Idiopathic aggression
Discussion
Hi Guys,
My niece and her husband love dogs, especially Lakeland terriers. Their first one sadly died after becoming ill as a result of eating something he shouldn’t have done. They were absolutely devastated. After some time, they decided to have another one and he was a super little chap.
He came out with them when we took our little chap on a walk in the Peak District and he was a delight. He got on really well with our dog and was great with our granddaughters too.
However, over the last few months things have changed and today he has been diagnosed with idiopathic aggression aka rage syndrome. To say they are devastated again is an understatement. They have been advised that it is incurable but can be treated with sedatives. The only problem being that, he will obviously, not be the same, happy dog. Consequently, they are having a terrible weekend trying to decide what to do for the best and are even considering having to have him PTS.
Have any of you guys got any experience of idiopathic aggression?
If so, have you got any suggestions for treatment which would be better than constant sedation?
Failing that, are there any other alternatives or is euthanasia the only realistic option?
I realise that I may be grasping at straws but we are all very upset at the thought of losing him, so all positive suggestions will be gratefully received.
My niece and her husband love dogs, especially Lakeland terriers. Their first one sadly died after becoming ill as a result of eating something he shouldn’t have done. They were absolutely devastated. After some time, they decided to have another one and he was a super little chap.
He came out with them when we took our little chap on a walk in the Peak District and he was a delight. He got on really well with our dog and was great with our granddaughters too.
However, over the last few months things have changed and today he has been diagnosed with idiopathic aggression aka rage syndrome. To say they are devastated again is an understatement. They have been advised that it is incurable but can be treated with sedatives. The only problem being that, he will obviously, not be the same, happy dog. Consequently, they are having a terrible weekend trying to decide what to do for the best and are even considering having to have him PTS.
Have any of you guys got any experience of idiopathic aggression?
If so, have you got any suggestions for treatment which would be better than constant sedation?
Failing that, are there any other alternatives or is euthanasia the only realistic option?
I realise that I may be grasping at straws but we are all very upset at the thought of losing him, so all positive suggestions will be gratefully received.
That's awful, so sorry to hear it.
I guess one question would be how 'secure' is the diagnosis? I've had Lakelands before and they can be wilful and have an extremely high prey drive, could it be behavioural?
We recently adopted a Welsh terrier (to replace our beloved Lakie who died last year) and he is simply lovely and extremely affectionate. But in certain circustances he can fly into an absolute rage (you can see it coming in his eyes) though it is usually triggered by something very often resource guarding. This is perhaps due to something in his past, poor training as a pup, and I don't think is idiopathic.
What is the history of the Lakeland, did they have him from a pup?
As I understand it IA is really quite rare.
I guess one question would be how 'secure' is the diagnosis? I've had Lakelands before and they can be wilful and have an extremely high prey drive, could it be behavioural?
We recently adopted a Welsh terrier (to replace our beloved Lakie who died last year) and he is simply lovely and extremely affectionate. But in certain circustances he can fly into an absolute rage (you can see it coming in his eyes) though it is usually triggered by something very often resource guarding. This is perhaps due to something in his past, poor training as a pup, and I don't think is idiopathic.
What is the history of the Lakeland, did they have him from a pup?
As I understand it IA is really quite rare.
Hi Guys,
Thanks for all of your feedback.
They have had him since he was a puppy. When he started to show signs of aggression, my niece contacted the breeder, who asked to have a look at him. He stayed with her for about a fortnight, during which time, he was observed by a canine behavior specialist and had some brain scans done. It was using these result’s that led to the diagnosis. In addition, the brain scan showed up some other abnormalities which indicated that the poor little man could also be suffering from severe headaches or migraines at times.
They collected him back from the breeder on Friday and have been trying to find the best way forward, especially for the dog. Sadly, yesterday they came to the incredibly difficult decision to have him PTS.
They are both totally gutted.
Thanks again for all of your support.
Thanks for all of your feedback.
They have had him since he was a puppy. When he started to show signs of aggression, my niece contacted the breeder, who asked to have a look at him. He stayed with her for about a fortnight, during which time, he was observed by a canine behavior specialist and had some brain scans done. It was using these result’s that led to the diagnosis. In addition, the brain scan showed up some other abnormalities which indicated that the poor little man could also be suffering from severe headaches or migraines at times.
They collected him back from the breeder on Friday and have been trying to find the best way forward, especially for the dog. Sadly, yesterday they came to the incredibly difficult decision to have him PTS.
They are both totally gutted.
Thanks again for all of your support.
I have a dog with similar behaviour to this. In our case I decided to keep him and not PTS as there’s no youngsters in the home.
We’ve all learned to read his body language and when he’s about to have an ‘episode’ he gets left well alone. Most of the time he’s a calm dog especially if he’s been well exercised.
We’ve all learned to read his body language and when he’s about to have an ‘episode’ he gets left well alone. Most of the time he’s a calm dog especially if he’s been well exercised.
stoop44rio said:
I have a dog with similar behaviour to this. In our case I decided to keep him and not PTS as there’s no youngsters in the home.
We’ve all learned to read his body language and when he’s about to have an ‘episode’ he gets left well alone. Most of the time he’s a calm dog especially if he’s been well exercised.
Well that's great until it happens in public & bites some kid's face off. Presumably you'll manage to convince yourself it wouldn't be your fault though.We’ve all learned to read his body language and when he’s about to have an ‘episode’ he gets left well alone. Most of the time he’s a calm dog especially if he’s been well exercised.
Lotobear said:
Jeez some folk simply cannot resist trying to move a thread towards an argument.
It's this sort of thing that is increasingly keeping me off PH.
Indeed. Absolutely not the thread for those kind of comments, particularly following the sad update.It's this sort of thing that is increasingly keeping me off PH.
OP, I am so sorry for your niece and her husband, what a horrible decision to have to make
My sympathies.Thanks again for all of your support. When the issue began to manifest itself he would begin to growl whenever they tried to leave the room. Other times he would not allow them to enter the room. As they have young nephews and nieces they couldn’t take the risk that he would get so wound up and hurt one of the children. As I mentioned earlier, they were also very concerned about him suffering from severe headaches or migraines.
As I sit here with my little mate by my side I can’t help but stroke him and thank my blessings, as I know I would be in absolute bits if I had to make a similar decision.
As I sit here with my little mate by my side I can’t help but stroke him and thank my blessings, as I know I would be in absolute bits if I had to make a similar decision.
A few years ago we took on a jack Russell type from the dogs trust.
All was good for a few days, then it started. Resource guarding, growling, biting, aggressive barking and staring.
Staring at nothing in particular, freezing and looking at the sky, one occasion I had to collect wife and dog because he just wouldn't move.
This went on for several months making life stressful for us and our other dog (who now took up a defensive position behind a chair ost evenings)
We involved the dogs trust who supported us with behaviourists and training, all to no avail. Couldn’t get to the bottom of it, returned him to the dogs trust. No idea what happened after that.
All was good for a few days, then it started. Resource guarding, growling, biting, aggressive barking and staring.
Staring at nothing in particular, freezing and looking at the sky, one occasion I had to collect wife and dog because he just wouldn't move.
This went on for several months making life stressful for us and our other dog (who now took up a defensive position behind a chair ost evenings)
We involved the dogs trust who supported us with behaviourists and training, all to no avail. Couldn’t get to the bottom of it, returned him to the dogs trust. No idea what happened after that.
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