Bit of a mystery here and I'd be thankfull for any clues, why this might have occurred.

Our purebred German shephard went missing for week, just before Christmas. It happened during a snow storm and my wife heard sounds that sounded like she was fighting with something. We wrote if off a being a cougar, but a week later I got a call from a campground about 5 miles away. she had been hanging around there, growling when anyone approached her, which seemed most out of character, since she was usually over friendly to everyone.
Brought her home and everything seemed normal, until about 4 weeks ago, when she dissapeared again. In the three years we had her[spayed female] she had never shown any inclination to wander before. a few days later I got a call from an acreage about a mile away, advising that she was there, but wouldn't let anyone approach her. I was there within 10 minutes, but she was gone again. Then two weeks ago, I got a call from a farmer, about 20 miles from here, that she was there. We went to pick her up and when I went to load her in the truck, she gave me a vicious bite on the wrist. My wife muzzled her with a rope and we got her loaded. I stopped at the local hospital for some first aid and a tetanus shot.
Everything was back to normal until we came back from Red Deer on thursday evening. She cuddled up to me and I patted her behind the ears and the ran circles around the Hay bales, abouy 8 o'clock. Typical happy dog behavior. Went to bed and the wife roused me out of my sleep at 4 A.M. to tell me that it sounded like Reba was fighting with some coyotes behind the house. I found her, right behind the house, in obvious distress with no sign of any coyotes or injuries. I had brought my little 20 gauge and fearful of my previous experience, I stroked her with the gun barrel, which elicited no response. She then got up and ran into the field, apparently blindly. She hit a couple of trees and a wire fence on the way out. I followed with my flashlight and found her lying in the field at which point she ran back towards the house, hitting the fence again. Apparently, my wife coming out of the house caused her to run back towards me again. while she was lying there, panting heavily, the horses came up to check out the situation. she jumped up and acted like the proverbial mad dog, a vacant look in her eyes and growling with fangs exposed. she then tried to bite at them, normally her best friends. At this point I decided there was no future in this game and shot her, since I was afraid she might end up somewhere else in this condition.

Our Vet and my doctor agree that the chances of rabies were virtually nil, since her shots were current and rabies is not a disease that comes and goes, as well as the time period involved. The vet raised the possibility of a brain lesion.
Grizz

Wow!! That is a bizarre story...have never heard one like it (except maybe CUJO!).

It sure seems like it had to be a brain issue...lesion, tumor, ???

Regards,
Canuck

Griz,

First thing that came to my mind was rabies, but as the story progressed I was thinking maybe seizures. After a seizure a dog will act disoriented, aggressive and blind. Seizures can occur over short to longer intervals of time.There would be no set pattern. From what I read you were never there with the dog at the onset of the behavior, so a seizure could have occured and you saw the after effects.

It definitly sounds like it was some type of neuorological disorder and a tumor could also be a likely answer.

2-18-08***re -read the post and I strongly feel it was seizures the dog was experiencing. Both times when the dog was on your property, your wife stated 'it sounded like the dog was in a scuffle with another animal'. A cougar would have killed the dog or left telltale battle signs. The second time when she thought coyotes where fighting with the dog and you went out to investigate to find no coyotes or signs of a fight, the dog was behaving like she just had a seizure: blind, aggressive, disoriented. Dogs can and do make loud noises similar to a fight during a seizure. Without a necropsy it would be difficult to say if it was just seizures or seizures due to a tumor or brain lesion.

Sad story though for all involved.

Regards,
Mary

Grizz I applaude you for having the fortitude to do the RIGHT thing for all concerned including Reba I believe she may have been going blind which is known to occur in sheperds which often leads to fear biting & flight from routine noises. Sorry for your loss but you couldn't alow her to bite anyone else like a small child could you?

My condolences. I think you did the right thing.

Growing up in Germany the common knowledge about German Shephards is that a perfectly good dog can suddenly go mad and be a danger to you or your family. It was one of those things you would think about before keeping your dog indoors etc...

Anyhow, our Shepherd is 11 and still going good. Though she is starting to act a bit odd from time to time.

Boy THAT is a tough situation. No choice but a terrible thing to have to do.

The babies become so much a part of the family and that makes such a thing so much more difficult.

We had a shephard once that began to raid the neighbor's chicken coop. Hated to do it, but she had to go to a new home. Fortunately, we were able to find one that would not encourage her tendency to make lunch of the neighbor's livestock (as there wasn't any). No where near as troubling as your problem but hurt nonetheless.

Robert Heinlein commented in one of his books that "a man has to take care of his own dogs." So very true and so very difficult at times.



My most sincere condolences!

While the visciousness is one aspect that differs from our situation, the other behavior virtually mirrors that of an old Doberman we use to have. Running into fences, doors, my legs, etc. all pre-empted a visit to the vet who said one cause could be brain tumors or lesions. He also mentioned that he had seen visciousness develop in dogs with similar symptoms so we opted to put him down at nine years old.

Sounds as though you did the right thing. Sorry for your loss.

There are any number of encephalitides that might cause the problem. Most of them rare and some of them not generally regarded as occuring in dogs-listeriosis for example. The fact that you were in a rueral area magnifies the selection.
It would have been an interesting diagnostic challenge.

Interesting story. Really wierd that it kinda switched on and off like that. sorry for the loss

Sorry about the loss for your family. My neighbor had an eleven year old Doberman and one night the male Doberman decided he would not get out of the recliner chair. My neighbor thought it odd but figured the dog was sore and would pass by morning. Next morning the dog was still in the chair but now would growl when was approached. That night the dog was still in the chair and the neighbor realized the dog had not taken any water or food. Called the vet and the vet used a noose on a pole to drag the dog out of the chair to take it for observation. Vet put it in a cage at his office and the dog would still not take water or food and was vicious. The dog dehydrated for another day and was at risk of stroke so my neighbor had the dog put down. Hard to explain except somehow a switch flipped and stayed flipped.

I had a cocker that took seizures. She was never aggressive but rather would run to one of us and wrap her legs around our leg seemingly to hold on. It almost appeared as if she was asking for help and protection.
Even when she had one attack while at the groomers she did not act aggressive. Different dog, perhaps different medical cause, perhaps luck on our part.