Strange dog behavior, should she go to the vet?

[Wcross]

This is one of my dogs, PeeDee. She is about 3 years old and has had all her shots, de wormed and spayed. I started noticing something strange about a year ago and now it seems like she does it now on a daily basis. She will sit down, look straight up and seems to be trying to (as best as I can describe this) bite at flies or something. She keeps looking back and forth and looks like she is trying to grab things with her mouth. Its like she is seeing things that aren't there. She does it at any time of day or night.
I am concerned about some type of vision problem? Any advice would be appreciated. My Vet is great, he doesn't charge all that much for office visits but I would rather not put PeeDee through a visit if its a common behavior.

[Maddy McCall]

1. Does she have any skin irritation on her body, perhaps in a place...

that she can't reach with her mouth to "scratch" it?

Maybe out of frustration, she's snapping at the air. That's what my Lucinda did while she was big-fat pregnant and couldn't reach her rear end to groom herself. It was almost like, in frustration, she bit at the air.

I don't think it's anything serious, but you might want to check to see if she has any irritation anywhere, and then tend to that with some sulfodene or some oatmeal shampoo.

[skygazer]

2. She's very cute

You may be able to get an idea from your vet if you just call and describe what she's doing just as you've described it here. It doesn't sound like something major - the main things to look at are -

does she eat and drink well?
does she pee and poop well?
does she run into things or seem to get disoriented?
does she behave normally otherwise?

If you don't notice anything besides that issue, you could probably wait until her next checkup (she'll need distemper shots and worming yearly after all) to bring it up with the vet. Or, as I said, call and just ask if that sounds like unusual behavior that should be checked.

[Wcross]

4. She has had problems pooping.

As you can see she is a long haired dog and at times she gets it on her hind-end. If it looks like she needs it I give her a bath and I have been trimming the excess hair in that area. I have been waiting for spring to go to the groomer though.
Other than that she is a happy dog.

[benburch]

3. She may be having spots before her eyes.

This can be caused by a tumor, by a loss of circulation to parts of the brain (like a migraine in humans), or by "floaters" within the aqueous humor.

I'd have it checked out ASAP.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

6. I was just going to suggest floaters...

I have them and they drive me nuts sometimes!

Love your sweet pup! :loveya:

[friesianrider]

5. What an absolutely gorgeous girl you have...

Wow...she's stunning looking!

I'd guess it is likely something minor, but as benburch said there's always a possibility she has "spots" in her eyes from a tumor or something else more serious.

I'd call the vet's office and ask for the vet to give you a call when he/she has a free minute or two. He or she would probably have some more specific questions to ask to figure out what may be going on.

I sure hope everything is okay - she's a lovely, lovely girl :)

[China_cat]

7. Sounds like vestibular disease

THE SIGNS OF VESTIBULAR DISEASE

If there is trouble in the vestibular apparatus, then one may not properly perceive one's orientation. To put it more simply, one won't know which way is up, whether or not one is standing up straight or slanted, and one will feel very dizzy.

The following are signs of vestibular disease:

* ataxia (lack of coordination without weakness or involuntary spasms - in other words, stumbling and staggering around)

* motion sickness

* nystagmus (back and forth or rotational eye movements. The movements will be slower in one direction. This is the side where the neurologic lesion is likely to be; however, nystagmus is named according to the direction of the fast component i.e. there may be left nystagmus but the lesion is probably on the right side of the vestibular apparatus.)

* Circling

* Head tilt (usually toward the side of the lesion)

* Falling to one side (usually toward the side of the lesion)

* Trouble with other nerves controlling the head and face

[Wcross]

9. I don't think thats it.

She seems rather healthy and happy besides her "Stevie wonder" imitation. (as I call it)
Shes a real pistol when it come to playing with her brothers. She is very coordinated and active.

[philosophie_en_rose]

8. First, I'd check for fleas.

Fleas sometimes congregate just above the tail - where dogs can't bite and people sometimes forget to check.

If it's not fleas, it could be almost anything else. I'd run my fingers through her coat to see if there are tangles in her hair or cuts.

[sinkingfeeling]

10. Possible sign of neurological problem. Does she do any shaking

or have temors?

[Wcross]

11. No other strange behaviors.

She is as normal as the other dogs in the pack. She doesn't do her thing but once or twice a day.

[sinkingfeeling]

12. Please take this seriously.. Here is an excellent article on the

'fly-biting' symptom you describe.



During flybiting episodes,
the dog snaps at imaginary flies.
We think these spells are a type of seizure.

Fly-biting or fly-snapping are terms used to describe peculiar episodes where the dog appears to be snapping at imaginary flies. The episodes tend to occurr sporadically, but in some cases can happen frequently throughout the day. Usually the dog is sitting quietly when the spells begin. They seem to focus on the air around them and snap out several times. Usually this is done with a very "matter-of-fact" attitude, but rarely it is done with more emotion and growling. Very often, the dog will lick at the front limbs as well. The dogs appear to be normally conscious and aware during these episodes and can sometimes be distracted out of the episode by calling their name or throwing a ball for them. Some dogs become upset by the episodes and seek out their owner during them

What causes flybiting?

The fly-biters are still a bit of a question mark for veterinary neurologists. We think they are a type of complex partial seizure, but the evidence is not conclusive. We know that hallucinations can be a manifestation of epilepsy in people. We also know in both people and dogs, seizures can cause isolated movements. Since a dog can't tell us what she sees or feels we don't know for sure whether they are seeing imaginary flies or experiencing involuntary movements when they do their fly-biting. Based on the fly-biters I've observed, my gut feeling is that they are experiencing hallucinations, but there is no way to know for sure.

http://www.canine-epilepsy.net/flybite/flybite.html

[Wcross]

13. THANK YOU sinkingfeeling!

That sounds exactly like what she is doing.

[SaveElmer]

14. My dog does this...floaters

Like they are trying to snatch insects out of the air. My vet told us that our dog had floaters in his eyes (I have these as well). Especially in a bright place the dog sees these as things flying past him and tries to grab em.