Snapping at Children

[Libertyrocks]

My dog got fat this last off-season and weight wasn’t coming off very easily, partially because my wife sneaks him food while I’m at work. I explained how dangerous the extra weight is during hunting season and now the weight is miraculously coming off.

He is a five year ago intact male, and has had some dominance and territorial aggression, but he was always fantastic around kids.

Now that the weight is falling off, his disposition has changed. He started snapping at children without warning when he no longer wanted to be petted. I took him in for blood work; his thyroid was normal but he tested positive for Lyme disease. A further blood test determined he did not need to be treated for Lyme.

We no longer let him around children. It’s not as easy as it sounds, because neighborhood kids love him. Kids would often come into our yard to pet him and give him sticks. They’ll even ring the doorbell and ask if he can come out to play.

While I’ll never trust him around children again, I wonder if his disposition will stabilize with his weight. I’m seriously considering neutering him, but I’m told it won’t make a difference in a five year old dog. The downside is his weight will be even more difficult to manage. Others say neutering will help after 6 to 12 months.

[JONOV]

My dog got fat this last off-season and weight wasn’t coming off very easily, partially because my wife sneaks him food while I’m at work. I explained how dangerous the extra weight is during hunting season and now the weight is miraculously coming off.

He is a five year ago intact male, and has had some dominance and territorial aggression, but he was always fantastic around kids.

Now that the weight is falling off, his disposition has changed. He started snapping at children without warning when he no longer wanted to be petted. I took him in for blood work; his thyroid was normal but he tested positive for Lyme disease. A further blood test determined he did not need to be treated for Lyme.

We no longer let him around children. It’s not as easy as it sounds, because neighborhood kids love him. Kids would often come into our yard to pet him and give him sticks. They’ll even ring the doorbell and ask if he can come out to play.

While I’ll never trust him around children again, I wonder if his disposition will stabilize with his weight. I’m seriously considering neutering him, but I’m told it won’t make a difference in a five year old dog. The downside is his weight will be even more difficult to manage. Others say neutering will help after 6 to 12 months.

I don't think that neutering him will help his disposition. That doesn't make it a bad idea, but I think its often touted for a cure-all for aggression type issues and it doesn't cure most of those problems. I've seen enough of that firsthand.

[Misskiwi67]

The QuantC6 has come under review recently as not telling us what we originally thought.

I’d request a 30 day course of Doxycycline and see if his behavior improves.

[orhunter]

What MissK said. He doesn't feel good.

[Libertyrocks]

Thank you all for your replies.

I'll get started on a Doxy right away. If that doesn't help, I'll reconsider neutering.

[roosterbrews]

My PP is very friendly but over a two month period he started growling and snapping at people he likes. He turned out to have Blastomycosis and just didnt feel good. Id keep testing to see if something else is wrong.

[LongHammer]

Otto doesn't care much for drunks or children. I have one rule kids can call him if he comes to you pet him. If you call and he stays you leave him alone. Drunks I warn 1 time then they are on their own. I also had I don't like kids engraved in his collar in case we get separated. Anyone who finds him will know not to put him in their kids room.

[LongHammer]

Otto doesn't care much for drunks or children. I have one rule kids can call him if he comes to you pet him. If you call and he stays you leave him alone. Drunks I warn 1 time then they are on their own. I also had I don't like kids engraved in his collar in case we get separated. Anyone who finds him will know not to put him in their kids room.

[Duckdon]

Cut him. You don't want those genetics to pass on.
Don and Crew

[Libertyrocks]

Update

We tried 300mg of doxy X2 for about a week, but he couldn’t keep it down, so we switched to 500 mg of amoxicillin X2 (one week to go). We also added a joint health supplement due to MissK’s comment about cartilage damage accompanying Lyme disease on another thread.

It’s hard to tell if it will cure the snapping, because we’re keeping him away from children and some adults. Not worth the risk.

The good news is we returned from our first trip last week. He hunted and moved about the same, but recovered much better than last year. In 2017 he’d stay in truck after the 2rd, 3rd, and 4th, day for a couple hours before he’d budge, then he was miserable until he started moving the next day. He’s seems a couple years younger, despite still carrying a few extra pounds. Altogether, he dropped seven pounds since early August.

Thank you MissK!

[Misskiwi67]

Fantastic news!! Thanks for the update!!