Kirislin Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 My lovely whippet girl Penny is 14.5 years old now and for the last couple of years has been getting increasingly wobbly and frail. I've had her to the vet and there's nothing particularly wrong with her other than getting old. She's on Meloxicam for her arthritis. Lately I've also noticed her voice has changed. It's sort of squeaky and breathy, not the robust strong bark she used to have, it's almost like she's loosing her voice. Could it be some kind of creeping paralysis that is now affecting her vocal chords? She seems otherwise happy, in fact it was as she was doing her happy bark that made me think about how her voice has changed. Is it just a normal condition of aging? I've never had a dog this old before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 (edited) Hi Krislin, not meaning to scare you in any way and only because you are asking. but we noticed as Joey got iller, his yaps went from high pitch to a weird sounding low type ones Might have been as a result of being in pain tho and not being able to exert his vocal chords. With Renae, I haven't noticed any significant changes as shes got older (shes now 11) but the tone of her yap is deeper probably because of her being fully deaf now.. Probably like when you listen to a deaf person, the tone of their voice sounds different to ours. Its great Penny is doing fairly well given her age ! :) Edited September 8, 2013 by Jules❤3Cavs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trishm Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 The change in voice is something I have never noticed Linda, as you know Skye was just 15 when I lost her, and sadly I gave Jazz her wings 2 weeks ago,she was just a couple of weeks shy of 16. Believe me her voice was as good as ever, particularly if I was slow getting her dinner. So its been a sad couple of weeks here, Leah has been a blessing, it has all worked out extremely well. Hugs to dear Penny, it is sad to see them getting old isn't it ? We just don't have them for long enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Hugs to dear Penny, it is sad to see them getting old isn't it ? We just don't have them for long enough. So true *sigh* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 My Zeddy - who is now 14 - has developed what I call the "old dog" bark... more of a "woo woo" than a proper "woof woof", if that makes sense... it's a bit higher and breathier than her "young dog" bark was... in Zeddy's case, it's not been anything that I've been worried about, as she is perfectly fit and healthy in every other respect - even her eyesight and hearing is near perfect... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vehs Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 Taz, my fiance's SWF, is 6 and since moving in together he sometimes does a high 'baby' bark. He does this regardless of if it is myself or fiance coming home, we aren't too worried about it, just something we have noticed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 My lovely whippet girl Penny is 14.5 years old now and for the last couple of years has been getting increasingly wobbly and frail. I've had her to the vet and there's nothing particularly wrong with her other than getting old. She's on Meloxicam for her arthritis. Lately I've also noticed her voice has changed. It's sort of squeaky and breathy, not the robust strong bark she used to have, it's almost like she's loosing her voice. Could it be some kind of creeping paralysis that is now affecting her vocal chords? She seems otherwise happy, in fact it was as she was doing her happy bark that made me think about how her voice has changed. Is it just a normal condition of aging? I've never had a dog this old before. Is there any chance she could have a paralysis tick? Altered voice is the first sign, followed by wobbly legs. If you are not in a tick area, has anyone visited from one as they can be carried on other dogs, cars, clothes, etc. Other possibilities are laryngeal paralysis or something wrong with her lungs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted September 9, 2013 Author Share Posted September 9, 2013 The change in voice is something I have never noticed Linda, as you know Skye was just 15 when I lost her, and sadly I gave Jazz her wings 2 weeks ago,she was just a couple of weeks shy of 16. Believe me her voice was as good as ever, particularly if I was slow getting her dinner. So its been a sad couple of weeks here, Leah has been a blessing, it has all worked out extremely well. Hugs to dear Penny, it is sad to see them getting old isn't it ? We just don't have them for long enough. I'm sorry to read that Jazz too has gone now No, it's never long enough. Hugs to dear Penny, it is sad to see them getting old isn't it ? We just don't have them for long enough. So true *sigh* My Zeddy - who is now 14 - has developed what I call the "old dog" bark... more of a "woo woo" than a proper "woof woof", if that makes sense... it's a bit higher and breathier than her "young dog" bark was... in Zeddy's case, it's not been anything that I've been worried about, as she is perfectly fit and healthy in every other respect - even her eyesight and hearing is near perfect... T. thanks for your comments. I might take her to the vet just for a bit of a check up, it's not urgent but I'll probably do it soon anyway, just to see if there's anything else I can be doing for her to keep her comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 (edited) K, good pick-up to notice the bark change and Id suggest you get off to the vet pronto. This could be nothing, the beginnings of a collapsed airway, tumour/nodules or laryngeal paralysis - they're the common ones. It's not a sign of normal ageing IMO. I missed the signs with Macs laryngeal (vocal cord) paralysis such as a change in his bark - a friend who knows him well commented on his 'raspy sexy' bark many months before and I didn't twig - put it down to age. He also had difficulty keeping up on walks and excessive panting. Some dogs cough and gag, particularly when eating and drinking but Mac didn't - I wish he had as that might have alerted me to something else being wrong. Some also faint through lack of air. I so wish I'd joined the dots much sooner. I took him to vet and we came to the conclusion it was an exacerbation of his dementia. I mistook the rasping noise he made when breathing in for dementia panting - and so did the vet. Given his history of dementia it was an easy mistake to make. In the very late stage, the day before his emergency surgery, his breathing was heaving (really working hard to get air down and his chest was heaving) and he couldn't get comfortable and paced - for hours. Mac almost died a miserable death essentially through suffocation. Luckily, there is a straight forward surgical solution called 'Laryngeal tie- back' which works very well. And emergency Sunday night endoscopy (confirmed laryngeal paralysis) and surgery at the Emergency Vet Hospital saved him. He's still quite doddery but he's so much better and brighter - now he's quite the spritely interested old man. So... IMO there are two ways to view this - and only endoscopy will give you a definite answer. If your dog has only the bark change, it may be just that - or it might be the early onset of laryngeal paralysis or something else. If your dog shows any other odd symptoms as well as the bark changes then I'd be discussing with your vet and going down the endoscopy route. Despite the expense it may save your dog going through what my Mac went through. If it is laryngeal paralysis then you can go from there, before your dog goes into respiratory crisis like mine did. . Good luck and will be really interested to hear how you get on. Edited September 9, 2013 by westiemum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 (edited) Oh this sounds very similar to my rescue boy at 14 years old just before his larricks collasped just from being such an aged boy. A vet visit for a check up would be best. Good luck with her kirslin. I actually had Redman operated on. They did an opp very similar to a de bark. It just made his last 7 months a lot more comfortable as he could breathe much easier. Edited September 9, 2013 by BC Crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 Thanks BC - good post. Forgot to mention that. A laryngeal tie back has the effect of de-barking. Mac now has a very quiet muffled bark - exactly like shoo an who has lost their voice ( cos that's essentially what has happened). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 Vet check is a good idea however even in people when they get very old & frail the voice may not be as strong as it was with some. Knowing them all their lives its a thing that may not be noticed but with a dog having a shorter lifespan it is more noticeable when it occurs. Hope its just the way she is aging, she is doing well really many don't make it to 14 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now