We have a siebrian husky with cataracts and she is approx. 2 yrs old. She has always been aggressive re: food and recently has gotten worse toward ourselves and our othe husky which is 4 yrs. We have consulted our vet. and his advise is to put her down before someone gets hurt. We had plan to have cataract removal surg. for her, but we have not been able to treat her with eye drops.
A little history about her is that we adopted her, she was a stray that showed up at my sisters house in straving condition and doesn't seem to have been treated very well in the past.
In most cases she is very affectionate and has been a great companion to our 4 yr. old husky.
Please help if anyone any suggesions, thinking seriously re: the vets. advice, but wanted to others opionions.
Thanks, Kathy Boeckman

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We have a siebrian husky with cataracts and she is approx. 2 yrs old. She has always been aggressive re: food and recently has gotten worse toward ourselves and our othe husky which is 4 yrs. We have consulted our vet. and his advise is to put her down before someone gets hurt. We had plan to have cataract removal surg. for her, but we have not been able to treat her with eye drops.
A little history about her is that we adopted her, she was a stray that showed up at my sisters house in straving condition and doesn't seem to have been treated very well in the past.
In most cases she is very affectionate and has been a great companion to our 4 yr. old husky.
Please help if anyone any suggesions, thinking seriously re: the vets. advice, but wanted to others opionions.
Thanks, Kathy Boeckman

Sibes can be a hard breed to deal with, I have a rescued sibe also and I know that even a good sibe can be trying. Is the 2 year olds aggression limited to resource guarding? How long have you had her? How much training have you done? Sibes play hard and can be very vocal when playing are you sure you are not misinterpreting the behavior. Depending on the severity and circumstances this may be a solvable problem.

I am sure we have not misinterpeted the behavior. When first got her a year ago she lunged and growled with teeth showing at my husband while she was eating, when he reached down to pet her head. Therefore, we knew she was aggressive with food. She was repremainded and we have tried to desensit. her by getting close to her while eating and pet her also while eating. All has gone fairly well until recently when she had gotten a bowl she was not to have, my husband reached for it to take it away and she lunged, growling with a bark, teeth showing. He hit her on the nose, he tried again she did the same thing with the same response, he then hit her again with a rolled paper, she ran around a chair and behind hime roled on the floor with feet up. We then consulted the vet. he thought with her cataracts, that loss of sense that is getting worse will make her food aggression worse. Hate to put her down if this is something that is not going to be a threat to safety and is just our ignorance in training. Our other husky and is 4 yrs. old is just a joy and as gentle as can be, trust him completely. The two are completely different in their personalities. Other wise sis (the aggressor) is very loving.
Kathy Boeckman

I would't put the dog down, I would just feed her in the crate. I don't know where the idea that you should be able to mess with a dogs food comes from but there is really no reason for it. Have you worked any obedience with her? For a rescue the food gaurding thing is pretty normal. I would work with her on basic obedience and read Ed's groundwork article again. Also take a look at his theroy of corrections article it is never accepatble to hit a dog with a rolled up newspaper you will end up creating more poblems.

Thanks for your advice and we will work on this longer. We really do love her and want to keep her as a pet as long as we can do so safely. Again what do think of the cataracts and her getting more aggressive as a result?

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.....what do think of the cataracts and her getting more aggressive as a result?

This thread about an older dog with increasing fear-aggression as she became blind might help (and the book mentioned there addresses in detail the subject of fear-aggression and blindness):
http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/showf...rue#Post4154255

Also, this site, even though it's about GSDs, mentions the subject, too:
http://www.gsdhelpline.com/blind.htm

And this one discusses gradual blindness (and deafness) and addresses personality changes:
http://www.digitaldog.com/living.html

All these sources will tell you that failing eyesight can certainly trigger aggression. They offer help, too, especially the book. (BTW, it's in a lot of libraries. It's Caroline Levin's "Living with Blind Dogs.")

BlindDogs.com is the best overall resource I've seen on the internet.

Good luck with this. I do think you will be heartened by the suggestions about how to lower the dog's anxiety and fear.

Connie, did i miss where she said the dog was anything but food aggressive? I notice a trend with some of the replys on the board, towards any display of food agression as fear aggression <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />. It's simple, feed the dog in the crate. She didn't say the dog was blind, just that the dog had cataracts that could be repaired surgically. I'm never gonna understand why people feel the need to mess with their dogs while they're eating,i mean it takes all of a minute to eat, none of mine have food aggression, but i only make them sit then feed them, man, thats my pet peeve, AL

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Connie, did i miss where she said the dog was anything but food aggressive? I notice a trend with some of the replys on the board, towards any display of food agression as fear aggression <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />. It's simple, feed the dog in the crate. She didn't say the dog was blind, just that the dog had cataracts that could be repaired surgically. I'm never gonna understand why people feel the need to mess with their dogs while they're eating,i mean it takes all of a minute to eat, none of mine have food aggression, but i only make them sit then feed them, man, thats my pet peeve, AL

I agree with you 110% about not messing with the food.

The sites about blind dogs address the situation mentioned: a dog whose sight had been affected by cataracts.

But yes, I sure do agree with you about the food thing. And you're certainly right that diminished sight doesn't *necessarily* or even usually trigger aggression.


Also, I made a big mistake here, which I won't make again. I read the initial poster's more recent question about whether cataracts could be contributing towards aggression, and I did not go back and read the longer post about the rolled-up newspaper, etc. Careless..... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

If I had, my thoughts would have been much more along the lines of yours and Jason Shipley's.

Kathy, I agree with Jason, too. If that's the only problem with this dog, eliminate the danger (by feeding her in a crate) not the dog. Also, I've had two dogs with cataracts, and it's true that their behavior worsens as their sight declines. Wouldn't yours? Don't wait too long to have the surgery-once the cataracts are present, often the eye declines very fast, glaucoma develops, and the eye has to be removed so it doesn't explode. Gross, but glaucoma is very painful, since it causes such an increase in pressure in the eye, and it will eventually burst, causing your dog to bleed to death if you're not home. It is VERY painful, and this may be something you want a second opinion on if her bahavior has worsened. Maybe it's just lack of sight, but don't rule out intense pain. Both of mine ended up losing one eye, but I had a lens inplanted in the good eye so they had excellent vision in it. Just removing the cataract is ok, but with such a young dog, why settle for ok? An implant is expensive, but at least down the road, if you end up with a one-eyed dog, at least it will have vision enough to be confident, not just wander around cautiously.

What Al said. I have had dogs that were aggressive about their food and nothing else. Not people, not toys, not other dogs or cats, only their food. Just feed them in their crate or a room to themselves. When they have finsihed eating and walk away pick the bowl up and put it away. No problems. I don't really see a connection with food guarding and fear aggression other than fear of someone taking their food away. I hate it myself when someone reaches over and grabs a bite of food off of my plate without asking. Ticks me off, to me it is rude and disrepectful. A good working relationship is usually one of mutual respect, wheather it's your dog or spouse. It's only fair!

If you can afford a surgery that can fix her eyes and you really like this dog and she otherwise works in your family I wouldn't euthanize her over food aggression. Just my opinion and you know how that is.....

Regards,
Debbie