I've got to have some help and hopefully answers from you guys... the pros.
Alright, I have an 18 month old GSD who is (has been in the past) the sweetest dog. When we got him at 10 weeks, or so... it was obvious that he bonded with my 6 y/o daughter. They played together lots and have been mostly inseperable. Mid January 09 he was dx'd with Heartworms and went through the treatment (Immitcide or something of the sort) which my vet told me would be a painful process for him. Got the shot, kept him kenneled, no major activity, no long walks, etc. He was SO sore on his backside that I kept everyone away from him except to feed, etc. At any rate as his Heartworms were gone and he felt better, we've started excercising, playing again.... the bad news is, now for some reason he is aggressive towards my daughter. Unprompted, he growled a quick warning and has lunged and snapped at her face, twice. He has NEVER shown this behavior towards anyone (except my ex husband ). I have let her give him treats, throw the ball and fun stuff that he likes, but now he just doesn't like her. I do not understand. I realize that he may be going thru his "teenage" years and he is not fixed, but would either of these things promote aggression like that? My vet said that the tx does not have a side effect of aggression, but it's the only thing I can relate it to. Now, as sad as it makes me I feel like I need to find him another home. I cannot have a dog in my home that is aggressive to any of the children (6, 13, 21). Any help would be appreciated, if the right thing to do is find a home, I live in Arkansas if anyone is interested. Thanks much!
How long ago was the dog's injection? Has he had more than one? I think the dog can have lumbar pain for about 2.5 months after these type of injections. This drug is derived from arsenic so I can just imagine what it will do to your system. Dogs can act very aggressive when they have pain. Since your daughter is little in size I was wondering if she maybe touched him and caused him pain. My 7 yo nephew always touches my dogs backs (gently even just resting his hand there) when he is around them. Personally, I would keep a muzzle on the dog for now and not play with the dog or allow it to jump around.
The dog is still young and maturing, so I'm not sure if this is just a case of him starting to show his rank in the home or a medical condition.
Is he a crated dog? Make sure you do groundwork training with him for now and leave it at that.
Talk to your vet about the behavior change and maybe call up the manufacturer of the medicine (Merial) to see if anything can be done through them or to get more info, you may need to report it to the FDA.
Thank you so much. I am still extremely concerned about his strange behavior. He is not crated, anymore. But his life has certainly changed, believe me. I had heard that he could have pain for that long, but his original shot was Jan 30th (I believe, at work with no records on me). He has acted a little better the very few times I have allowed them to be around each other. She (my daughter) is only giving treats, throwing the ball (from the door) and "fun" stuff so that he may RE-realize that she is not foe. We still have not taken long walks or had any MAJOR excercise. I would LOVE to call the maker of the drug to check, my vet seems fairly unconcerned and thinks that this will pass. It is VERY possible that she touched him in some way. Prior to the HW tx, they were fairly inseparable and she had a hard time becoming accustomed to him not being himself. We have almost started from scratch on training and he seems to be doing well with that. I just want the relationship with my daughter and him to be closer to "normal".... makes me a little sad. Thanks so much for your response, I appreciate you. Nita
BTW, the below pic was taken WELL before his tx, he really was everywhere she was... he would even curl around her while she was sleeping and stay right there until someone made him move... someone told me that he saw her as part of his litter? I really don't know if that is good or bad. But he was very protective of her.
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GSD aggressive after Heartworm tx to 6 y/o daughte
). I have let her give him treats, throw the ball and fun stuff that he likes, but now he just doesn't like her. I do not understand. I realize that he may be going thru his "teenage" years and he is not fixed, but would either of these things promote aggression like that? My vet said that the tx does not have a side effect of aggression, but it's the only thing I can relate it to. Now, as sad as it makes me I feel like I need to find him another home. I cannot have a dog in my home that is aggressive to any of the children (6, 13, 21). Any help would be appreciated, if the right thing to do is find a home, I live in Arkansas if anyone is interested. Thanks much!
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Thanks so much for your response, I appreciate you. Nita
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