This, my friends, is a dog who has become terrified of her own farts! Mabel, like most mammals, has farted her whole life. I'm not talking about when she was a puppy and discovered her own farts smelled. Back then, she would get up, blowing her nose... sniff the air and back up. If it was a really smelly one, she would leave the room!
These old dog farts aren't even smelly, but when they occur, she comes running to me. She will stand beneath my chair and beg for pets and cuddles. In bed, she will be getting up to run to me before the fart even erupts. I reassure her; tell her she's OK. That seems to appease her - until she farts again!
I don't know if it's more painful now that she is a canine senior or if she doesn't realize she's been farting her whole life!
A few weeks ago, she went through horrible belching phase that also terrified her. She would belch and gag all night long. The whole bedroom smelled like puke even though nothing came up. I had her on antacids and decided to make a change to her diet. Instead of two evenly split meals, she gets a quarter cup more in the morning and quarter cup less at night. And just like that, the belching ended.
But there is nothing I can do about her farts... Have any of you had a sudden, irrational fear in your senior dogs???
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5 comments:
OMD it's not funny but it is, perhaps she hears it and doesn't know where it came from, like a firework.. Oh poor darling Mabel, at least they don't stink..XXOXXX
Mollie and Alfie
Oh dear! Poor Mabel. I'm with Mollie - it's hard not to find the humor in it but at the same time - there's nothing sadder than an older dog that seems confused and/or scared over something to commonplace! I would wonder if it hurts her. I'd hesitate to visit the vet over it - but at the same time, I would definitely mention it at the next well visit. :)
Gut pain isn't fun. Maybe she's hurting a bit before her "gas attack"? Deaf as Indy has become he still can hear a loud, sharp noise. It always makes him jump and run.
Pat
Critter Alley
Sorry, I kept help chuckling at the picture you painted. :)
I haven't had any sudden issues with my senior dog, unless you count selective hearing!!
My guess is that she has some gastro thing going on so the farts might be associated with gas movement which is possibly a little ouchie.
But dogs do change over time and their ability to tolerate things that are questionable diminishes as they feel more fragile inside their brains. My Mango was never afraid of thunder until he was six years old or so.
Mango Momma
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