Depressed Dog

iky

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#1
Buddy, Codi's brother, the more placide angel like one with the glasses :D looked very weak the other morning, and because we do worry about him as he gets sick quickly and had 3 epteleptic fits in a row about 3 weeks ago. We left him for the day but by late afternoon I thought the poor puppy was about to die so I rushed him off to the vet thinking it could be billary. The vet did blood tests and checked him from head to tail, and his conclusion was that Buddy is depressed. Now this is the first time that I have ever heard of a depressed dog. And why would he be depressed, he gets a hell of a lot of attention, fed properly, has more than enough space to run, him and his brother are treated like the kings of the house. Has anyone heard of a dog being depressed? I know they can be moody and they all have different personalities, but depressed?? :confused:
 

Debi

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#2
I don't know about dogs, but I have a friend that has a depressed cat. This poor kitty will just sit for hours staring at a wall. The vet didn't have any answers. Like your dog...this cat gets tons of attention and love..so, go figure. She had another cat...maybe that's why. Maybe he just doesn't feel that great right now and so he is feeling down. Maybe he gets a little jealous of the pup. I know Addie will sometimes seem sad..call me crazy, but I see it in her entire face expression...and I know she didn't before Hammie came along. Basically, she likes him just fine..but sometimes I think she wishes all the attention was back on just her. I make a point to fuss over her alot, but she still will just look over at Hammie and seem bummed. Of course, maybe I just project all that emotion onto them...lol Hope he feels better soon!!! We all have our bad days.
 
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#3
Well, if your dog has seizures that tells me that something is mis-firing in his brain, which means a chemical imbalance of some sort. (I know I'm being simplistic, but for our purposes, we don't need to be technical - not that I could). It's entirely possible that along with that imbalance of the brain, your dog has a depression that is physiological in origin.

Very often people with disorders that cause seizures also have what we commonly call chemical depression. Talk to your vet about it. It might even be possible that a medication that helps the depression could also lessen the seizures.

Let us know how he fares; we'll be thinking about your poor little pup and wishing him the best. These creatures with problems have a way of wrapping themselves around your heart and becoming very special, cherished companions.
 
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#4
Depressed Doggie

Sorry I cannot offer words of wisdom. All I can say is that I feel for you and your doggie. I know when my Petals isn't feeling up to par I obsess over her. Tell your doggie that Petals and I send some hugs and kisses and well wishes :) :p
 

iky

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#5
Thanx everyone for the advice, we keeping a close eye on Buddy, and he is doing very well. His seizures only come along when he is dewormed, so its not that bad. I will definately give me lots of hugs and kisses from you guys. Thanx again!
 

pitbulliest

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#6
Sometimes dogs get depressed because they don't get enough exercise and time outside..I read this in an article a few months ago..
Also, don't count solely on your vet for answers..you should try to set up an appointment with an animal behaviorist or maybe even a holistic vet..sometimes they have different advice for you to consider instead of just depending on what this one person states..

Anywho..good luck..
 

MEG126

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#7
we had a 4 year old lab for about 2 weeks and i swear he was depressed. i think he was having a little bit of seperation anxiety from his previous family... and plus he was much more of an outside dog with his old owners than he was with us. i mean he was still able to be outside, but he was inside a lot too. anyways don't know if that provides any info for you, but thought i would mention it. best of luck and hope ya figure it out soon.
 

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