Depression in Dogs?

Question

I have a yellow lab that is 7 years old. She's been depressed for the past 4 years, since our other dog died. A year later, we thought we could cheer her up by getting her a new puppy. That worked for about a month or so. About two months ago, she began to become extremely depressed and got into biting up her paws to the point that they would bleed badly. I've taken her to the vet many times, and she's not sick. About a month ago, we got another lab puppy to make her happy. She's been have a lot of fun until about last week. She's become extremely lazy and eats and drinks very little. I'm starting to become very nervous that she will get very sick. Please help! Any suggestions will help.

Answer 1

Sounds like she is giving up on life.

Take her out to a park and just the two of you take a walk and talk to her. Ask her what is wrong and the voice in your head might tell you what she is saying...

While at the park take a ball or tug and play with her just a little..

Good Luck
sew

Answer 2

Actually, quite a few people with depression train their own assistance dogs, and many are trained to do things beyond what an ordinary pet would. In order for a person to qualify as disabled (by depression, or anything else) they must meet certain criteria, including having deficits in activities of daily living, and the dog would be trained to mitigate those deficits. Most people with depression won't qualify, unless there are comorbid conditions, such as PTSD or general anxiety disorder, or the depression is very severe and resistant to medication, or the medications cause excessive side effects. Some of the tasks these dogs might do include insisting the person get up, or reminding the person to take meds at certain times, or doing some kind of intervention if the person has a meltdown in public (something like lying down next to the person, or getting help, or guiding the dog back to a car). A service dog must be able to perform a task that mitigates the disability in order to qualify as a service dog. Regardless of the tasks required, doing the tasks is the easy part of service dog training. The difficult part of SD training is the daily public access skills. And whether a dog is a service dog or not has less to with how many tasks he performs, than with whether he is able to mitigate the disability of a person, whatever the cause of that disability might be.

Answer 3

Larger breed dogs age faster than smaller breed dogs. Your dog is almost 50 in human age now and therefore is quite possibly just starting to feel her old age. As dogs get older they calm down ALOT once they reach around 3-4 and therefore she may not be depressed at all you just might be confused why she is not as playful and energetic as she was when she was younger.
She may have arthritis or various other problems on the inside that you are unaware of because she cant tell you.
Depression is common for pets that lose a friend but 4 years is too long. The new puppies may stress her out (ie the feet biting) or make her nervous or she may be jealous that you share your affection with the other pet. The other pet may be a dominate animal and created a stressful environment for your dog who is used to having the run of the house.
Your new pet may be dominating the water bowls and food so make sure that they each have their own bowls in different locations to avoid dehydration or malnutrition.
Also if you have changed her food she may not like it or it may not agree with her so if so change back to what she used to eat..... or it could be that she needs a different nutritional diet now that she has reached late middle age. Ask your vet what foods should be introduced.

Lastly, she could have just recently gotten an allergy to something outside or on the floor and that could be why she is chewing her feet. If you use carpet fresheners or pesticides outdoors stop using them for awhile and see if she stops chewing.

And spend lots of quality time with her!!! Let her know she is still your number one pet to ease any anxiety.

Take the time to go over every possibility with your vet. Dogs are commonly misdiagnosed so its always a plus to remind your doctor of certain things in order to make it easier. Keep a journal and write down what your dog does each day and give it to your vet so that it is easier to read all the symptoms.

hope this helps

Answer 4

It is possible for a dog to get depressed or sad and miss their doggie siblings but 4 years is a long time. It may be that the new puppy takes her mind off whatever the problem is for a short while but is not the long term answer. Your veterinarian says she's not sick but have you checked for allergies? I ask this because biting at her paws or legs can be a sign of allergic reactions. Maybe you want to look into that with your veterinarian. She's your baby and you know if something isn't right (it's just like that mommy instinct that tells you when your child is not well even when everyone else thinks everything's fine). I'd say trust your judgement and keep trying to find out what's wrong.

Good luck

Answer 5

Dealing with Depression in Dogs
As a dog owner, you know that dogs can suffer from bouts of depression. Whether it be due to the loss of a canine playmate or "human" pack member, a change of scenery, or a chemical imbalance, some dogs, like people, can get the blues.

Signs your dog is depressed.
When dogs are depressed they can lose their appetite, lose interest in activities, sleep excessively - and in extreme cases, whine or lose drastic amounts of weight. If you think your dog is depressed, bring him to the vet. She'll help you rule out underlying physical causes for your dog's behavior, and work with you to determine the best course of action.

Treatment
If your dog's mental state might prove dangerous, your vet may prescribe anti-depressants.

If your dog has a serious case of the blues, your vet may prescribe anti-depressants. In any case, you can help your dog perk up by providing him with more attention, affection and activity. Try to keep him occupied by doing things that he likes. Take him to the park, bring him on car trips, or buy him a toy that provides mental stimulation. You can also try teaching him easy games or set up play dates with a friend's pet.

Some depressed dogs may not groom themselves properly. So, spend 15 minutes a day brushing him or giving him a massage - he'll start looking forward to this new routine, and it may help him feel a bit brighter.

Patience is Key

Answer 6

like you said puppy worked for a while
you need a older dog
would you have more in common
with a baby or an adult ???
even human baby's get to be boring after a while - take that the right way
babys are fun but someone your on age is more fun
take dog to a friend leave them togather and see if he gets more active
she needs stuff to do find things to make her active 4 years is along time to be depressed this may take time and love

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Answer 7

I just wanted to point out that putting your dog on anti-depressants is not going to solve any of your dog's problems. She needs attention from you and also something to keep her mind busy. Enroll in Agility or Obedience classes, if you have it available in your area, or buy a book and practice in your own back yard. Dogs love to be interactive with us; they love to work and stay active, too. Labs love water, so take them to the beach or lake. If there is no water near by, pick up a plastic pool from your local Dept. Store and your dog will love you for it. If you are too busy to do these things with your dogs, then it might be time to find your dogs a home that will suit them.

Answer 8

I have seen many dogs who grieve over the passing of a dog. The other dog was probably like a mentor to her and she misses it terribly. Probably when you get these new puppies they take her mind off the depression and she eventually can't be distracted enough and starts thinking about the dog that passed. I would suggest taking her to the vet again, and asking for some antidepressant meds. ( I believe they have these for dogs now)

Answer 9

Often a change in scenery will help dogs just like it does humans. Exercise is critical - especially for such an active breed. Maybe take all three dogs to a dog park and let them run around and play. Make sure all of them are getting plenty of love and affection from you - you're the dogs' world!

Answer 10

I would suggest getting another dog doesn't help the sad dog but may make it jealous. You need to increase one on one time with the dog and also realize that it is aging and is going to mellow out anyways. Dogs definately can have depression but I think the one on one is a nice remedy for starters and as I said realizing it's slowing down some is part of it as large boned dogs age faster.