Question:
I have a 3-year-old adopted miniature poodle, Mikey, who runs around in circles making small barking sounds and biting up into the air. If I try to stop him, he bites me. If I'm in his way, he trys to bite me or anyone else who gets in his way. (He does change his direction from time to time, from circles to figure eights to reversing his direction.)The only way I can get him into the house is to pick him up, holding the side of his neck to prevent the biting. I also have to call his name and talk to him and make clapping sounds. Nothing gets his attention until he is ready to stop -- not even a cat!I do give him Phenobarbital because when I first got him he was having seizures, which have stopped.Mikey loves to eat and will eat anything I give him. With the exception of his circling, he is fine. He went from 3 pounds when I got him to 9 pounds now. He is very affectionate, sleeps on a pillow on his back and is a very sound sleeper.
M.A., Hollywood, FL Mar 26, 2006
Answer:
Miniature poodles are susceptible to developing seizures or so-called idiopathic epilepsy. Many factors can trigger seizures in dogs, including corn or other food ingredients, overexcitement and adverse drug reactions, especially to vaccinations and pesticides.Your dog's obsessive-compulsive behavior of rapid circling and spinning is tied to excitement, and could have developed early in life as a result of being caged or crated for long periods -- an all-too-common practice that I deplore.Discuss with your veterinarian putting your dog on a high-protein, high-tryptophan diet -- i.e., lots of home-cooked turkey. You may also want to try putting him on Prozac, which can work wonders for dogs suffering from various OCDs.
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