Sorry to hear that he has these issues. It's tough getting old and I can sympathize with him. Even the slightest back pain can make a dog nasty. Sometimes even the slightest pressure can also cause the pain to increase. A dog would feel that when he is being picked up, as the back tends to arch and that will cause more pain. Even the pressure of belly bands maybe contributing to his pain level. Add to that the arthritis, and any animal wouldn't want to be bothered.
I would ask the vet for pain relievers and see if that helps to stop his nasties. If it does then you know he is feeling a lot more pain then the vet diagnosed. Actually, I am surprised that the vet didn't give you something for these two maladies. Most vets would incorporate pain management. He probably is nasty to you because you are the one forcing him to do things that he doesn't want to do, like the belly band and going in the crate. You can also gate off his area, leaving pads all over and his crate open, with a couple of toys and blanket and water. Then you won't have to worry about using belly bands. After a couple of days he will look forward to his new larger den. Try to have him follow you to the area using treats, instead of picking him up, or use the leash if you have to. Peggy -------Original Message------- From: Susanne Defoe Date: 07/13/13 14:28:52 To: Chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] Curmudgeon Hi Robin, I did get him in to the vet. She put him on a blood pressure med and we have switched him to a lower salt diet. She also said his back may be bothering him as she could see some more narrowing between his disks that wasn't there before. I am going to try the cold laser treatment for that if he will let me. He is already on Metacam for arthritis in his hip. So, some of the behavior could be from pain. Some of it is just that he doesn't want me to either put him in the crate, put his belly band on or pick him up when he doesn't want to be picked up. He loves his crate during the day and sleeps in it voluntarily much of the day. I took the door off his crate so he does not think I will lock him in. I have had some success with leaving a leash on him after our evening walk and telling him it is time for bed. He then goes grumbling and snarling into his crate with me leading him. I then tie the leash to a door knob next to his crate(which is in our bedroom). He has slept that way at night without panicking, panting, etc for 3 nights now The vet said he is "5 pounds of attitude". He can be very loving one minute and very crabby the next. Most of his aggression is aimed toward me as I am the caregiver. We have found out what his triggers are and try to work around them. We are very gently while handling him taking into consideration his frailness. We probably let him get away with too much as a result! Sue On Tue, Jul 2, 2013 at 9:59 AM, Robin Gordils <ginbarminp...@aol.com> wrote: One behavior specialist found senior dogs doing this kind of stress stuff had an underlying illness. A senior blood, and urine should be done along with a thorough physical. Joint meds might help if arthritis is bothering him and there are meds for doggy Alzheimer's. First tho,is the heating pad on and too warm, maybe a larger crate or pen attached to his crate? Maybe a special chewie for bedtime. My MinPin got grumpier as he got older from pain from injuries he got from the neighborhood kids. Robin, Dobe Axel CGC, TT, German Pin Ranger CGC, TT, Chihuahuas Alice CGC and Monte CGC, MinPins HoneyB, Brutus, and IMPS foster Jordan Www.minpinrescue.org Www.chi-rescue.com Http://chihuahua.rescueme.org/Florida Susanne Defoe <srde...@gmail.com> wrote: Hi, I need some advice here. We first fostered and then adopted 12ish year old Elmer last year. He is now 13ish. He is around 5 pounds and has 3 teeth. He also has a very bad heart murmur/enlarged heart but has not required meds for that yet. Because he is old and frail we tend to let him get away with a lot of things our other 2 Chi's would never do. Well, Elmer is getting more and more crabby. I am the alpha dog/caretaker of the dogs. He will snarl at me and attempt to bite me whenever I do things to him like to get him to go outside, to put a belly band on, to pick him up, etc. My biggest problem is that up until a few weeks ago he would happily sleep in his crate at night. I would say "time for bed" and he would go into his crate and wait for his treat, I would close the door and all was good for the night. Now he will go snarling and snapping into the crate, will snarl as I am closing the door and then he sits in there panting and crying like he is going to die any minute. The crate is in our bedroom right next to our other Chi's crate. It takes probably 15 minutes or more for him to calm down and then he wakes up frequently during the night and pants and frets and paws at the door to get out. During the day he loves to be in his crate with the door open. It even has a heating pad in it. We have tried letting him be loose at night and he sleeps on our sofa for part of the night and then jumps up on the bed and wants to sleep with us in the bed. I want him to sleep in his crate. How do I do that without him fretting and giving himself a heart attack and keeping us up? I have tried Melatonin, Rescue Remedy and Composure to mellow him out. I know he is trying to be dominant but am unsure of how to deal with him because of his frailness. Thanks!!!! Sue
