- Feb 26, 2008
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I have a dog named Buster who is going on 10. I've owned him his since he was a pup...he is a mixed breed chicken protector. He first exhibited strange behavior when he was about a yr old. He began gnawing on himself. It had the vet scratching his head. He thought maybe he had a fever and it started the behavior, but the it just became habit. He put one of those big hood things on him and we treated the sores. He got better in time, but would go back to gnawing every now and then until the vet gave him valium. The valium stopped the biting, but it ruined the dog. He just went into a trance on it and just laid around...even when we gave tiny doses.
Over the years he became obsessive with other things and that hasn't been an issue in years, but it's been other things. For a few months he would chase an imaginary fox into the woods from behind the chicken pen. We think there was actually a fox there one time and he keeps thinking he sees it. Every now and then he will go back there and "chase" it ever since.
For a few years his biggest obsession has been squirrels. This is the one that is doing him in. He chases imaginary squirrels up the big oak in the front yard. Once he has them treed he refuses to leave the tree. A few months back he stayed there for two weeks without leaving...for ANYTHING...not to eat...not to poop...he would poop right there and when we realized he wasn't eating we started taking food to him.
The major problem is that he is training our other dogs to chase "squirrels" too. The biggie is our new puppy who shows alot of promise. He has him walking and looking upto the sky at the same time already. What would you do? The option is open to put him back on medicine,but I hate what it does to him, but how happy can he be when his OCD flairs up?? He seems excited and happy, but there is NO SQUIRREL!
What would you do?
Over the years he became obsessive with other things and that hasn't been an issue in years, but it's been other things. For a few months he would chase an imaginary fox into the woods from behind the chicken pen. We think there was actually a fox there one time and he keeps thinking he sees it. Every now and then he will go back there and "chase" it ever since.
For a few years his biggest obsession has been squirrels. This is the one that is doing him in. He chases imaginary squirrels up the big oak in the front yard. Once he has them treed he refuses to leave the tree. A few months back he stayed there for two weeks without leaving...for ANYTHING...not to eat...not to poop...he would poop right there and when we realized he wasn't eating we started taking food to him.
The major problem is that he is training our other dogs to chase "squirrels" too. The biggie is our new puppy who shows alot of promise. He has him walking and looking upto the sky at the same time already. What would you do? The option is open to put him back on medicine,but I hate what it does to him, but how happy can he be when his OCD flairs up?? He seems excited and happy, but there is NO SQUIRREL!
What would you do?
