Scared and timid, or something else?
Dog
Age: 5 years
Female, spayed
Golden doodle
49 lbs
History: none
Clinical signs: vomiting, behavioral changes
Duration: 4 days
Hi everyone,
I'm looking for advice or insight on my 5 year old golden doodle who started behaving differently recently this past weekend.
My girl is always a bit anxious/timid/nervous of the entire world it seems. She sticks close by but also loves a good chase or ball toss. I also acknowledge that I get very anxious over something's and I might be really digging in hard and "looking" for something to be wrong.
Here's a timeline of all the events I can think of.
Last weekend (9 days ago) we went to the cabin and took a few walks down some gravel roads and she spent some time in the ditches looking for gophers and such. While I believe it's possible, I don't believe she interacted directly with anything. We did have a few wood ticks crawling on her but I removed them all. I did find 2 on her later that were attached.
On Wednesday (6 days ago) I gave her bravecto for fleas and ticks, which I have done at least 3 times before with no issues.
On Friday, we had a MASSIVE windstorm in town. I didn't think much of it at the time, but these noises and stuff can scare her.
Saturday, I noticed she was behaving a bit oddly, she was sticking extremely close to me and keeping a really low profile, almost as if she was scared. I tried to feed her and while she didn't eat immediately she did eat her first meal. Her second meal, she didn't touch, I gave her a kibble from my hand and she ate it, but I saw she threw it up later in the day. I also noticed she had a "hot spot" on her side from licking, perhaps she got poked by something running through the ditch. I called the vet, it was late into the evening and after going through the checklist it was determined that I should just monitor her and see if it gets worse.
Sunday, she threw up bile first thing in the morning, so off we went to the vet. After checking her out, the vet didn't see anything concerning. She got an anti nausea injection (emavert) and some cream for the hot spot. The vet offered blood work and X-rays but suggested we just see how she does for a bit. Should also note, she seemed much more like herself at the vets office. Once we got home she basically just slept all day. She took in some chicken and rice and drank some water.. finally.
When we woke up on Monday, she was definitely more aware. I took her out for a walk and she seemed very much like herself. We finally had a pee and poop. However, once we got back to the house she started behaving oddly like she has been for the past few days.
Today we woke up and she rolled over for her normal morning belly rubs and then I went to work and when I got home, she greeted me like she normally would. I let her in the backyard and she didn't seem to want to stay out there, or do her business. I went out with her and she sort of leaned up against the side of the patio and got small. I noticed she was shaking. I put her inside and then she wanted back out. This time we ended up having a quick game of chase. She ate and drank water and now sort of back to behaving oddly within the house again, going to spots she normally doesn't and sort of keeping a low profile. Shes still interested in treats etc
Ok, I know that's a lot but I have tried thinking of everything that has happened recently. I have wondered about all the possible causes, but I am really wondering if the windstorm and noises scared her so much that she is now scared of being in the house and she's trying to minimize herself there. Because her behaviour is more "normal" outside of the house, or is it possible she's just excited/adrenaline and forgets about not feeling well.
Or, is it possible something else is wrong? Should I go back and get bloodwork?