Sammie is acting "Weird"

[Tambrey]

That is the only way I can describe how he is acting today...

He went out fine this morning and stayed out for a while...did his business just fine..I always watch him for that with his back problems...came in and drank and nibbled at....wait....a piece of pizza he got from the garbage... that he would not let me take away from him...plain cheese, but from the garbage....

he came to me about an hour or so ago barking and dancing to go outside, so we went outside...he went down the stairs and a cat came up to see him...one of the outside ferals...he "hopped" away like a terrified rabbit...

He ran on down the sidewalk and I called him over to hook his tie-out chain to his collar and he came to me, but when I touched him, he startled and "hopped" away from me...through the lawn he kept hopping all over like a rabbit hops...like everything was scaring him...

I sat on the swing and called him over...he came to me and sat wagging his tail while I petted him...so he can hear...I moved my hands in front of his eyes and he looked, so he can see...he walks around fine...but every time anything moved suddenly or touched him, even a tall blade of grass...he hopped away...but then he would go wandering off...walking just fine...but kept under the bushes and away from grass or anything...

I have checked his feet for an injury...felt his tummy, and along his back for signs of stress of injury...checked his mouth and teeth (he let me do that)...I am at a total loss for the sudden unexplained fear he seems to be showing...

I finally got him into the house and he went to his crate to lay down...but then wanted out again...we got outside and he balked at the porch...tail wagging, wanted to go down...but his eyes rolled and you could see the whites because he was afraid to come further...

I am hoping it is a bad dream he had and needs to get over...or hopefully an upset tummy from that darned piece of pizza....
I hope it is not his back giving out again...we cannot go through another surgery

keeping a close eye on him throughout today and we will see how he does...if he is still weird tomorrow we will go to the vet...even if he is eating and moving and going bathroom fine...

[Traci]

I think I'd just watch him today and tonite, particularly when he goes out again. If he's walking fine any other time, chances are it was something in the yard. Did you have rain recently where the grass is wet?

If the hopping continues to tomorrow, or in the event it worsens today, I wouldn't risk it, take him to your vet for a quick exam. Watch for stools and that they are normal. (how big was the size of the pizza piece?)

[Tambrey]

the piece of pizza was like a slice from a 12" pizza...

no rain recently but when it does rain, he is not usually bothered by that...he will go lick the rain from the blades of grass...

he has been fine in the house...sleeping for the most part because it is hot...but when he gets up, he stretches from front to back...a good stretch with even one hind leg at a time out behind him...then wiggles/shakes from nose to tail...and if his back were bothering him, he surely would not be doing that...

He came to me again a while ago to go outside....he got as far as the front porch and turned to come back inside...I picked him up and lifted him to the sidewalk, and he hopped, turned and hightailed it back up the stairs to come inside...

I am going to go out there and see what I can find...wait a minute...I wonder.....I got some herbs lastnight and they are not in the ground yet...they are sitting in a tray on the front sidewalk, about half way down with other plants to go in the new flowerbed...they have been there a few days and have not bothered him....I got thyme, parsley, basil, oregano, dill, rosemary and another...hhmmm.....I think I will go move them and take him out when hubby gets home and see what he does then...he is on his way home from work so I won't have too long to wait and see...I will let Sammie out when he drives up because Sammie loves to greet him...see if Sammie goes to greet him or balks at the porch....

[Tambrey]

hubby got home....Sammie balked at going outside but he did go...

went pee and poo...but seemed normal with no straining or pain...but his nose was working 100mph so something on the air...

I moved the herbs so we will see if that was it...if so, I will need to plan a different area for that garden and keep the ones along the front sidewalk strictly ornamental flowers, grasses, etc!!

[mamabear]

Tam I am always one to say go to vet first BUT I have to say that this is a bit odd. I would have to say first that with a flashlight and a bat (yes i said bat) go outside and check the entire area, every sq in. If he didnt whine when he stretched(jeez i wish i would stretch like that ) and he is fine othewise, i wonder if he is trying to tell you something is wrong out there. Please take hubby with you ummm and the bat. Check the porch,under it everywhere. I would say hook him to a leash and bring doggie with you but it is risky if he is trying to warn you. My dogs have a good out command so i would take mine but if he wouldnt let go of that pizza i'd keep him in the house since he doesnt feel like listening. If he grabs hold of something out there and wont let go he could get hurt.

Are his hackles up when he barks out there? Tail straight out? Just put nose in air and smells nice and deep?

I wonder if a dog still get frisky when a *beep* is in heat even when they are neutered?

[Tambrey]

noooo...no hackles or anything....just more of a curious nose than anything...

There IS a feral cat missing and I am presuming she is dead she had a litter...not sure where or how far long ago...but she stopped coming around suddenly, a few weeks after they were born, and I can only assume she is gone...if she were under out porch I know I would have known that sooner than now!!!

The other cats all go under the porch so I would think if something bad were under there, they would not go under either?

He has been fine this evening...we will go out again in a while and see how he does....

[Tambrey]

Well we just had him out again....took forever to get him down the stairs...then he RAN out into the yard and hardly piddled before he wanted to come back and we said no...go potty...so he wandered around the yard on the north side of the sidewalk and did his business...then went across at the far end to the yard on the south side of the walk and scrooched and rolled in the grass for a while...

When the bugs were getting to us humans and we wanted to come back in...he refused to walk up that sidewalk!! I have removed plants...nothing new or unusual there now...but he was still terrified...so DH went and sat on the swing, on the south side of the yard, and called him over...

BTW...Sammie is not on the tie-out chain when we are out with him...he is good at staying with us in the yard and just exploring...

Sammie went to DH...by hopping here and there...avoiding areas of the yard...
DH got down to look and could not see anything...but who is to say that some strange critter was not in our yard lastnight and left its mark/scent?...

we have had raccoons, opossums, woodchuck and of course feral cats right up to our door...deer will come into the backyard in winter...and we hear coyotes in the distance but I cannot imagine that one would be bold enough to come into our front yard!!

We will see what tomorrow brings...

[Traci]

Did he eat an entire slice of pizza? (please make sure there was no garlic on that)

If he's doing fine, walking fine, not irritated in the least when he's inside the house, chances are, something in the yard has spooked him. He first jolted at the feral kitty, did that kitty happen to chase or scratch him earlier? Do you have certain trees that are dropping sap buds or anything? (we have some, don't know what they're called, that have sap-like buds that fall at the end of spring, making a huge sticky mess on the lawn)

Anything different about the sidewalk? Was it unusually hot? Concrete and asphalt can get super hot on hot days and make it difficult for little doggy paw pads to walk on.

Is there an unusual amount of gnats around the yard? Sometimes they hover over the lawn and they WILL bite. What about ants? Look for ant hills around the areas of the lawn he seems to be trying to avoid.

[Tambrey]

the slice was just a piece of frozen plain cheese pizza...no garlic or anything...my son is boring and picky when it comes to food!!

I did move the herbs from the sidewalk but that did not matter...he avoided that area of the sidewalk and came right by where I moved the herbs to in order to get back to come inside...

This morning when I let him out...he did not go down the stairs...he went down 1 or 2, then hopped into the raised flowerbed beside the porch, then to the ground from there...
To come back inside, he did a running start and went up the stairs as fast as he could!!

No ants...gnats are bad everywhere this year it seems, so I do not leave him out too long...but even when he does want to stay outside, he sits on the sidewalk and soaks up the sun...

It has been windy, with a southern wind so strange scents as well as yes, small branches etc dropping...no sticky sap or anything though...

As far as I know that kitten has not bothered him in the past...they will usually run up to get so close, then turn and run away...like it is a game to see how close they dare get to anyone but not let anyone touch them, whether 2 or 4 legged...

He is fine elsewise so we will keep working on the outside thing and try to figure it out...I really do not want to look under the porch....I can see between the stairs and do not see anything...and if a critter went under there to die, we would surely know that by now with the heat and humidity we have had!!

[mamabear]

I can not help but think maybe there is more of a danger. What about the pipe lines. Where is your gas/cabletv/water lines? Is there a humming you hear anywhere? I HATE to say this but I would not want him on a leash right now out there because then he will want to please you and walk with you and therefore you wont know if there is a problem.

I would like it if you did put him on a leash and took him out the front and see what happens.

He is not behaved like this before, just recently correct?

His rubbing in the grass is just his way of saying this is mine and telling others that this is mine. That is ok to do.

Also check for bees. I think its Yellow Jackets that can burrow under ground or any type of bees nest near where he is avoiding. If he was stung then he might avoid.

Please do see where the gas and power lines are. I think they do both one with yellow and one with blue flags to see where it falls.

What breed is he? If mixed , mixed with what?


I must say this is a first for me.