape seed extract and found some sources saying it's OK, and some saying you shouldn't feed it...

Thanks Mim & Bonzawani. It's nice to hear first hand experiences of what works! I'm pretty sure my dog will not take too kindly to having her teeth brushed, but with a bit of patience hopefully we'll get there. Her teeth are good now, she had a scale and polish as well, I just want to make sure they stay in good condition. I googled Petzlife Oral Care Gel and it looks good, but the main ingredient seems to be grape seed extract. I know grapes can be poisonous to dogs, so is it OK to give them grape seed extract?

One of my dogs recently had a few teeth extractions done while she was under a GA for something unrelated. The vet recommended I feed her Science Diet t/d, which I tried (even though I'm not too keen on the ingredients), but she is a bit of a fussy eater and doesn't like it. She doesn't like raw meat or bones either, so I'm not exactly sure how to keep her teeth in good condition to avoid any further issues. Has anyone tried using a tooth brush/paste for dogs? Did it seem to work? Did the dog accept it easily? Any places online where I can buy the brush/paste? Any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, Cheers.

I was giving one of my dogs a belly rub today and felt a lump under one of her nipples. It's only teensy tiny (about a mm wide), and you can't see it. I'll be taking her to our vet in the next few days just to check, but I was wondering if it could be serious even though it's so small? Also, if the vet thinks it's suspicious what do they do, take a biopsy to make sure? Anyone found a similar lump? What did it turn out to be? Cheers..

Thanks very much, I'll give a few places a call and see.

I want to take one of my dogs to obedience hopefully, she is a bit funny with strangers (dogs & humans - not aggressive but is scared and will bark at them) so I am hoping that it would be a good way to socialise her as well as strengthen our relationship with some training. I haven't had Narla vaccinated for the last two years because the last time she was vaccinated she reacted quite badly. She went into shock and by the time I got her home from the vet she couldn't move at all and her gums were ghost white. I rushed her back and they took her into the treatment room (I'm not sure exactly what they did), she came out a while later and she could move, but was still not quite right for around a fortnight. I don't want to risk that again! So I want to get a titre test done hopefully. Where can you get it done? Is it mainly larger vet clinics that do it? Does anyone know if any obedience clubs in Sydney even accept it? And as a side note... is it OK to even take a dog who reacts to strangers to obedience classes? The more she is around other people and dogs the better she gets. As I said, she is not aggressive, just nervous of strangers. She will bark and then hide behind my legs usually. I am already doing training/socialisation with her myself but I thought that this might help her, as well as give me some pointers. I don't have many friends who have or like dogs, so I'm really limited in how much exposure I can give her to strange people/dogs on my own.

Adding more vegies sounds good... My dalmatian can only eat 1 cup of dry a day or she becomes pudgy, but with raw meat and vegies she can have a lot more and still stay slim. She's a pig so the more food she gets the happier she is.

I've used it for both my dogs and my cat for a little over two years now. I think it's great, I also tried eagle pack holistic, nutrience, nutro choice, ziwipeak... but my animals do best on this. I either buy it from petbarn or online.

I have a difficult eater as well, she has been all of her life and she is eight now. At the moment she is eating well, but generally once or twice a year she just fasts herself for no reason. It can last for a week or two and during that time, if I hand feed her she might eat a teaspoon of food a day, otherwise nothing... there is no physical problem with her and when she feels like it she starts eating again. She is also strange in that she will not eat raw meat, never has. I tried so many things, everyone advised to just put the food down and if she didn't eat it in 15 minutes take it away. I tried that and she didn't eat anything for four days, so I gave it up. At the moment she is eating well, and these are the things that seemed to help: -Finding a good quality dry food that she likes (had to try a few kinds to find one). -Adding other treats to her food occasionally but not every day so that she expects to get them. -Not making a fuss of dinner at all. I just put the food down and walk away. I also let her free feed which many people don't agree with, but it helps my dog if she can eat in her own time. -Walks help stimulate her appetite. -General routine. Although her fasts don't usually coincide with any stress that I can see, last time she stopped eating was while I was away and she was left with the rest of my family. It took two weeks after I got back and she got used to our routine again before she ate normally. I hope you find out what works for your dog, or if there are any physical problems that are stopping her from eating.

I voted other, generally I feed Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Organic Formula.

One of my dogs reacted badly to her C5 vaccination, she seemed fine at first if a little quiet, but by the time I got home she could not move at all. I put her down and she would just collapse on the floor, her gums were white so I rushed her back to the vets. Within a few hours she could move normally and within a few days she was back to herself but I no longer vaccinate her.

I feed my girl mostly chicken wings and lamb necks. She crunches on both of these, but will swallow a chicken neck whole, so I will not feed her chicken necks.

I feed my girl roughly 50/50 dry food (Dick Van Pattens Natural Balance Organic Formula) and fresh food. She gets one meal of dry and one meal of veges&fruit/mince and RMB (generally lamb or chicken). Sometimes I mix some rice in with the veges and mince, and she gets eggs, yoghurt and tuna or sardines occasionally. I am mindful of which veges and what kind of meat she gets, according to their levels of purine. I also make home made treat biscuits, a different flavour every week...

I buy Dick Van Pattens Natural Balance Organic Formula for my girl and I'm very happy with it. I have never tried any of the other ones mentioned, but when I was looking at which kibble to get her it was between Eagle Pack Holistic and Dick Van Pattens (I ended up choosing this because it was easier for me to find than EP). Goodluck.

I feed Sasha (dalmatian) around half dry food/half fresh. The dry food is Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Organic Formula. I add and rotate organic chicken mince, chicken necks & wings, lambs necks, eggs, yoghurt, sardines in olive oil, fresh fruit and veges (pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot, spinach, bok choy, brocolli, green beans, apples etc). I've tried a few different ways of feeding her and this seems to suit her best. She has a lot of energy but isn't hyper and it keeps her weight just right and her coat shiny!