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My Diary

Shrieking Cattle Dog!

Ever since I got Jake, he's had a few episodes where he becomes very afraid of people. It usually happens after he manages to hurt himself while playing - nothing serious, perhaps a misstep resulting in a pulled tendon or a sore foot - but he starts shrieking at the top of his lungs. Needless to say, this is very unnerving and, naturally, everyone around us looks at me like I'm killing him. (Yikes!)

These episodes usually last for 3 or 4 days, with him being impossible to touch or even look at sometimes. The slightest brush against him results in a shrieking outburst. I've found it best just to ignore and avoid him.

My vet's examined him and couldn't find anything physically wrong with him, but he got some pain, anti-inflammatory and sedation meds just in case. They seemed to help (mostly the sedative I think) and he's returned to "normal".

It's strange - he's always been skittish about being snuggled, but it seems that after each of these episodes, he's a little more comfortable about it. After the latest episode it's like he's a whole different dog. He actually initiates snuggling and loves to be hugged!

I wish I knew more about his past. That's the hardest thing with adopting a dog with no known history is knowing how they were treated. My Cattle Dogs are loved and never physically disciplined, but not all dog owners treat their dogs with love.

Fortunately, Jake seems to have made a full recovery and it will be interesting to see if, in the future, he has any relapses. Maybe this latest episode was the bursting of the dam which finally released his inner puppy. I'm certainly hoping so!