Hi My 11yr old lab Murran has always been a bit skittish, doesn't like fireworks, sound of the fire alarm beeping, that kind of thing. But recently she is becoming really over the top with everything. The ref blowing his whistle during a football match on TV, a doorbell ringing on TV. Sometimes noise we haven't heard but she must have done elsewhere. She starts shaking & panting & really stressing herself out. We have to turn the TV over now, not a happy husband when the football is on She has really bad hip dysplasia & arthritis in her back legs. Had cruciate surgery last year & recovered well. Nothing has changed at home. She has recently lost quite a bit of weight, but the vet isn't too concerned as it's better for her hips. When she isn't in a state of panic she is very happy, tries to keep up with our younger dog as though she is a pup. Just as soon as she hears a sound she doesn't like she starts shaking & panting. Hate seeing her like that...
At her age I would strongly suspect deafness. To a deaf dog or person a sudden sound seems even more sudden. Vision loss can cause some similar reactions. So can some dementia. Perhaps medications too, I assume she is on some kind of care to help the pain of her ailments?
Yes she is on Loxicom & Yumove. She hears noises we don't hear, but it's usually doorbell on TV or whistles on TV things like that, not noises in the house, just TV. I thought about her sight but she has no trouble catching small bits of food when it's thrown I was beginning to think some kind of dementia. Thank you for your reply
My 10 and a half Lab is similiar, certain noises terrify him, like the battery going 'chip' as it needs replacing in the smoke alarm, the similiar noise my husband's shoes makes on the kitchen floor and he goes and lies outside. Last year something scared him and he had to sleep upstairs with me for a few weeks. His eyesight isn't so good and maybe he is going deaf, sad to see when they get old.
